Ed Thompson for State Senate

With Our Very Special Guest

Governor Tommy G. Thompson

Friday, March 19, 2010

5:00 Private Host Reception with Photo Opportunity with the Thompsons

6:00 General Reception

$500 Platinum Hosts: Includes: Photo Opportunity, Private Reception and General Reception

$250 Gold Hosts: Includes: Private Reception and General Reception (no photo)

 $100 General Reception

The Ramada Inn Convention Center

205 South Barstow Street, Eau Claire, WI

RSVP at 608-345-3780 or via email at jrhodes@wisgop.org

Please make checks payable to:

Friends for Ed Thompson / P.O. Box 604, Tomah, WI 54660

Event Place: UW Eau Claire Davies Center, Alumni Room

Attendance: Public & Press Welcome

State Senate candidate Ed Thompson will be signing the Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) “Taxpayer Protection Pledge” on Thursday, March 11 at UW-Eau Claire. Candidates who sign the pledge promise to “oppose and
vote against any and all efforts to increase taxes.” ATR Founder and President Grover Norquist will join Thompson at the event.

The pledge demonstrates Thompson’s on-going commitment to fight for taxpayers; stopping tax increases, working to grow jobs, and reducing the size of government.

The UW-Eau Claire College Republicans, along with the local chapter of the Campaign for Liberty, will host the event.

ATR was founded in 1985 at the request of President Reagan to champion the belief that taxes should be simpler, flatter, more visible, and lower than they are today. The Taxpayer Protection Pledge, ATR’s flagship project, is offered to every candidate for state office and to all incumbents.

Thompson also signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge in 2002 during his race for Governor. 

Thompson is the owner of Mr. Ed’s Tee Pee Supper Club and Mayor of Tomah. In his first term as mayor, Thompson cut city expenses by 13%, eliminated a $4 million debt without raising taxes, and improved services to the community.

For more information, contact media@edthomspon.com, or call (608) 343-9444.

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“Yesterday, I had a great tour of the Ocean Spray Cranberry production plant in Tomah.  I saw many friends working there.  I am looking forward to bringing Senator Fitzgerald with me today on my tours of more businesses.  Keeping good jobs in Wisconsin is a top reason I decided to run for State Senate.  These tours will give me vital information I can use in the State Senate to preserve the jobs we have and build new work opportunities.”

Thompson and Fitzgerald’s schedule follows:

10:00 a.m., Tomah:  Walmart Distribution Center.

1:30 p.m., Sparta: Preferred Distributors (a beverage distribution company formed in a recent merger of Hellman Distributors, C&H Inc., and Trausch Distributing.)

3:00 p.m., Sparta: Croell Redi-Mix, Inc.

4:30 p.m., Tomah: Sonnenburg Family Funeral Home

For more information about the schedule and to arrange media interviews, please contact the Ed Thompson for State Senate campaign at (608) 343-9444 or media@edthompson.com.

After Massachusetts, Wisconsin partisans list November ‘targets’

By Steve Walters

The column below reflects the views of the author, and these opinions are neither endorsed nor supported by WisOpinion.com.

Tuesday’s stunning U.S. Senate upset victory by a Republican in Massachusetts, which overwhelmingly voted for President Barack Obama only 14 months ago, has political pros in and around Wisconsin’s Capitol asking “who’s next?” ….

…. On Nov. 2, 116 of the 132 seats in the Wisconsin Legislature will be filled. But only about 15 of those elections will determine control of both Assembly and Senate.

Now, Democrats control the Assembly, 52-46, with one independent — Rep. Jeff Wood of Chippewa Falls — who has said he won’t run again. Democrats control the Senate, 18-15.

Here are the races the pros say to watch between now and Nov. 2: ….

….First-term Sen. Kathleen Vinehout, of Alma, won the 31st District in 2006 with only 51 pecent of the vote and this year is being challenged by Republican Ed Thompson. He’s the mayor of Tomah, a 2002 independent candidate for governor and the brother of four-term Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson…..

To read the entire article click here

Montgomery “Monk” Elmer, a physician and president of the Kimberly School Board, announced his candidacy in August, months before Lasee said he wouldn’t seek another term.

“He’s everything we could ask for in a candidate and more,” said Kory Kozloski, executive director of the State Senate Democratic Committee.

Kozloski and Jason Stephany, a Democratic consultant and former party executive director, said the district was won by Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle in 2006 and Barack Obama in 2008. It’s a district that’s trending toward Democrats, giving Elmer a strong change of winning, they said.

The seat is one of the few where Democrats can go on the offensive. The most competitive races see Democrats defending their turf to control that house.

Political observers expect tough races for Sen. Jim Sullivan (D-Wauwatosa), who is being challenged by Rep. Leah Vukmir (R-West Allis); , Sen. John Lehman (D-Racine), who is being taken on by Van Wanggaard;  Kathleen Vinehout (D-Alma), who faces a run by Ed Thompson, brother of former Gov. Tommy G. Thompson; and Pat Kreitlow (D-Chippewa Falls), who is defending himself against a run by ex-Rep. Terry Moulton (R-Chippewa Falls).

To read the original article click here

Ed addressed a group of over 100 people who gathered at the Waumandee House for the Republican Lincoln Day celebration

Public officials across Wisconsin are getting complaints about their property taxes, but Tomah Mayor Ed Thompson isn’t one of them.

“I’ve had a lot of people saying they were thankful that their taxes didn’t go up.” Thompson said.

City of Tomah residents paid virtually the same amount in property taxes they did last year. The combined rate for the six entities that levy taxes — the Tomah School District, city of Tomah, Monroe County, Lake Tomah District, Western Technical College and state of Wisconsin — rose from $21.74 in 2009 to $22.23 in 2010.

However, the “first dollar credit” from the state of Wisconsin nearly doubled to $55.46. That was enough to actually trigger a tiny decrease on some bills.

The biggest factor in the tax rate is the retirement of the Tax Incremental Finance District used to fund improvements for the Wal-Mart Distribution Center. Property taxes generated by the Wal-Mart property now go into the general fund. The city structured its budget so that retired TIF would finance the new police station.

Thompson calls the tax rate “quite an accomplishment.”

“The ones I really want to credit are the department heads — public works the most,” Thompson said. “They knocked $100,000 out of their budget. (Director) Ken Patterson was told to tighten up, and he did an incredible job.”

Other factors that kept taxes flat was an increased contribution by city employees to their health insurance premiums.

Thompson isn’t running for re-election and won’t be part of next year’s budget cycle.

City Administrator Jim Bialecki said it’s too early to forecast next year’s budget. Work on the 2011 budget begins in May. He said two factors will determine next year’s tax rates:

*Shared revenue. Local government could face another round of shared revenue cuts as the state attempts to plug a $2.7 billion budget hole.

*Health care reform. Bialecki said it’s uncertain how federal legislation will impact the cost of health care and health insurance premiums.

Bialecki said economic growth is the long-term key to achieving a stable tax rate.

“Even in tough times, where we really have to put our focus is development,” Bialecki said. “If we can market ourselves through the long-range planning process, we can continue to grow and offer the services people expect.” .