Challenger Alison H. Page is running against Republican Rep. Shannon Zimmerman for the Assembly District 30 seat. It’s a battle of two River Falls residents for the position.

Alison H. Page (D)

Age: 68

Prior elected office(s): River Falls Board of Education 1985-2002, 2023-present

Community/civic activities: I have served on the boards of many local and regional organizations: the Workforce Development Board of Western Wisconsin, Adoray Home Health and Hospice, the Family Resource Center of the St. Croix Valley, the St. Croix County Community Justice Coordinating Council, and the Kinnickinnic River Land Trust. Currently, I am a member of the River Falls Rotary Club and serve on the Board of Directors of my church.

Family: I am married to David Page. We have five adult children and seven grandchildren, many whom live in the area.

How long have you lived in Wisconsin? I am a lifelong resident of River Falls.

What do you see as the main issues in Assembly District 30? The main issues in our district are the challenges faced by working families. Families need good jobs, affordable housing, excellent schools for their children, access to high quality healthcare, and a clean and beautiful environment to enjoy! Families are challenged by the high cost of living, including housing, real estate taxes, childcare, and groceries.

State government expects to close its books in mid-2025 with an available surplus of $3.4 billion. Should that surplus be spent and, if so, how? I am open to all options as to how the state surplus should be managed.

To control property taxes, there are limits on what local governments and schools can spend. Those limits are causing more local governments to hold referendums asking to raise property taxes. Should spending limits on local governments and schools be loosened? Would you change the school funding formula and how? I favor a comprehensive review and overhaul of the school funding formula. Per our State Constitution, the state is obliged to work with communities to establish schools for children ages 4-20. The constitution requires that community schools be as equitable as possible across the state, and at least 30% of the cost of the schools should be borne by the community. The revenue limits that have been in place since the early 1990s may have had short-term benefits in slowing the increase in school spending, but the long-term impact has been to shift an increasing portion of the cost of our schools to the local property tax payers. Also, as some schools pass operating referenda and others do not, the quality of education in lower funded schools will decline. Wisconsin children deserve an excellent education, regardless of where they live. Our elected officials should work together to design and implement a funding formula that is fair, and workable to our communities and tax payers.

Many families are struggling to find child care in the region and child care centers are struggling to stay open. What's your solution? Unfortunately, 54% of Wisconsinites live in a child care desert—where there are few to no high-quality options for child care in their neighborhood or community. There is no one solution to the issue. Childcare should be available, affordable, and excellent. Gov. Evers helped to keep child care centers going through the pandemic by using federal dollars to fund the Child Care Counts program so families could get back to work. The Governor has proposed continuing the program, but that has not been supported by the Republican controlled legislature. In addition to state support, actions need to be taken to build the child care workforce and ensure family incomes adequately support the cost of raising children.

Evers and Democratic Atty. Gen. Josh Kaul have called for a “red flag” law allowing judges to order those found to be dangerous to themselves or others to surrender their guns. Could you support a “red flag” law? Yes, I would support a “red flag” law.

Where do you stand on the issue of abortion? Please be specific as to when or if you think it should be allowed in all or certain circumstances and why. People should have the right to make decisions regarding their reproductive health care, free from interference by the state. This should include the right to terminate a pregnancy. A person's decision about whether and when to terminate a pregnancy should be between the person/patient and their provider. At the end of the day, abortion is an issue of individual freedom. Wisconsin women should have autonomy over decisions that impact their bodies and their lives.

Some facts: One in four women ages 15-45 has had, or will have, an abortion in her lifetime. The abortion rate in the US has been dropping steadily since the 1980s. In 1981 there were 29.3 abortions per 1,000 women ages 15-45. The last year of available data shows that rate has fallen by three fifths to 11.4 abortions per 1,000 women ages 15-45. The decline is credited to education, access to contraception and health insurance coverage, and a reduction in teenage sexual activity. The vast majority of abortions are performed very early in pregnancy. 93% of abortions occur before 13 weeks. One percent of abortions are performed after 21 weeks and are typically required due to complications with the pregnancy. Other considerations: Women have always had abortions and will continue to have abortions. When abortion was legalized nationwide in 1973, a main goal was to prevent women from dying due to unsanitary procedures performed outside a medical setting. Also, restrictions on abortion tend to place undue burden on people and tie the hands of doctors trying to provide them with needed care.

