Chris Taylor - Candidate in the 48th

Chris Taylor is running for the 48th district state assembly seat representing Monona. The seat was formerly held by our new County Executive Joe Parisi.

I am proud to join Kathleen Falk, former Monona Mayor Dean Bowles in endorsing Chris Taylor in the Democratic primary being held on July 12, 2011.

And today, the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters announced their endorsement of Chris Taylor's candidacy!    

According to WisPolitics.com:

“The [Wisconsin League of Conservation Voter’s (WLCV)] board was very impressed by Chris’ background, knowledge of environmental issues, and her experience getting things done in the Capitol. We were convinced she would be the strongest leader in protecting our environment and championing conservation issues,” said WLCV board member Tom Thoreson.

Also on WisPolitics: Executive Kathleen Falk:

“Chris Taylor is exactly the type of leader we need to send to the State Assembly now,” said Falk. “Our rights, our environment and our quality of life are under attack by the Walker Administration. Chris is not only a champion for our rights, but she has a proven track record of bringing people together and strategically moving progressive policies forward, even in difficult times. We can win these important battles if we continue to stand together and make sure leaders like Chris Taylor are there fighting for us in the legislature.”

 
Here is Chris Taylor's campaign announcement:

I am running for State Assembly because the ideals we care about collectively in Wisconsin, from our children's education to workers' ability to negotiate for a fair and living wage to women's ability to access basic health care, are all under attack. Our communities cannot stand for this any longer and neither will I.


As a young activist growing up in a union household, I knew what a difference a living wage meant to my family. My grandmother was left to support three children alone in the late 1940s. She got a job selling handbags at a department store and sold so many handbags her employer took her commission away and she couldn’t make it on her base salary. But when she got a job that was part of a union, she was able to earn a living wage and helped send all three of her children to college. They all became teachers.



As the daughter of a 26 year veteran public school teacher, I understand the equalizing power of a quality education and I want all children, including my own, to benefit from it. The experience of registering my older son Sam for Kindergarten cemented my decision to enter this race. In walking Sam through Lowell Elementary school, in looking at how excited he was, I knew that school, like every other public school, would not have the resources they need to give our kids the education they deserve because of Scott Walker’s unprecedented cuts to public education. I can not allow governor Walker to ransom our children’s future, to decimate our beautiful nature environment and to erode living wages by padding the bank accounts of his corporate fat cats. Not here, not now. Not ever.



I know that I am not only the most effective advocate on these issues, but that I have the skills to get things done in the most difficult circumstances.



I have spent most of my life advocating for people’s basic human rights, both personally and professionally. I came to Wisconsin 20 years ago to attend law school in Madison. As a practicing attorney for 6 years, I worked on cases and represented people in a variety of circumstances, including in employment discrimination, family law, as a Guardian Ad Litem and as a mediator. As an attorney, I became a skilled negotiator and problem-solver.

For the last eight years, I have worked at Planned Parenthood as the Public Policy Director, where I have been responsible for crafting and implementing our legislative and electoral agendas. In this capacity, I have helped move a progressive agenda forward in the most hostile of circumstances. I know how to be strategic and to navigate a highly contentious issue through the legislative process. Under my direction and advocacy, more pro-active reproductive policies have become law than in the entire history of the Wisconsin legislature, including Compassionate Care for Rape Victims, the Healthy Youth Act, Contraceptive Equity, Prescription Protection, and many others.



I had never seriously considered running for office until recently, but now I see that everything I’ve done in my life has led me to this point. As your representative, I promise you that I will fight tirelessly for the values I have spent my entire career promoting and protecting. But it isn’t enough to just fight for our progressive values. You deserve someone who will get things done by strategically moving the issues we care so deeply about forward, such as quality public schools and a clean environment. This is what I will do. And I will never give up on Wisconsin as a progressive leader for our country.



I am a wife, a mother, an attorney and an activist. My children have reaffirmed to me that I must always fight for the things that I hold most dear, as they are depending on me for that. And my run for public office is as much about their future as about anything.



I would be honored to have your support in becoming the next Representative for the 48th Assembly District. I look forward to working with you to move Wisconsin forward.



Thank you.



Chris Taylor