To The Editor-

I am very excited about Mark Holbrook who is running for the 70th Assembly District.

Mark has a varied work background, serving in the military six years as a decorated Vietnam veteran, working four years in manufacturing, and teaching vocational agriculture. He then went on to become a school psychologist and a high school principal. He is presently a small farm owner and livestock producer. With his work experiences, his goal will be to create more and better jobs, improve veterans benefits, restore cuts to public schools and our state university systems.

As a small farm owner and outdoor enthusiast, he is the ideal candidate to protect our agriculture and rural heritage, and to preserve the environment to include our hunting and sporting heritage.

Contrast this with our present district assembly person, Nancy Vandermeer. Her votes on agriculture and rural issues have not been in the farmers’ and rural families’ favor. She voted against $22.9 million in funding for broadband expansion grants, and voted against having the UW given preference to Wisconsin farmers and food manufactures in procurement.

She voted to change campaign finance laws so that special interest donors can double their contributions. She voted against expanding assistance to needy veterans that need mental health and substance abuse services. She has supported vouchers to private schools, reducing funding for our public schools. This has resulted in public schools having to go to referendums to keep their schools from closing or having to consolidate.

Her environmental record is bleak. She voted to remove important protections for lakes and wetlands, which would make it easier for lake front property owners to diminish the environment without sufficient review. She voted against local control over decisions related to frac sand mining. She voted to prohibit the DNR review of high capacity wells when they are transferred, repaired, or replaced. This would prevents periodic reviews of wells impact.

I encourage you to vote for a highly motivated, competent Mark Holbrook for 70th Assembly District. His positive efforts for public education, agricultural, and the environment, will be to all of our benefits.

Holly Smith
Hull