Alicia Saunders
Industrial sanitation
Democrat
Kimberly
Elected Experience
None
Q&A with the Candidate
Why should voters elect you?
I'm a Navy veteran, a blue-collar worker, and a Fox Valley mom who knows what it's like to live paycheck to paycheck. I served on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and I've spent the last two years fighting for my neighbors without a title or a paycheck: connecting veterans to housing and property tax help, and speaking up when local leaders ignored the people they serve. Assembly District 2 deserves a representative who lives the challenges working families face and shows up between elections, not just during them. I'll listen first, work across the aisle, and treat every constituent with respect, never as a talking point. I'm running to serve, not to build a career.
What is the top issue in your district? How would you address it?
The rising cost of living and property taxes are at the heart of it. Property taxes keep climbing because the state has underfunded schools and shared revenue for years, forcing local governments to make up the difference on your tax bill. Madison shifts the cost, then blames local governments. I'd fight to restore real funding for our schools and municipalities so communities aren't forced to raise property taxes just to keep the lights on. I'd also protect ratepayers from out-of-state owned data centers that could shift billions onto our utility bills, and expand property tax relief for disabled veterans and seniors. Affordability comes down to whether the people already here can afford to stay.
How should Wisconsin government operate differently than in the past?
Government should be transparent and accountable to the people, not the powerful. Too often, major decisions get rushed through like floor amendments dropped with no fiscal estimate, no committee review, no chance for the public to weigh in. That's how billions in giveaways slip past us. I'd push for honest fiscal transparency on every bill, so voters can see who pays and who benefits before a vote happens. I'd also restore the habit of governing for the long term instead of the next election. Representatives should show up between campaigns, hold real listening sessions, and put constituents ahead of donors and party leadership. People have lost trust in government because it stopped working for them. Earning it back starts with telling the truth.
What is your favorite fun Wisconsin history fact?
My favorite is right here in Kimberly, where I live. The village is named after John A. Kimberly, a founder of Kimberly-Clark, and he had many of the homes built for the people who worked at the paper mill and their families. You can still spot them small, square, serviceable houses, some that look like they were ordered straight from a catalog. They weren't big, but they did the job. Generations later, families still live in them today, including right on my own street.