Yee Leng Xiong
Executive director, New Beginnings for Refugees
Democrat
Weston
Elected Experience
D.C. Everest Area School Board (2014-present); Marathon County Board of Supervisors (2016-present); Weston Board of Trustees (2018-2022)
Q&A with the Candidate
Why should voters elect you as state treasurer?
I have managed public budgets at every level of government. That is exactly what this office needs. As D.C. Everest School Board treasurer, a Marathon County supervisor, and a village finance committee member, I have made the hard decisions about how every taxpayer dollar is spent. As former executive director of the Hmong American Center, I rescued a nonprofit from the brink of closure and grew its budget to $1.9 million. This office is not ceremonial. It is a responsibility. The treasurer helps oversee more than $1.3 billion in school trust funds, finances local infrastructure, and answers directly to the people, not the governor or the Legislature. Born in Wausau to refugees, I learned to stretch every dollar. I will do the same for Wisconsin families.
What expertise would you bring to the treasurer’s office and how would it help Wisconsinites?
I bring hands-on financial management. I have overseen complex public budgets as a Marathon County supervisor, balanced a school district's finances as board treasurer, and turned around a nonprofit, growing its budget to $1.9 million. Gov. Evers appointed me to his Financial Literacy Council because of that experience. It translates directly for Wisconsinites. Because I have sat on a school board, I understand how trust fund investment decisions reach real classrooms, and I will protect the $1.3 billion Common School Fund's principal while growing returns. I also know that families around Wisconsin are struggling, so I will use the office to help more families recover the unclaimed property they are owed.
Should the Treasurer’s office be given more or fewer responsibilities? Explain.
More. Wisconsin's treasurer is now one of the weakest in the nation. Over the past two decades, the Legislature stripped the office of responsibilities and shifted them to other agencies. In 2018, voters rejected an attempt to abolish the office entirely, sending a clear message that they want an independent watchdog over public money. I would work to restore real authority to the office. A stronger treasurer means another set of eyes on Wisconsin's finances, more transparency, and a true check that does not answer to the governor or the Legislature.
What is your favorite fun Wisconsin history fact?
Most people are surprised to learn that Wisconsin is home to the third-largest Hmong community in the country, behind only California and Minnesota. And my hometown of Wausau has the highest concentration of Hmong residents of any city in the state, and one of the highest anywhere in America. I love this fact because of the story behind it. Hmong families came to Wisconsin in the 1970s with almost nothing, sponsored by local churches and neighbors, and built lives, businesses, and traditions that are now part of who we are. It is the reason a kid born to refugees in Wausau can grow up to run for statewide office. That is a very Wisconsin story, and I am proud it is mine too.