Questionnaire Answers
We have questions. here are the answers.
We asked the candidates to fill out our State of Wisconsin Cannabis Reform Questionnaire. Here are the answers we have received.
Special Election for Assembly District 37 (Map)
Republican Primary was held on June 15th, 2021. There were eight (8) candidates that competed in the Republican Primary.
William Penterman told WisPolitics.com today he has declared victory in the GOP primary for the 37th Assembly District after the county cavasses confirmed his 16-vote lead over Jennifer Meinhardt.
The Columbus native said his campaign was already focusing on the July 13 general election where he will face Democratic candidate Pete Adams and independent Stephen Ratzlaff.
The Elections Commission expects to certify the primary results next week.
“We’re wasting no time moving forward,” Penterman said.
Meinhardt told WisPolitics.com she won’t be pursuing a recount because the county boards of canvass from the race did not bring the vote difference down to 10 votes or less. Under state law, she’d have to cover the costs of a recount unless the difference was less than 10 votes.
Meinhardt also said she agreed with Penterman that going forward with the general election instead of slowing things with a recount was in the public’s best interest because of the short time between primaries and the general election for this special election.
With all four counties that participated in the primary race reporting no changes to vote totals from their boards of canvass, the unofficial vote difference remains unchanged.
Penterman finished with 758 votes, while Meinhardt was at 742. Legislative aide Nick Krueger was in third place with 621 votes in the eight-way GOP primary.
Penterman has not responded to our repeated attempts to obtain his stance on cannabis reform and his campaign has not completed the candidate questionnaire.
Useful links:
William Penterman for Assembly Facebook Page, Website, Contact: william@pentermanforassembly.com
Republican Penterman will go on to face Democrat Pete Adams and Independent Stephen Ratzlaff Jr. in the general election on July 13th, 2021.
Completed Candidate Questionnaires
Candidate did not respond.
| Full Name Jenifer Quimby |
| Date 06/06/2021 |
| Office Sought: Representative to Assembly District 37 |
| Do you currently or have you previously held public office? Yes, 8yrs School Board (2011-2019), 11 years City Council (2008-2019) Current Mayor since 2019 |
| