Bill Oemichen

Bill Oemichen earned a high school diploma from White Bear Lake Area High School. He also earned a bachelor's degree from Carleton College and a law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School. His career experience includes working as a professor.[1]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am married with two adult children and have lived in the Town of New Glarus for 26 years. I am a fulltime Local Government Law Professor and Educator with U.W.-Madison Extension and currently serve as New Glarus School Board President (elected 2019, 2022 and 2025). I previously served as Wisconsin's chief Consumer Protection official; as Wisconsin Emergency Preparedness and Emergency Health Care Director; as President and CEO of Cooperative Network, the Wisconsin-Minnesota trade association of more than 600 member-owned and led cooperative businesses; and as Deputy Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner (while living in Wisconsin). I chair the $10 Billion Wisconsin College Savings Program Board of Trustees (Edvest), serve on the board of Green County Leaders; and on the board of AgCountry Farm Credit Services. I previously served as chair and treasurer of the Monroe Clinic Board, chair of the Slipstream Board (nonprofit renewable energy research), chair of the Wisconsin Counties Association Tax and Finance Steering Committee and as a St. Croix County Supervisor (elected four times). I grew up in rural Western Minnesota where my parents owned and operated a grain and Christmas tree farm. My twin sister is a cranberry grower in Central Wisconsin.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

The Wisconsin public school funding system is broken and must be fixed. The Republican Legislature is starving the public school system of financial resources and is prioritizing funding for a separate private school system through tuition vouchers. Public schools have not received an inflation increase in spending levels since 2009 and the state is more than $3,600 behind in promised financial support for students. The state is at or near the bottom in Special Education reimbursement. Public school districts are being forced to continually go to referendums just to keep up with inflation. The public is fatigued by the referendums and the property tax increases are especially challenging for those on fixed incomes. This is unsustainable.Affordable housing options are sorely needed across the 50th Assembly District as housing purchasing, and apartment leasing, costs rise at a rate far greater than inflation. The state must incentivize more affordable multi-family and single family housing options through WHEDA. My family joined with other families to take the lead on building Prairie Haus in New Glarus, an affordable 40 unit apartment building and ground will be broken shortly on a 50 unit affordable housing building. I have also been a leader in affordable Senior Cooperative Housing development across Wisconsin and Minnesota. I don't just talk about this issue. I have actively worked to provide affordable housing options and would take this experience to the Capitol.Health Care is a human right. Wisconsin must expand Badgercare and provide a public option for access to affordable, quality health care. The continually rising cost of healthcare is forcing consumers with chronic conditions into bankruptcy and others avoid healthcare because it's either groceries or healthcare. This is a choice no one should have to make and innocent children are often negatively impacted. I have worked hard to make healthcare more affordable. I co-started a farmer healthcare cooperative; am working to develop an innovative patient-owned hospital cooperative; served as Group Health Cooperative board treasurer, a patient-owned and led nonprofit clinic system; and chaired the nonprofit Monroe Clinic Board.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I work hard to make my community a better place to live. There are many public policies areas that motivate me. Some include (not necessarily in order of importance):

(1) funding 4K-12 & public university education;

(2) providing affordable housing;

(3) providing affordable and quality healthcare and creating healthcare competition;

(4) making childcare more affordable and available;

(5) advancing the state's agricultural economy and ensuring farmers rather than corporations own the farmland;

(6) getting big/dark money out of politics;

(6) ensuring the right to privacy, including the right to bodily autonomy and marriage equality;

(7) strictly regulating data centers;

(8) protecting our state's air, water and soil resources

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, Clean Wisconsin Action Foundation, Wisconsin Realtors Association, State Representatives Mike Bare and Clinton Anderson, former State Senator Janis Ringhand , former Green County Sheriff Jeff Skatrud, and a host of other county, city, village and town elected officials.