Current Wisconsin law: Wisconsin laws related to reproductive rights need reform as they place undue burden on the people of our state and put their health at risk. Waiting periods and requirements for multiple, in-person visits versus tele-medicine make accessing care harder for women, many of whom already have children and full-time jobs. At or after 20 weeks of gestation abortion is illegal, the only exception being in the case of medical emergency, defined as, a condition that, in the doctor’s medical judgment, will result in the death of the woman in the next 24 hours, or substantial and irreversible impairment of one or more of a woman’s major bodily functions. A doctor may be subject to felony charges for violation of the law. A woman should not have to wait until she is at death’s door before being granted the medical care that she needs. A doctor should not have to fear legal consequences for providing needed medical care.

Public Policy: Our state policies should ensure women and families have access to the full range of reproductive health services, and the services and support needed to assist them in welcoming new life to the world and raising their families well. No woman should ever have an abortion because she can’t imagine how she would feed and care for a child. No woman should ever have an abortion because she feels it is her only option. No girl or woman should be the victim of rape or incest or forced to continue a pregnancy resulting from that abuse. I will advocate for policies that address all these objectives, while respecting the individual rights of our citizens.

Why are you running for office and what can you bring to the table? I am running for office because I love Wisconsin and the people of our region. My goal is to make Wisconsin a great place to work, live, and raise a family, now and forever. Like many citizens, I am concerned that political gridlock is preventing us from achieving the future we want for our state and our families. As a seasoned leader who has solved major issues in large and small healthcare organizations, I believe my skills and ability to get things done would be useful in Madison and in our district.

How will you work with members of the opposite party to come up with solutions for all your constituents, not just those in your party? As a state legislator I will focus on the issues at hand and seek to understand the perspectives and possible solutions put forth by all other elected officials and interested parties. Our focus must be on solutions that are in the long term best interest of our state, and current and future generations.

Is there anything you would like to add? It would be an honor to represent Western Wisconsin in the Assembly. Thank you for your consideration.

Shannon Zimmerman* (R)

Age: 52

Prior elected office(s): State Representative, District 30

Community/civic activities: While living in this wonderful part of Wisconsin, I have been a member of Rotary, served on the UW-River Falls Foundation Board, UW-River Falls Chancellor's Advisory Council, coached youth football and basketball and served on youth sports boards, served as a member of the western Wisconsin Workforce Development Board, was co-creator of Work River Falls, a collaborative to recruit workforce to western Wisconsin and volunteered at numerous local events.

Family: Married to high school sweetheart and amazing wife Angel for 34 years. Two local sons, Josh (wife Mandy) and Nick (wife Karalee). Five grandchildren, Taylor, Montee, Addy, Harper, Stella, all living in River Falls and just learned of number six to arrive spring of 2025.

How long have you lived in Wisconsin? I have lived in western Wisconsin my entire life.

What do you see as the main issues in Assembly District 30? Rising costs are a very real problem for the middle class and our seniors, especially those on a fixed-income. The cost of food, utilities, housing, and childcare are rising and it has become almost impossible for people to keep up. The affordability of housing and childcare in particular are a major challenge for many folks in western Wisconsin. This past session, I worked with colleagues in the legislature to pass tax relief for the middle class, seniors, and families with kids in childcare because I know we need to keep more money in folks' pockets to help them deal with rising costs. I also voted for a workforce housing package to help create and expand housing options for middle class families and seniors across the state. Last, I voted to eliminate the personal property tax, a burdensome tax that was hurting our local small businesses. Unfortunately, Gov. Evers vetoed what would have been an average of $1,200 in tax relief per family. If reelected, I will push to use surplus dollars to bring needed tax relief to the middle class and seniors and work to create more childcare options and lower costs for families.

State government expects to close its books in mid-2025 with an available surplus of $3.4 billion. Should that surplus be spent and, if so, how? We should return this money to taxpayers, as it is theirs, not the governments. They can use this money in their own homes and budgets as they see fit. This session in the Legislature, we proposed and passed multiple middle class tax cuts to help families in Wisconsin. Gov. Evers made the decision to veto each one of them.

