Faces of the District

After attending the Women’s March, a friend and I gathered some fellow moms to write postcards to our members of Congress. Before I knew it, I was one of the founders of Indivisible Tosa, which quickly became one of the most active Indivisible chapters in Wisconsin. We wrote and called our elected officials, we showed up to Congressional town halls and district offices, we protested. And while every day’s headlines brought new outrageous attacks on our democracy and human rights, I discovered that taking action together is the antidote to despair.

Small businesses account for nearly half of all private employees in the state of Wisconsin, and healthcare suffers from increasing affordability and accessibility challenges. Taking care of our local economy, and the health and well being of our neighbors, are both foundational to a flourishing community. As an employee of a small business here in Wisconsin, and having worked in the healthcare industry for nearly 20 years, both of these issues are near and dear to me. And they help highlight why Robyn Vining is the right person for our community today.

When it started becoming very clear on March 14th, 2020 that restaurants were going to have to shut down I felt completely panicked. I needed answers and guidance, and my first thought was to call Robyn. For days to come, she would send me updated information as soon as she could, send me grant and loan applications, and come by to check on me and my restaurant. I truly felt more secure knowing that she was in my corner.

Robyn has always been at the forefront of the changes we needed. Calling for equality for all and full support of diversity and inclusion. Quickly supporting masks and safety measures when the pandemic hit. She always has her priorities straight.

Robyn’s ability to listen to teachers about what they need for students is important to me. Her fight for us to be fairly represented as a new larger liberal group of residents is important to me. And her support of a health care system that will get us through Covid-19 and then support us all after it is over, providing for students, parents, elderly and essential workers who will be nursing hidden mental wounds is important to me. Who Robyn is and what she stands for is important to me. The only path I see forward is one through empathy and kindness and remembering that LOVE WINS.”

Robyn embodies the kindness, grace, assertiveness, and collaboration we need in our government to help foster all in our society. Robyn supports our community sincerely and she is also strong enough to have the hard conversations when needed.

The schools, people, and leaders, such as Robyn, of this great district have made it possible for my sister and her friends to have access to the same opportunities as their able-bodied peers, which is something that people with disabilities and allies have fought for for decades.

Since 2016, I have sent more emails and made more calls to my representatives then ever before expressing my dismay about actions being taken by our government. I never needed to reach out to Robyn. Every time I got concerned, I looked and saw she was already working on the right way to solve the problem. It was such a relief, honestly. Thank you Robyn for working hard for all of us and being a wonderful example of a good person who is kind and making the world a better place.

I’m voting for Robyn, because I really do believe that LOVE WINS. I am proud of the way she leads with love and has tenaciously represented the values of our community. I can’t wait to see what she accomplishes in her next term.

It is up to each of us to VOTE for candidates who have empathy for others’ experiences, a desire to work with individuals with different perspectives, the curiosity to find out the facts, and the energy to constructively dialogue with others. From this, growth and change can happen.

We are so proud that Robyn represents our district. Her commitment to fairness and equity is unmatched. From authoring the Fair Maps legislation to working to ensure that all kids have access to high quality education, Robyn works tirelessly to improve our community. Robyn has been an advocate for families, teachers, and schools for a long time and that has only increased since she took office. In the face of governmental division that would discourage many, Robyn continues to work across the aisle, ensuring bipartisan support to advance legislation to improve our community and Wisconsin.

When I ran into her at a neighborhood event, I wanted to say a quick hello and thank her for her work, but she insisted that we sit down together and asked me “What issues do you care about? What matters to you?” She listened as I shared my thoughts on relevant issues and my hopes for our community, and she shared the legislation she has introduced and supported to move us all forward. That personal and authentic interaction seems rare these days in politics, but Robyn is continually here for the people.

I want a better world for my children. When my 8 year old realizes that some political figures are saying and acting in a way we would never allow our children, I want to ensure she doesn’t continue to see these figures in power. That’s why I believe in Robyn Vining because I know she’s someone who my daughter could look up to as a role model who thinks for the people.

This year I’m casting my ballot with a focus on addressing policy that can be done with honesty, empathy, kindness, and civility. I am voting for Robyn.

I grew up in and around the 14th District, on Milwaukee’s northwest side and now in Wauwatosa with my family. And I grew up pretty conservative, attending Catholic schools and really believing in the fiscal policies of the Republican Party. Working in financial affairs, I started to see a disconnect between what I thought the GOP stood for, and the policies and candidates they were actually putting forward.

Through collecting and listening to your stories, I get to see so much love, so much care, and so much hope for the future. This year is hard, this period is hard. But if Faces of the District and supporting Robyn Vining’s reelection has taught me anything, it’s that we can do this hard thing. We can put the right people in office that help us work for a better, more equitable world.

I’ve known Robyn for almost a decade. Robyn acts out of conviction and calls all of us to attend to our better angels. She loves and cares deeply about her district, Wisconsin, and ALL people. Representative Vining has renewed my hope in democracy. I am honored to call her my friend and my representative. She reminds us that power in this country rests with we the people.

Robyn continues to be a voice for the most vulnerable women prenatally, as well as postnatally, and for infants who are unable to speak for themselves. I love that she supports, and advocates for, the Governor’s Healthy Moms/Healthy Babies initiative.

As a retired elementary public school teacher, I saw firsthand how public schools need the adequate amount of funding to ensure small class sizes, resources for students, and high quality staffing. With Scott Walker’s Act 10 I saw my classes almost double in size and a public attack on the teaching profession that I would never have imagined possible. I know we can count on Robyn to invest in our public school system, especially during the current crisis of education during COVID.

During Moms Demand Action Advocacy Day earlier this year in Madison, Andrea watched Robyn interact with Wauwatosa high school students. She witnessed Robyn listen to student voices and encourage them to keep moving forward with their passions. She also witnessed student reactions when Representative Vining showed up to Wauwatosa West High School’s walk out to protest gun violence. The students saw her presence and understood their voices matter to Robyn.

With each person I met, each new culture I learned about and every new community I was immersed in, I couldn’t ignore the many stories of people’s lives that were not given the same, equal opportunity that I was afforded. Just because something worked for me in this country does not mean it works for everyone. I do my best to listen to all voices, especially those that are often silenced or ignored.