Alicia Saunders
Industrial sanitation
Democrat
Kimberly
Elected Experience
None
Q&A with the Candidate
Why should voters elect you?
I'm a Navy veteran, a blue-collar worker, and a Fox Valley mom who knows what it's like to live paycheck to paycheck. I served on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and I've spent the last two years fighting for my neighbors without a title or a paycheck: connecting veterans to housing and property tax help, and speaking up when local leaders ignored the people they serve. Assembly District 2 deserves a representative who lives the challenges working families face and shows up between elections, not just during them. I'll listen first, work across the aisle, and treat every constituent with respect, never as a talking point. I'm running to serve, not to build a career.
What is the top issue in your district? How would you address it?
The rising cost of living and property taxes are at the heart of it. Property taxes keep climbing because the state has underfunded schools and shared revenue for years, forcing local governments to make up the difference on your tax bill. Madison shifts the cost, then blames local governments. I'd fight to restore real funding for our schools and municipalities so communities aren't forced to raise property taxes just to keep the lights on. I'd also protect ratepayers from out-of-state owned data centers that could shift billions onto our utility bills, and expand property tax relief for disabled veterans and seniors. Affordability comes down to whether the people already here can afford to stay.
How should Wisconsin government operate differently than in the past?
Government should be transparent and accountable to the people, not the powerful. Too often, major decisions get rushed through like floor amendments dropped with no fiscal estimate, no committee review, no chance for the public to weigh in. That's how billions in giveaways slip past us. I'd push for honest fiscal transparency on every bill, so voters can see who pays and who benefits before a vote happens. I'd also restore the habit of governing for the long term instead of the next election. Representatives should show up between campaigns, hold real listening sessions, and put constituents ahead of donors and party leadership. People have lost trust in government because it stopped working for them. Earning it back starts with telling the truth.
What is your favorite fun Wisconsin history fact?
My favorite is right here in Kimberly, where I live. The village is named after John A. Kimberly, a founder of Kimberly-Clark, and he had many of the homes built for the people who worked at the paper mill and their families. You can still spot them small, square, serviceable houses, some that look like they were ordered straight from a catalog. They weren't big, but they did the job. Generations later, families still live in them today, including right on my own street.
NEW News Lab general election questions
Relevant Experience
I am a Navy veteran, industrial sanitation specialist, trainer and single mother. I served aboard the USS Harry S. Truman supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom and later maintained aviation support equipment. I am actively involved in veterans advocacy at the local and state level, working directly with legislators from both parties on issues affecting Wisconsin veterans. I have spent years advocating for public education, veterans, working families and my community. I also ran for this seat in 2024, giving me firsthand experience listening to residents across the district and learning the issues facing our communities.
Wisconsin has a large budget surplus. What should lawmakers prioritize: tax cuts, increased spending on public services, or something else?
Wisconsin should use its surplus to make long-overdue investments in the services taxpayers already depend on. That means properly funding public schools and special education, supporting municipalities so they can maintain roads and adequately staff police, fire and EMS, and addressing the rising costs being pushed onto property taxpayers. I support responsible tax relief, but cutting state revenue while communities are forced to raise property taxes or go to referendum simply shifts the bill. We have an opportunity to make smart investments now that reduce costs for working families and strengthen our communities for the future.
What policies are most important to address Wisconsinites’ concerns about cost of living?
The cost of living has gone up while too many Wisconsin wages have failed to keep pace. We need to raise the minimum wage while protecting workers already earning above it from wage compression. We also need long-term solutions for affordable child care, lower property taxes by properly funding schools and local governments, and to address rising utility and housing costs. Tax cuts alone will not solve affordability if families are paying more elsewhere. Our goal should be simple: people working full-time in Wisconsin should be able to afford to live, raise a family and build a future here.
Housing costs have risen in many Wisconsin communities. What role should state government play in creating more affordable housing?
State government should help communities increase housing supply without taking local control away from residents. Wisconsin should continue investing in programs that help communities and developers cover infrastructure costs, rehabilitate existing housing and convert vacant or underused buildings into homes. We also need more workforce and affordable housing in rural communities, not just our largest cities. Housing policy should recognize that different communities have different needs. The state's role should be providing resources, removing unnecessary barriers and helping communities build housing that working families, seniors and young people can actually afford.
What policies would best address Wisconsinites’ concerns about property taxes?
