John S. Leiber
Wisconsin state treasurer
Republican
Cottage Grove
Elected Experience
Wisconsin State Treasurer (2023-present)
Q&A with the Candidate
Why should voters elect you as state treasurer?
The job of the state treasurer is to ensure that the funds entrusted to the office are managed and invested well. As state treasurer, I am on the Board of Commissioners for Public Lands, which manages the $1.6 billion trust Common School Fund. The Common School Fund invests money and distributes the profits to public school districts across the state. This year was the largest distribution ever, at $73.5 million. The results speak for themselves, and I am proud to run on my record of fiscal management.'
What expertise would you bring to the treasurer’s office and how would it help Wisconsinites?
As the current state treasurer, I have been doing the job for three and a half years already. Prior to my term as state treasurer, I worked as an attorney in the private sector and served as a legislative aide in the Wisconsin State Assembly. My legal background helps navigate our complex state laws, while my legislative experience supports my efforts in negotiations with other elected officials to implement policies that help all Wisconsinites.
Should the Treasurer’s office be given more or fewer responsibilities? Explain.
Rather than growing the office, I believe the state treasurer should be focusing on the existing duties. The state treasurer already has a job to do, and focusing on gaining more power is counterproductive. That is why I have dedicated my time in office to doing the very best job I can with the existing powers and duties of the office. Overseeing and growing a $1.6 billion trust fund is a meaningful responsibility without adding new duties.
What is your favorite fun Wisconsin history fact?
I really love our state Capitol, where my office is located. Our current state Capitol building is actually the third capitol built on that same site. The first one was too small and soon replaced with the second capitol. In 1904, that capitol burned down during a winter so cold the water for the fire hoses was frozen and couldn't be used. Our current Capitol, which was finished in 1917, was designed to be state of the art for the time, with electrical lighting, pneumatic tubes to deliver messages, and the first electronic voting board in the Assembly chambers. Our Capitol is almost entirely open to the public, which sets it apart from other state capitols.