Anthony W. Phillips
Oncologist
Republican
Appleton
Elected Experience
None
Q&A with the Candidate
Why should voters elect you?
I have leadership experience as a cancer physician and in business. I've been medical director of a cancer clinic, overseeing 25 other providers of cancer care. I've successfully owned two businesses with as many as 120 employees. My conservative values fit well with the conservative nature of the 56th Assembly District. Though conservative, I do plan to work across the aisle on shared values such as first-time home ownership and improvement in reading/math/science scores in our public schools.
What is the top issue in your district? How would you address it?
Affordability is the top issue in the 56th Assembly District. Rising property taxes is a common theme, in part from serial school and municipal referendums in the area. The public schools continue to want to increase their per-student spending, despite declining enrollment and declining performance scores. Reducing property taxes is an important way to increase the affordability of living in Wisconsin. Holding the line on state and national government spending in order to limit inflationary pressures will also improve affordability. I'm personally interested in investing in our young, hard-working families, to help them afford their first home as a way of keeping them in the state.
How should Wisconsin government operate differently than in the past?
The Wisconsin government is likely to be split in the near future, meaning neither major party is going to have complete power. There will have to be areas of compromise to finish state budgets, fund schools, have oversight of school performance, create an environment in Wisconsin positive for business development, etc. I am motivated to be a part of this discussion — I believe I can represent my conservative values but still find reasonable ways to invest in a positive future for our state.
What is your favorite fun Wisconsin history fact?
The modern Republican Party was officially founded in Ripon, Wisconsin, on March 20, 1854, during an anti-slavery expansion meeting. The original GOP was on the right side of the Civil War! The lasting tenets of the Republican Party include small government, limit dependency on government, as reasonable today as they were in 1854. I've always been a Republican because of these basic values and will protect those values when I serve in Madison.
NEW News Lab general election questions
Relevant Experience
30 year history of providing Medical Oncology care, 26 in the Appleton area. Business owner of Sola Salons and the private oncology practice. Board member of Fox Valley Conservatives.
Wisconsin has a large budget surplus. What should lawmakers prioritize: tax cuts, increased spending on public services, or something else?
I would prioritize returning the surplus to the Wisconsin taxpayers, such as by a one-time rebate. I would vote yes on a reduction in future state income tax or property tax equivalent to the current surplus. I do not favor using the surplus to fund any new programs that would then result in a tax increase to cover a new and ongoing revenue requirement.
What policies are most important to address Wisconsinites’ concerns about cost of living?
The conflict with Iran needs to end to ease the inflationary gas prices. In Wisconsin, I favor removing regulatory barriers that raise the prices of new home construction and raise the cost of child care. I favor stopping the 400-year property tax hike of Gov. Evers to slow the rise in those taxes. I favor limiting the number of rentals that any company or individual can own, to further ease the pressure on the price of homes. Preferred drug pricing and transparency of cost-of-care are health care areas that would helpful as well.
Housing costs have risen in many Wisconsin communities. What role should state government play in creating more affordable housing?
As above, overturning the 400-year property tax hike, limiting the burdensome regulations that make home-building more expensive, limiting the number of homes that can be bought for rental so more young families and others have a stronger inventory for purchase. I do favor a partnership between the state and home builders to encourage smaller first homes or condominiums. It is vital to keep our young families in Wisconsin − first-time home ownership is a major priority.
What policies would best address Wisconsinites’ concerns about property taxes?
Overturning the 400-year property tax increase of Evers is an important priority. Limiting the growth of government in general would ease property taxes. School districts seem to be another branch of government with carte blanche to ask for referendums and an increase in property taxes. I would favor stronger legislative oversight of the ability of school districts to continuously go to school referendums.
Funding of public education has been an issue and has been tied to property taxes for years. Schools often rely on local referendums for funding staffing, programs and maintenance. What specific changes would you support to the state’s school funding formula and how would you pay for them?
The school funding formula is antiquated, from the 1990s and does need to be updated. Efficient-performing schools have been penalized while financially poor-performing schools have been rewarded. I believe there needs to be equalization of the funding formula across school districts, though taking into account cost of living differences. Enrollment in schools is declining. I believe school districts will need to further examine consolidation, merging and closing of schools because of declining enrollment.
Should the state direct more funding toward voucher and school-choice programs and what evidence supports your position?
I do not believe the state should mandate where parents educate their children. There are valid reasons why parents are turning away from public schools to alternative choices, such as homeschooling and private schools. Public funding for educating our children should follow the child, be it at a public, private or homeschool.
What steps can the Legislature take to alleviate court backlogs and address the need for more judges, prosecutors and public defenders?
The process of litigating criminal and civil cases definitely takes too long − I would favor funding whatever is necessary to alleviate this backlog and prevent similar backlog in the future. I don't know the answer but would wonder if updating computer systems and the use of AI may be helpful as well.
How do you feel about the number of prisons in Wisconsin - should there be more? Less? Why?
I would not empty the prisons, as advocated by a growing number of liberal candidates. I am a strong advocate for law enforcement at all levels. They are doing a tough job and doing it well. I favor having the number of prisons necessary to appropriately house the number of prisoners based on our current laws. I don't favor easing of criminal codes or penalties as a solution.
How significant an issue is climate change? What would you advocate for related to climate change if elected?
I believe the climate has changed, I believe the average temperatures have risen. I think it is unclear how much of this is related to human activity versus weather cycling over millenniums. But I would advocate for common-sense regulations that limit pollutants of Wisconsin's air/water/soil.
Wisconsin’s bipartisan support for a PFAS law to hold polluters accountable and the state's lower maximum contaminant levels for drinking water put it out in front nationally on forever-chemical protections. Some say the best way to prevent PFAS contaminations is to outlaw their use, while others hope to reverse the regulations. How important is this issue? What still needs to be addressed? How should remediation costs be raised?
As a cancer physician, I applaud the bipartisan efforts to address PFAS and will advocate for similar ongoing efforts. I am a strong advocate of limiting the pollution of our soil, water and air in Wisconsin.
What do you think of the implementation process for the new Medicaid work requirements so far in Wisconsin? What has worked? What could be improved?
I am in favor of work requirements for all forms of public welfare, including Medicaid. I have sympathy for the disabled, those truly not able to work and in need of public services. But I can separate that out from wanting people in general to be not be dependent on government. I also favor strong oversight of grant programs and other public spending that could easily be a source of fraud/waste/abuse of taxpayer money.
What do you think about funding the 988 crisis line long-term at the state level?
The 988 crisis line is federally mandated and funded. I would favor examining and exhausting other opportunities before asking the state taxpayers to spend more to fund this crisis line.