To control property taxes, there are limits on what local governments and schools can spend. Those limits are causing more local governments to hold referendums asking to raise property taxes. Should spending limits on local governments and schools be loosened? Would you change the school funding formula and how? This is a complex topic, and the complete answer would require far more page space than likely allowed in this survey. That said, during my time in the Legislature we have increased education funding by nearly $3 billion. Additionally, just this past session we increased funding for local governments by $575 million helping them to provide the services necessary to our communities. Allowing local government and schools to tax however highly they want would create more financial hardship for working families, seniors, and businesses that are already struggling with rising costs. Like most of life’s challenges, the answer is in the middle. We need to curb expenses, operate frugally, and only when absolutely necessary, ask taxpayers for further support.

Many families are struggling to find child care in the region and child care centers are struggling to stay open. What's your solution? This past session, I supported over $90 million in increased funding for childcare services and reforms to make more childcare spots available. I also voted to expand the childcare tax credit to provide savings for families and help to make childcare more affordable. These actions are steps in the right direction to bring relief to parents with children in need of daycare. We should continue to consider policy that gives providers flexibility, which will reduce costs while giving thoughtful care to child safety.

Evers and Democratic Atty. Gen. Josh Kaul have called for a “red flag” law allowing judges to order those found to be dangerous to themselves or others to surrender their guns. Could you support a “red flag” law? Public safety has always been a top priority of mine, which is why I am proud to be supported by both the St. Croix County Sheriff and Pierce County Sheriff. We do not want to end up like Minneapolis where law enforcement is not supported, and safety is compromised. If someone is in a mental crisis or a threat, we have laws on the books today that enable courts to take action on threats to our community. The risk with red flag laws is that the basis or criterion to subvert the second amendment becomes very gray and may deprive Americans of a constitutional right.

Where do you stand on the issue of abortion? Please be specific as to when or if you think it should be allowed in all or certain circumstances and why. The abortion topic has become a political tool to win elections. Period. Fact: In Wisconsin today, an abortion can occur up to 5 months of pregnancy. For those that advocate for expansion of Wisconsin abortion laws, I would ask, at what late month or third trimester date does it become too far for a discretionary abortion? I value and support life at all stages, babies to seniors. Woman’s healthcare, often used as the operative words to divide the choice of a baby to live and a woman to choose to have become campaign weapons. I feel we should support life and protect it. In the very rare situations where a pregnancy results from rape, incest or if the life of the mother is compromised, I support those exceptions.

Why are you running for office and what can you bring to the table? Some say you cannot apply a private sector business philosophy to government. I disagree. A results-oriented approach, a frugal approach to spending and applying common sense thinking to solve challenges is precisely what we need more of. While I have served my neighbors in the Wisconsin legislature, we have gotten a great deal done for western Wisconsin. I've drafted bills to solve real problems brought to me by people in Hudson and River Falls. I worked to secure the funding for the UW-River Falls Sci Tech building, not because we needed one more building, we need more technology and science workers in this era of innovation. I bring a thoughtful, business-minded, common-sense approach to making western Wisconsin a better place.

How will you work with members of the opposite party to come up with solutions for all your constituents, not just those in your party? Contrary to what the media may represent, greater than 90% of all bills passed were supported in a bipartisan manner. Division sells and I encourage you to not fall for it. I serve as a Republican and for reasons I really do not understand, some think that may mean anti-education. Well, I personally worked to make certain UW-River Falls Science and Technology building funding was secured. This was a big lift. I did this because as an area entrepreneur I know how technology is changing all industries, and I want western Wisconsin to lead in this area. Candidly, I meet locally with those that support me and those that do not. I want to know what your life experiences are that bring you to your position. Maybe I missed something, maybe you missed something. What I do know is through civil, thoughtful and respectful discussion, all sides are properly represented.

Is there anything you would like to add? Relax and be kind to yourself and one another. Politics fatigue everyone. We are all waiting for Nov. 6 (day after) to arrive. I’ll close by encouraging everyone to spend a bit more time in the good book. Be in the moment with your family and friends. Know that our nation’s future is never assured, and it must be defended. If we have learned anything, the great nations of history most often fall from within. Do not let that be the fate of America on our watch.