Terri Wenkman
Registered nurse
Democrat
Jefferson
Elected Experience
Jefferson School Board (2014-present), vice president
Q&A with the Candidate
Why should voters elect you?
I'm a common sense leader who will listen and see the big picture! I refuse to get lost in social warfare when quality of life and affordability are at stake. I've lived in Jefferson my whole life and raised my family here. I'm a nurse of 20 years, serving people across many aspects of health care. I've served on our public school board since 2014 and have been engaged in education funding policy for over a decade. I've navigated the health care system, both for loved ones and as an advocate for persons with varying disabilities. I’m a fierce advocate, but also a deeply compassionate person. I believe we can legislate policies that work for everyone and not just those with money and lobbyists.
What is the top issue in your district? How would you address it?
Affordable health care. People are making impossible choices and gambling with their health. Some skipping insurance coverage or delaying care because they simply can't afford it. Yet, rural hospitals depend on an insured population to stay open and attract quality doctors and nurses. That's a cycle that ends up hurting everyone. I've seen this as a nurse and as someone who navigated the system for loved ones. We need to expand access, reduce premium costs, and treat mental health as importantly as physical health. Mental health is health care. Rural communities are consistently left behind. I will fight for solutions that keep our hospitals viable, make coverage affordable, and ensure that where you live and income don't determine the quality of care you receive.
How should Wisconsin government operate differently than in the past?
Wisconsin government must stop making working and middle class families absorb the cost of policies that benefit the few. Property taxpayers cannot sustain a system that funds both public schools and a parallel voucher system that drains resources without accountability. That's not fiscally conservative and not sustainable. We need to honestly examine the growing concentration of wealth and its impact on everyday Wisconsinites. When working families are being priced out of the communities they built, something is broken. Going forward, Wisconsin must change and expand health care subsidies, fix our school funding formula, and make decisions that stabilize the cost of living for working families.
What is your favorite fun Wisconsin history fact?
Many people don't know that Rosemary Kennedy, sister of President John F. Kennedy, spent most of her life right here in Jefferson, Wisconsin. She lived at St. Coletta's for over 60 years, where I had the privilege of working as a nurse in the early 2000s. She received wonderful care there, and it inspired her sister Eunice to found the Special Olympics. St. Coletta's became a national model for serving people with intellectual disabilities right here in rural Wisconsin. Compassion and advocacy in action and where my professional roots started.