Special Election Candidate William Penterman (R) Plays politics with pot
William Penterman (R) is the focus of my attention today. I wrote an article back in May about a special strategy needed to be developed for special elections which I have been discussing since. If gerrymandering does not end, a new strategy will be needed to replace politicians who continue to fail voters. We will be discussing the strategy further.
Unfortunately, it is obvious that Republican challengers need to challenge Republican incumbents every time. In the special election primary, we saw 8 Republican Candidates fight to take the seat. The winner was decided by just 16 votes.
A Democrat running as a Republican in the primary may have changed things. However, it seems obvious that a few Democrats coming over to just vote in a Republican Primary will impact the elephant gang plans for sure.
Onto the special election set for July 13th, 2021 in Assembly District 37. The Republican, William Penterman, won the primary election by 16 votes. He has continued to ignore any requests for his stance on cannabis reform. Penterman has not responded to requests for an interview by The Wisconsin Cannabis Activist Network. He indicated he will not complete a candidate questionnaire on the issue. Arguably not a good start as a public servant, but the job of politician on team elephant seems to attract a certain type.
Now, just a few days before the special election, Penterman offers this to me and other activists in a facebook message: “Good morning Jay! Thank you for reaching out to me! I would love to talk about marijuana reform! I’ll be making a last round around the district in these final days, and I would love to stop by your residence if that works for you! Please let me know a time that works for you and where I should stop by!“
After a family with special needs asked him to fill out our candidate questionnaire, Penterman responded, “I prefer personal conversations with voters. That’s the way representation is supposed to be.“
If this is true, you know what to do, especially if you are a resident of the district!
But I keep digging and uncover more information in my research for voters — and it looks as if Mr. Penterman did, in fact, fill out a questionnaire along the way, just not ours. He answered the marijuana reform question. I found this information on ivoterguide.com (link to Penterman Profile). Note, the ivoterguide says responses are entered electronically by the candidate and are listed verbatim.
I have discussed personal bias as a main reason for politicians opposing marijuana reform in the past blog article. It is unclear if Penterman has a personal bias or if he is already playing politics with pot or exactly what his stance is, I am simply telling you what I know and what he told me.
Right now we have 45 members in the Wisconsin Cannabis Activist Network who reside in the Assembly District 37. He only won the seat by 16 votes. He faced 7 primary challengers to to take that seat and if he wins, just watch, in just a short time and by the next election cycle in the fall of 2022 those other 7 will have disappeared and Penterman will run unopposed in the the primary. That is pathetic and the real threat to democracy.
Voters, either party, should contact Penterman today with their support of cannabis reform. Maybe he has not developed an opinion on medical marijuana or decriminalization, maybe his stance will evolve, after all, he is human right?
You can contact him via messenger on his campaign facebook page or via email at william@pentermanforassembly.com
More background on William Penterman:
He was born and raised in Wisconsin. He grew up on a small dairy farm.
November of 2015, William answered the call to serve his country in the United States Army. He served in the Military Police Corps for 4 years, and continues to serve in the Army Reserve today.
William served as Legislative Assistant in the Wisconsin State Assembly before moving up to Research Assistant in 2020. During the Wisconsin election investigation following the 2020 Presidential election, William served as Committee Clerk for the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections. As committee clerk, William facilitated the December 11th election investigation hearing at the Wisconsin State Capitol.
ivoterguide info: Is racism a threat to domestic security in the United States? Why or why not? Racism is sin, and all sin is a threat to the hearts and souls of all humankind. It is impossible to stop all sins. Human nature is inherently corrupt.
Fact Sheets links on the Wisconsin Cannabis Activist Network can be used by constituents in the district should William Penterman want to a look at marijuana reform as an issue. I would use some fact sheets from Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP) since he has military police background. I would also use a couple fact sheets from NORML, the piece on Marijuana and Veterans Issues as well as the piece on the impact of legalization health, safety and the economy.
Penterman may not even know the racist history of marijuana prohibition. He may not know about the continued discrimination associated with these outdated laws. Or maybe he does and is proud of it?
Who will Penterman face in the general election on July 13th, 2021? Democrat Pete Adams and Independent Steven Ratzlaff. Democrat Pete Adams received an A+ grade from the Wisconsin Cannabis Activist Network. You can learn more about this grade and the campaign of Pete Adams here.
