Candidates for Wisconsin Assembly District 4 Steffen and Teague address views on abortion, inflation, election integrity

The race to represent state Assembly District 4 this coming term pits an incumbent, Republican David Steffen, against a newcomer, Democrat Derek Teague.

The district, one of 99 in the state, represents much of Green Bay's west and south suburbs in Brown County. Terms are two years; Nov. 8 is Election Day across the state, although early voting by absentee ballot is under way.

The Green Bay Press-Gazette asked each candidate to fill out a questionnaire before the election explaining why they are running and their positions on issues. Some responses were lightly edited for clarity and brevity.

For information about registering to vote and polling locations, visit the MyVote Wisconsin website at myvote.wi.gov.

David Steffen

• Age: 51

• Address: Howard

• Current occupation: State legislator and small business owner

• Highest education level completed: Bachelor's degree in political science, University of Wisconsin-Madison

• Experience relevant to this job: State representative (eight years), County Board member (three years), Howard Village Board member (seven years)

• Campaign website: Steffen4Wisconsin.com

Derek Teague

• Age: 37

• Address: Allouez

• Current occupation: Systems engineer

• Highest education level completed: Some college

• Campaign website: derekforwi.com

What is the most pressing issue facing Wisconsin? How would you address it?

Steffen: The crushing impact of inflation on fuel, food and housing costs is by far the most concerning issue facing residents right now. To alleviate this problem that was caused by out-of-control spending by our federal government, the state needs to return excess state revenue to the residents. I will work to return the majority of the $5.5 billion state budget surplus to the people via tax cuts, including my Tax-Free Retirement Plan, which eliminates income taxes on Wisconsin retirees.

Teague: So many of our issues come from gridlock and party infights. Because elected officials are not accountable to most of the voters, we keep having to choose between mediocre options that gets us nowhere. My primary focus would be to implement ranked-choice voting to change accountability and to encourage candidates that better represent all of us.

Would you vote to repeal Wisconsin’s ban on abortions, or to add exemptions to the law (such as for rape and incest victims)?

Steffen: I am supportive of enacting exceptions to our 1849 abortion law for rape and incest. However, my pro-life principles prevent me from supporting abortion-until-birth proposals.

Teague: We should codify access. This will obviously require some compromise with all parties. Leaving the current ban in place should not be acceptable to anyone.

Would you support policy initiatives to address the impact of climate change in Wisconsin?

Steffen: I have been a co-author of several bipartisan proposals that protect and preserve our land, water and air. This is a very personal priority to me, as I come from many generations of conservationists who worked to honor and respect our environment. However, much of the modern day environmental and climate change movement has become way too political and has unnecessarily incorporated government control and special interests into the debate. Our planet would benefit if we stopped making this important issue a political football.

Teague: We are seeing more bipartisan agreement that something needs to be done. In the last session, both parties put forth bills, but almost none even were discussed in committees. We need to pick up where that left off and actually get something done.

How should state government help Wisconsin residents combat inflation?

Steffen: As indicated in my earlier answer, returning surplus tax dollars to the residents is an immediate option for inflation relief. Additionally, we need a governor who will approve energy infrastructure projects that reduce the rising cost of Wisconsin gasoline and heating fuel.

Teague: Using our budget surplus, we can help those in our communities that are falling behind, and lower some of our taxes to ease burdens.

What should Wisconsin do to protect the democratic process and ensure the integrity of its elections?

Steffen: As election integrity is a top concern for both parties, I believe this is an area that we can get some bipartisan work accomplished next session. Last year, I authored several election-integrity bills that made their way through the Legislature, and I expect those bills will become law next year. Two additional bills will be coming out of my office next year as well: enhanced protections and options for voters with disabilities and a text message receipt confirmation option for mail-in absentee ballot voters.

Teague: With the various court orders this year we need to make sure the language in statute is clear. I think we can pass legislation allowing limited drop box use, and clarify that disabled voters can have help getting their completed ballots returned.

Are the public schools in your district properly funded?

Steffen: The last three state budgets have produced six record-setting years of increased investments in our public schools. Additionally, we finally hit the full two-thirds funding benchmark this year. Many pro-education groups set this as a goal, and we finally achieved it. With inflationary impacts and mental health challenges stemming from COVID-related policies and school shutdowns, I expect we will again provide substantial new investments into our K-12 schools.

Teague: The districts in our area are having budget issues, and inflation is going to make it worse. Because of our state’s revenue limits, increases at the state level reduce property taxes but don’t result in more revenues going to schools. The limit has not matched inflation and needs to be examined.

What should state government do about gun violence and crime in Wisconsin?

Steffen: Crime and gun violence in Green Bay is rising at an alarming, unacceptable rate. It’s incredibly frustrating because it’s avoidable. The first thing that has to happen is to reset the mindset taken toward criminals. Bad guys need to be a locked up, not coddled and treated with more respect than their victims. The "Defund the Police" crowd and the elected officials they empower should be shown the door. Restoring safety and security to our neighborhoods requires more police, DAs, public defenders and definitely more elected officials who put the public’s safety ahead of their political and social justice agendas.

Teague: We need to fund our police departments and help with proper training and staffing. We know one of the biggest blocks is getting new people into our police forces.

Contact Doug Schneider at (920) 431-8333, or DSchneid@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @PGDougSchneider.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Wisconsin Assembly District 4 candidates Steffen, Teague on issues