Desire to serve

For Cedric Schnitzler, the decision to run again for the Wisconsin State Assembly comes down to a simple belief: state government could learn from how local government gets things done.

Schnitzler, chairman of the Monroe County Board, is seeking election to Wisconsin's 95th Assembly District. It is his second run for the seat, but his experience in government goes back much further through service at both the county and township levels.

Schnitzler said his service in local politics taught him that problems don't necessarily come with a Republican or Democratic label attached.

"We roll up our sleeves," Schnitzler said. "We get out there, and if there's this problem, we don't look left or right, Republican or Democrat. We actually take the problem and say, here's what makes sense to fix it."

That approach is something Schnitzler believes is too often missing at the state level.

"None of this is rocket science," Schnitzler said. "It's just about getting it done."

He believes his experience working with towns and counties gives him an understanding of how decisions made in Madison eventually affect people at the local level.

The cost of mandates

For Schnitzler, one of the biggest problems coming out of Madison is unfunded mandates or requirements placed on local governments and schools without enough state money to pay for them.

The difference ultimately has to come from somewhere.

At the county level, Schnitzler points to human services as one example. If the state picked up a greater share of mandated costs, he believes counties could redirect local dollars toward transportation, roads, or property tax relief.

"You talk property taxes, we have — and it's old numbers — but we're probably talking $4.1, $4.2 million at the county level" for state-mandated services, he said.

The issue becomes particularly important for residents living on fixed incomes.

"There are people who are on fixed income, and they want to stay in their homes, and they should stay in their homes," Schnitzler said. "They lived all their life there."

His argument isn't necessarily that Wisconsin needs to collect more money. Instead, Schnitzler said the state needs to reconsider where the money it already collects is going.

Schools face a changing future

The same discussion carries over into education.

Schools are dealing with declining enrollment while also being asked to provide increasingly expensive services, including special education and mental health support.

Schnitzler said the state needs to take greater responsibility for paying for the programs it requires schools to provide.

"Madison needs to step up on the areas that they're mandating and not funding," he said.

The issue is personal for Schnitzler, whose children have Fragile X syndrome and developmental disabilities. He said his family has seen firsthand what schools can do for children who need additional help.

"We have phenomenal schools that help our disadvantaged children or disability children," Schnitzler said, "but they need the resources."

At the same time, he believes Wisconsin needs to give teachers more opportunity to actually teach.

"Get out of your classroom. Get off the teacher's back. Let them teach," Schnitzler said of the state's role.

Teachers, he said, shouldn't be expected to fill every role in a child's life.

"They're not social workers. They're not parents. They're teachers."

Schnitzler also believes parents need to remain part of the equation and take responsibility for supporting their children's education.

Health care hits home

Few issues Schnitzler discussed were as personal as health care.

Schnitzler spent roughly 30 years dairy farming, and as a self-employed farmer, his family had to handle purchasing health insurance themselves.

During one insurance renewal, Schnitzler said an agent learned that his child had developmental disabilities.

According to Schnitzler, the insurer declined to provide the family coverage. "I was willing to pay whatever it is, but I wasn't even given that option," said Schnitzler.

"He said, 'Here's BadgerCare.' He gave me the card, so we signed up for BadgerCare. As a dairy farmer, we had no choice."

"So I was on BadgerCare. That's what we did. And, you know, I know in the past there's been some discussion where people have questioned why Republicans are anti-BadgerCare and don't expand on that. And I said, don't put me in that category because I know what it was. No place to go," said Schnitzler.

The experience shaped how Schnitzler views the health care debate today.

He said the system needs greater transparency and accountability, but he also acknowledged there isn't one simple answer.

"I don't have all the answers," he said. "But I'm going to fight ... for reasons that we need to have quality health care and it needs to be affordable."

Rising costs, Schnitzler said, don't only affect individual families. They also affect employers and local government budgets.

He said his own health insurance increased about 20 percent in one year, while county health care costs have also risen significantly.

"We are paying enough," he said. "We need to be smarter about what we're doing."

Finding mental health care

Cost isn't the only challenge facing health care in rural Wisconsin.

Sometimes the problem is simply finding someone to provide the care.

Schnitzler said Monroe County and surrounding communities continue to face shortages of mental health professionals.

"We need to talk about mental health," he said.

Part of the answer, he believes, is encouraging more young people to enter mental health professions in the same way communities have worked to recruit nurses and certified nursing assistants.

The state could help with education incentives or other programs designed to bring psychologists, counselors and other professionals into underserved areas.

"It's not going away," Schnitzler said.

He also believes counties and health care providers need to improve communication so someone seeking help doesn't run into a barrier simply because they live on the other side of a county line.

"We're all supposed to be working together," he said.

Agriculture remains part of the backbone

Schnitzler spent approximately 30 years milking cows, and agriculture remains one of the issues he talks about from personal experience.

Wisconsin agriculture is changing, he acknowledged, but he doesn't see its importance disappearing.

