August 16 Recall Elections Could Tip the Balance Even More in State Senate

The last two state senate recall elections are on Tues., Aug. 16, this time with two Democratic seats up for grabs.

Bob Wirch (D-Kenosha) and Jim Holperin (D-Conover) will face their Republican challengers; Wirch against Jonathan Steitz and Holperin against Kim Simac.

Should Wirch and Holperin retain their seats, the split in the Senate will remain 17-16, but if one or both of them loses, the majority tips even more toward the Republicans.

Wirch's recall, in particular, could have an impact on Mount Pleasant, Sturtevant and Caledonia since the re-drawn Senate district map would change the state senator for those villages. According to the new maps, one district would, roughly, encompass most of the city of Racine, parts of Mount Pleasant and Somers and most of the city of Kenosha. A second district would horseshoe around to include everything else in both Racine and Kenosha counties.

Here on Patch, two residents weighed in on Wirch's election.

Heather Rayne Geyer, Mount Pleasant resident and Patch columnist, stands solidly behind Wirch and his decision to leave Madison to avoid voting on the Budget Repair Bill last winter.

" ... the brave Senators risked their jobs and headed to Illinois to avoid a quorum and stop the vote on the assaulting Budget Repair Bill which most citizens knew little to nothing about. We applauded and for the first time, I was truly proud of a real life politician," she wrote.

Geyer also cited specific reasons for her support of Wirch: his vote against cutting funding for Planned Parenthood, truth-in-sentencing for violent criminals and his help saving jobs at Snap On Tools.

Chris Larsen, a trustee in Sturtevant, however, feels quite the opposite.

"(It comes down to) whether you support someone who refused to show up and do his job ... Someone who voted for policies that raised your taxes, closed your businesses and robbed Peter to pay Paul ... Wirch no longer deserves the privilege to represent his district," he wrote.

Further, as evidence of Wirch's inabilty to govern, Larsen points to Wirch's votes over the years that increased taxes and fees, that he used stimulus money to close a gap in the general fund that still left a hole in the budget and he voted for in-state tuition for illegal immigrants.

You can watch a debate between Wirch and Steitz on Upfront with Mike Gousha on WISN Channel 12 ABC at 9:00 am on Sun., Aug. 14.