A delegation of local high school students, community members, business owners and public officials traveled by bus and personal vehicles to Madison on March 19 and 20 for Door/ Kewaunee Legislative Days. Representatives of both counties meet with legislators and staffers during the biennial event, to educate them and advance action items to benefit county residents.

Half of the delegation were Door County high school students from Gibraltar, Sturgeon Bay and Southern Door schools. The Door County Economic Development Corporation’s business and education teams contact schools and work with them to get students to attend, according to Executive Director Michelle Lawrie. 

Students work with their teachers and DCEDC to research topics and discussion points as they prepare to sit down with legislators and staffers. Schools began getting involved in the event about 10 years ago and “it is the best move we ever made,” according to Charlie Henriksen, owner of Henriksen Fisheries in Ellison Bay and Sister Bay. Henriksen has been involved with Legislative Days since the beginning more than two decades ago, as a local representative of the commercial fishing industry. (Disclosure: Henriksen is a donor to Knock.)

Henriksen described the students he interacted with on the trip as “really sharp.” He shared an anecdote about how two students from Southern Door asked Sturgeon Bay Mayor David Ward, who was part of the delegation, about Tax Increment Financing Districts. One of the students was wondering if there were negative impacts of using them to create affordable housing. 

“Well, she grilled him for about 10 minutes,” Henriksen said. “She had a lot of stuff, and just pushed him on that. Mayor Ward didn’t exactly bypass it, but assured her it wasn’t a problem. Well, then Vos (Speaker of the Assembly Robin Vos) told us that in the wrong situation it (TIFs) could be a problem, but that Sturgeon Bay was doing it right. That was the gist of what our student was trying to get at earlier. It was pretty cool.”

The chartered Babler Bus’s first stop at Sturgeon Bay high school.
Gov. Tony Evers addresses the delegates. Evers discussed rural healthcare systems and the need to strengthen them, a happy coincidence for Door/Kewaunee delegates as increasing Medicaid reimbursement for hospitals was one of the delegation’s talking points, according to Lawrie.
The entire Door and Kewaunee Legislative Days delegation. 80 members were from Door County, and half were local high school students.
Rep. Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay) addresses the delegates.
Sen. André Jacque (R-New Franken) addresses the delegates.
Delegates inside the halls of the Capitol. Seeing the sheer size of the building and the number of staffers and legislators working there was part of the experience for students. Knock photographer Gordon Hodges described the building as a maze and said he assisted some delegates locate staff offices. The state capitol building was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2001. The current building was constructed in 1904 and The Capitol dome is the only granite dome in the world and the largest dome by volume in the United States, creating spectacular views in the rotunda.
County Board District 17 Supervisor Bob Bultman, who represents the Towns of Baileys Harbor and Jacksonport, confers with Brie Flanigan from Sturgeon Bay High School, other students and delegates.
From left to right, Molly Hall, Portia Hah and Troy Pertzborn from Southern Door High School with County Administrator Ken Pabich to meet with staffers and legislators.
Gibraltar student delegates Abbey Demeuse and Noah Adler meet with Rep. Dave Maxey (R-New Berlin).
From left to right, Addison Kluge and Nikki Trusova from Southern Door High School, and Ben Nelson of the Kewaunee County Economic Development Corp., speak with state representatives.
From left to right, Patty Mayers, Assistant Deputy Secretary For the WI Dept. of Revenue, Jacob Burbach, Legislative Liaison For the WI Dept. of Revenue, and Mark Jinkins, retired attorney, from Door County.