He supports maintaining agricultural-use property tax protections, investing in rural roads and continuing programs that help get agricultural products to market.

"You can't just talk about supporting it," Schnitzler said. "You need to fund it."

He also wants greater investment in land and water conservation.

That includes helping farmers reduce runoff and protect streams without simply adding another layer of regulation.

"I'm not asking for increased regulation," Schnitzler said. "I would want to see more money put into those areas."

At the same time, Schnitzler sees an opportunity developing for smaller farms.

Consumers are increasingly interested in locally produced food, he said, whether that means buying beef directly from a farmer, visiting a farmers market or purchasing vegetables grown nearby.

"I think we can develop and continue to support local farmers' markets, you know, farm to table at the schools, whatever. Those are some very, very beneficial things for entrepreneurs to be involved in in agricultural markets," Schnitzler said.

Schnitzler himself continues to raise a small beef herd.

He believes the future of agriculture may include more farmers finding specialized markets and additional sources of income alongside traditional farming.

"I think you're going to see a lot of these smaller farms continue to specialize and grow because I think the communities are supportive about that," Schnitzler said.

Broadband, business and downtowns

For someone trying to start a business in rural Wisconsin, Schnitzler said broadband has become almost as important as having a road to the property.

"We need to finish it still, seal the deal," he said. "Having our internet and having the fiber to every house."

Reliable broadband could allow someone to operate a business from a rural home while maintaining the lifestyle that draws people to places like Monroe County in the first place.

But Schnitzler also wants to see Wisconsin encourage locally owned businesses in its cities and villages.

He remembers when Sparta's downtown included businesses like Ben Franklin, Sears, and other locally familiar stores.

Shopping changed. Large retailers arrived. Online shopping followed.

Schnitzler doesn't believe communities can simply turn the clock backward, but he does believe downtowns can reinvent themselves.

"Any time that we can encourage local businesses to start up and grow, we need to," he said.

His vision is less about competing with Amazon or Walmart on price and more about creating a place people want to visit.

That could mean landscaping, seating, specialty businesses, restaurants, events and public spaces where someone might grab lunch, sit down and spend part of an afternoon.

"People want to be able to relax, shop and enjoy," Schnitzler said.

Making homeownership possible

For Schnitzler, concerns about property taxes are closely tied to another challenge facing Wisconsin families, the ability to afford a home.

Schnitzler floated the idea of providing new homeowners with a temporary property tax holiday, potentially lasting several years, with the state making up the lost local revenue.

He sees homeownership as one of the traditional ways families build financial stability.

"Homeownership is probably one of the golden things that has always been championed as Americans and Wisconsinites," he said.

He also expressed concern about rapidly rising rents, including lot rents in manufactured home communities.

Schnitzler stopped short of endorsing rent control, saying property owners also face legitimate expenses, including taxes, maintenance and repairs. But he believes policymakers need to pay attention when housing costs rise to the point that people, particularly seniors, are forced from their homes.

"I don't think people should be forced out of their homes on rent," he said.

For Schnitzler, housing is tied to more than economics.

Having a place to call home provides stability and can affect a person's mental well-being, he said.

"Home ownership needs to be defended," Schnitzler said.

Roads connect it all

Transportation brings Schnitzler's arguments about agriculture, business and local government back together.

Farmers need roads to move products. Employees need them to reach work. School buses travel them every day, and rural businesses depend on them.

Schnitzler said Wisconsin needs to look at the level of transportation assistance it provides counties, towns, villages and cities as construction and maintenance costs continue rising.

"The inflationary growth on those villages, townships, cities and counties is unbelievable," he said. "And we haven't kept up with that."

Along with local road funding, Schnitzler said the state needs to continue maintaining state highways and replacing aging bridges.

Getting something done

Schnitzler doesn't claim to have a ready-made solution for every issue facing Wisconsin.

In fact, he says that he doesn't have every answer.

What he does believe he brings is experience dealing with the problems that eventually land on the desks of county supervisors and town officials after decisions are made in Madison.

And he believes solving them will require lawmakers willing to work with people who don't always agree with them.

"Compromise isn't a bad, dirty word," Schnitzler said.

He compared government to moving a football down the field. It matters less who gets credit for each play, he said, than whether something ultimately gets accomplished.

"You don't care if you kick through the uprights; you don't care if you pass for the touchdown," Schnitzler said. "But let's score some points and get this done."

For Schnitzler, the campaign ultimately comes back to something more personal than budgets, roads or policy.

"To be honest with you, I care," he said.

He said public service shouldn't be about a title, recognition or a plaque on the wall, but about understanding that the responsibility is bigger than the person holding the office.

"If it's all about plaques, then it's time for us to pack it in," Schnitzler said.

That belief, he said, is what has kept him involved in local government and what is driving him to seek a seat in Madison, a chance to take what he has learned serving his neighbors and put it to work at a different level.

"I still have that burning desire to serve," Schnitzler said.