John Fons
Writer
Republican
Madison
Elected Experience
None
Q&A with the Candidate
Why should voters elect you?
I'm a "New Old" candidate. My occupations have taken me from the board rooms of billionaires in Canada to the streets of Dallas where I worked among the homeless. I've contributed to the science of energy exploration and attained a master's degree in theology. I am older in years than my political opponent and many others in the Wisconsin Assembly, but I'm new among them all. Therefore I owe no favors and I have the experience that allows me to go carefully and responsibly through the complex issues facing our state. The agenda I bring is to learn and with that knowledge serve the people of Assembly District 79 and every other citizen of Wisconsin.
What is the top issue in your district? How would you address it?
Property taxes are the single greatest expense of my household and therefore a personal issue which I presume also affects every other taxpayer in District 79 within the City of Madison. There are other issues which go beyond city limits. Penalties for driving while intoxicated should be made more severe. Crimes involving firearms likewise severely answered. We tend to separate environmental concerns from public safety, but we are all subject to the environment we create and if that environment is not safe, however it may be defined, we are all at risk. I would add that health care is also crucial to the well being of our citizens and should be made as accessible as possible in terms of both location and cost.
How should Wisconsin government operate differently than in the past?
"We stand on the shoulders of giants." That is a time-honored expression which simply means we receive what previous generations have given, what they have contributed to our society. Add to this the inevitability of change and you have both a tension and an opportunity going Forward. Rely on the institutions that have proven themselves and use them as a firm foundation to examine each and every demand brought forward upon which the future depends. Examine and investigate, study and demand accountability, use the tools provided to build and not demolish the essential functions for which Wisconsin government has been created.
What is your favorite fun Wisconsin history fact?
In 1880 my great grandfather John Fons built a log cabin which still stands in Door County. In 1909 my grandfather, also named John Fons, carved his name in a rock that to this day remains on the ground outside the door of that cabin. My grandfather left home at 15 to work in the lumber camps saying, "It was just as easy to starve somewhere else." My heritage demands my personal commitment to this place, this Wisconsin where I now live and where I seek to serve to the best of my ability. It may not always be fun, but the people here and elsewhere I admire most are the ones who get the job done first and then go out and have fun.