Property taxes cannot be addressed by simply promising another tax cut. Wisconsin needs to adequately fund public schools and local governments so they are not forced to continually turn to property taxpayers to maintain essential services. Communities need sustainable state support for roads, fire, EMS, police and other basic services. We also need to examine how state decisions shift costs onto municipalities and homeowners. If Madison cuts taxes while your property tax bill continues to rise because your community still has bills to pay, that is not meaningful tax relief. We need to stop shifting the bill.
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?
Wisconsin needs to restore predictable, inflation-adjusted increases in public school funding so districts are not forced to rely on recurring referendums just to maintain basic operations. I also support increasing special education reimbursement to 90%. When the state does not adequately fund special education, districts must pull money from their general budgets, affecting every student. These investments should come from state general-purpose revenue, including Wisconsin’s current surplus, rather than continuing to shift costs onto local property taxpayers. Public schools need stable state funding that allows districts to plan ahead instead of repeatedly asking their communities to fill the gaps.
Should the state direct more funding toward voucher and school-choice programs and what evidence supports your position?
No. I support phasing out Wisconsin's taxpayer-funded voucher programs and reinvesting those dollars in our public schools. Public schools are required to serve every student and are accountable to taxpayers through elected school boards and public reporting. Voucher funding can reduce state aid available to a student's home district, while those districts still have fixed costs and responsibilities to their communities. Wisconsin already has public school choice through open enrollment. If taxpayer dollars fund education, they should support a strong public education system that is open and accountable to every Wisconsin family.
What steps can the Legislature take to alleviate court backlogs and address the need for more judges, prosecutors and public defenders?
Court backlogs affect everyone, including victims waiting for justice and defendants waiting for their cases to be heard. The Legislature needs to adequately fund our court system and address shortages of judges, prosecutors and public defenders based on actual caseload and workload needs. We also need to improve recruitment and retention of attorneys, particularly in rural and underserved areas, and consider incentives that encourage attorneys to practice where shortages are greatest. Adding judges alone will not solve backlogs if there are not enough prosecutors, defense attorneys and court staff available to move cases through the system efficiently.
How do you feel about the number of prisons in Wisconsin - should there be more? Less? Why?
Less. We need to focus on rehabilitation, not simply incarceration. People who commit serious violent crimes should be incarcerated to protect the public, but prison should also provide mental health care, substance use treatment, education and job training. Rehabilitation reduces the likelihood that someone will reoffend after release, which makes our communities safer.
How significant an issue is climate change? What would you advocate for related to climate change if elected?
Climate change is a significant issue that affects our agriculture, water, infrastructure, economy and national security. Wisconsin is already experiencing a warmer, wetter climate and more extreme rainfall. I support an energy mix that includes nuclear, solar and wind, along with modernizing our electrical grid and improving energy efficiency. We should also help farmers and communities prepare for changing weather patterns, protect our groundwater and Great Lakes, and invest in infrastructure that can withstand more extreme weather. Addressing climate change should strengthen Wisconsin’s economy and energy independence while protecting the resources future generations will depend on.
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?
PFAS contamination is extremely important because clean drinking water is not optional. Wisconsin needs to continue testing our groundwater and drinking water, identify contamination quickly and ensure affected communities have access to safe water. We also need to prevent additional contamination while recognizing that farmers, homeowners and municipalities should not be financially punished for pollution they did not cause. Remediation should follow the principle that polluters pay. Companies responsible for PFAS contamination should bear the cost of cleanup, while state and federal funding should help communities address contamination when the responsible party cannot be identified or held accountable.
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?
Wisconsin has not implemented the new Medicaid work requirements yet, so it is too early to say what has worked. I oppose work requirements as a condition for health care coverage. They create additional paperwork and verification requirements for people to prove they qualify for care, while also creating additional administrative work for the state. As Wisconsin prepares to implement the federal requirement, we should make the process as simple as possible, use information the state already has to verify eligibility, clearly communicate exemptions and prevent eligible people from losing coverage because of unnecessary administrative barriers.
What do you think about funding the 988 crisis line long-term at the state level?
I support long-term state funding for Wisconsin's 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Mental health and substance use crises do not disappear when a grant ends or a budget cycle changes. Wisconsin needs a reliable crisis system that people can count on 24 hours a day, including enough trained staff to answer calls, texts and chats here in Wisconsin and connect people with local resources. Stable funding also allows the state to plan ahead, retain experienced staff and build 988 into a broader mental health crisis response system rather than repeatedly worrying about whether the service will have funding to continue.