By Rep. Jesse Kremer
Contrary to popular belief, the United States was organized as a republic, not a democracy. In a republic, the people elect individuals to represent their interests at the local, state or federal levels of government. In order to truly represent the 59th Assembly District, it is imperative for me to have a pulse on your concerns and interests.
If you have ever sat in on any of my presentations, you are keenly aware of my passionate belief that the best ideas do not come from legislators or governors, but from the well-informed electorate.
During my campaign for office last summer, I made it very clear to residents of the district what my personal, religious and ideological views were. Sometimes, however, my personal views may not align perfectly with the majority.
When taking difficult votes, I remind myself that I represent the district as a whole. While I do not always have the best answers to reforming government, running our state more efficiently or curing our social ills; many of you do. So far this year, I have already introduced several pieces of legislation as a direct result of constituent input.
If you have not done so already, I encourage you to become involved in your government and engage in this process by providing your input.
One way you can do this is to attend listening sessions held by your state and congressional elected officials. This coming Saturday, Nov. 21, I will be hosting a day of listening sessions, with stops in Hartford, Kewaskum, Campbellsport, Mt. Calvary and New Holstein.
More details on times and locations can be found at my website, repkremer.com. I hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to come share your thoughts, or just listen and learn. I look forward to hearing from you this weekend.