Democratic field growing in race for Assembly seat
WHITEWATER — A Beloit native plans to move to his college stomping grounds in Whitewater in a bid to challenge 43rd Assembly District Rep. Evan Wynn, R–Whitewater, in 2012.
While Jacob Foulker hasn’t officially filed to run against Wynn, the 24-year-old Democrat plans to relocate to Whitewater in April 2012. The move would come just prior to Foulker graduating from UW-Whitewater with a bachelor’s degree in political science.
Foulker would likely face 37th Assembly District incumbent Rep. Andy Jorgenson, D–Fort Atkinson, in a primary. Jorgenson also plans to relocate to run against Wynn in the 43rd District.
Foulker, who is married and is seeking a secondary degree in public policy, said he would launch his political career on a platform that includes shrinking the size and cost of state government and forging a closer bond between state lawmakers and working class people.
He said he would push to cut the Assembly’s ranks from around 100 members to 75 and trim the state Senate to 25 members. Foulker believes that would leave residents with plenty of representation.
“We could save money from (legislators’) salaries, per diems, other costs,” Foulker said. “Literally, this is smaller government.”
Foulker said as a state lawmaker, he’d also volunteer for a 10 percent pay cut and he would give back a portion of the $88 per diem Assembly members now earn while they’re in session.
Foulker said he would try to help people statewide gain equality. He said he would push to roll back a state law that prevents undocumented residents from getting in-state college tuition and seek a state referendum that would revisit the issue of gay marriage.
Foulker said he decided to run against Wynn because he believes the lawmaker’s “intentions are good,” but that Wynn “has voted along party lines, and votes on his personal views” rather than the desires of the people
Foulker said he would try to break that cycle.
“If something came up and the Democrats were for it and I didn’t think it would help the people, I wouldn’t do it. I wouldn’t go for it,” he said.
Foulker acknowledged his age might be an issue for some, but he doesn’t believe it’s a problem. He actually considered running for city elections when he was younger but decided he’d rather tackle state issues.
“It’s something I’m adamant about and something I really want to do,” Foulker said.
Nov 13, 2011 at 8:06 a.m.
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Illinois also had a reduction in state representation about 40 years ago. Total state legislative costs jumped manifold as staffs were hired to handle the increased workloads. Part time citizen legislators became fulltime career politicians and representation dropped to zip for average citizens as only the powerful could now get access to the few remaining legislators. The "workload" increased primarily because many more bills were introduced to show that these legislators were working hard, but actually were intended as a numerical measure that legislators must be effective if they were sponsoring more bills, unneccessary or not, in the increasingly more competitive districts. Lobbying and costs of legislation then became a big business instead of the small town activity it had been prior to the change.
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