Jenelle Ludwig Krause, Executive Director – Baldwin

A few months ago a terrible storm came through. At our home in the woods near Baldwin, WI, we lost electricity as the wind, rain and trees whipped  all around. Some large limbs broke off, one of them smashing down the hood of my partner’s van. When the worst of it had passed, he and I went outside. The energy was palpable. The earth smelled rich and fertile. 

Up the road, we saw the taillights of a pick up truck and heard someone working with a chainsaw to clear a large tree that had fallen across the road. By the time I got there, they’d cut up the trunk, rolled the pieces into the road side and driven off most likely to find another road to clear. This is who we are. We help each other. We put our resources to work to make our community better for all. 

But in “swing states” like ours, we’ve been inundated with messages trying to pit us against each other. By election day, over $10 Billion had been spent on political ads nationwide. Much of those dollars came from the ultra wealthy trying to buy the election in their favor. What good does that do any of us? 

We are common sense, hard working people who want to provide for our families. What could we have done with $10 Billion had it not been wielded as a wedge between us? We could have provided scores of good jobs, fixing our roads. We could have opened up local hospitals, expanded mental health care, and made it possible for everyone to see a doctor when they are sick. We could have established robust systems to ensure people from Pierce to Milwaukee County can all trust a glass of water from their kitchen faucet. 

Across the state, we deserve better. No matter the color of our skin, how much money we have in our pocket or whether we live in town or on a farm, we can step into the public arena to build a different world together. We can have abundance if we are willing to put in the work, to build the power so that we, the people, are making the calls, not the few people at the tippy top. I know this is true because I’ve seen it happen in our local leaders’ work at GROWW (GrassRoots Organizing Western WI). 

In July, almost 400 of us came together for a DNR hearing in Pierce County because we were concerned about a massive corporate livestock operation expanding from 1700 cows to 6500. It risked harm to our way of life and the environment we love. Farmers and school teachers, retired and just starting out, new-comers and 6th generation residents: thanks to our efforts, the DNR is requiring signed agreements between landowners and the CAFO so there is more accountability for manure spreading. A win for our community.