Justin Schumacher
Parks director
Democrat
Town of FreedomElected Experience
Town of Freedom chair (2023-present)
Q&A with the Candidate
Why should voters elect you?
Voters should elect me because I am already doing the work of public service locally and I want to bring that same practical, non‑ideological problem‑solving to the State Assembly. As town chair and Outagamie County parks director, I manage multimillion‑dollar budgets, major capital projects, and complex stakeholder relationships, and I’ve shown I can listen, adjust, and deliver without drama. I’m running to put people and policy over party, protect our shared environment, and rebuild trust in government by focusing on results instead of performative conflict. I don’t pretend to be perfect, but I am honest, accountable, and committed to doing the work.
What is the top issue in your district? How would you address it?
The core issue in our district is affordability: families feel squeezed by rising costs while local services and schools are also under pressure. I see my job as making it possible to build a life here without being priced out. That means supporting real work to bring in affordable homes, promote responsible business growth, and strengthen our tax base in a strategic way so we gain the positives while mitigating the negatives. When we broaden the tax base, we can reduce the burden on individual homeowners and renters. At the same time, I will fight to bring more state dollars back to the local level so we can fund schools and services without constant referenda or cuts.
How should Wisconsin government operate differently than in the past?
Wisconsin government used to be known for doing big, practical things together, from building strong public schools and infrastructure to helping give the country Earth Day as an expression of our stewardship of the land. Over time, we’ve drifted toward a politics that rewards partisan point scoring more than solving problems people actually feel in their daily lives. I think state government should get back to being useful: transparent, predictable, and focused on outcomes instead of outrage. That means restoring a habit of bipartisan lawmaking, using evidence to guide budgets, and spending more time listening at home than posturing online. It’s less about going backward and more about recovering the best parts of our tradition and updating them for today.
What is your favorite fun Wisconsin history fact?
In 1962, parts of Sputnik IV ended up embedding themselves in the middle of North 8th Street in Manitowoc.