March 2025
Everyone is talking about all the chaos in Washington D.C. I want to encourage us all to refocus. In all likelihood, the end results of what happens in Washington will not impact residents of Rock County nearly as much as what happens in our local municipal and school board elections.
The candidates you choose on April 1st will have a direct impact on the direction of your community or your schools. They will determine the priorities they think should be funded. They have the ultimate ability to raise or lower your property taxes. (NOTE: Rock County’s property taxes are higher than 96% of all counties in the US! This is relevant to personal income, or people’s ability to pay – Source.)
Too often we don’t spend enough time learning about the candidates who may determine the best way local kids can excel in schools and where to put the public’s tax dollars. I encourage you to change that trend and make these local elections a priority.
Rock County is filled with great people who, for the most part, want to see our schools and communities succeed. Too few of them have taken the initiative to run for local office in my opinion, but at least this year many of our local races are actually contested, meaning there will be legitimate choices for us to consider.
I know I’m asking a lot. It takes time and effort to learn about a dozen or more candidates who may be wishing to represent you in your local area. I’d also ask, however, if you are indeed giving them your voice on priorities, issues and spending, wouldn’t you want to be sure of the stances candidates have?
As an assist to doing research, my friends at Rock County First have done their own vetting of the local candidates and have created a list of endorsed candidates that they feel will put the residents of Rock County first on their agendas. You can find that list and other important voter information HERE.
In our local government, we need visionary leaders who have a deep understanding of the make-up of their community and can incorporate their diverse base of residents into their decision making processes. Strong leaders don’t just push projects, they communicate to get the majority of the residents on board.
School Board Representatives need to understand the dynamics involved in balancing the needs of students, staff and community members. Rather than basing decisions on emotion, we want leaders that can use data to drive their decisions. Data-driven decisions are often the antidote to emotional ones, and districts that have data-driven leadership often have higher test scores and graduation rates. That’s exactly the type of leadership we should be striving for to turn things around in Janesville and Beloit.
The old adage, “Knowledge is Power” is true, provided we know what to do with that knowledge. For this spring’s election, use knowledge of the candidate’s positions to make your vote more powerful. It might seem like a heavy lift for us to spend the time acquiring knowledge of our candidates before we hit the voting booth, but I promise you it will be worth it.
Don’t squander the opportunity… No matter which of the methods you choose to make your voice heard, be sure to vote by April 1st.
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To learn more and to sign-up for e-updates, go to rockcountyfirst.com, and visit our Facebook page at FB.com/rockcountyfirst.
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RCF’s Mission: Empower the citizens of Rock County to preserve liberty through education and government accountability.
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To learn more about the Spring election and RCF Political fund endorsed candidates, please visit the RCF Spring Election hub. Be sure to share this information with friends and family!
Early voting begins March 18th and the election is April 1st!
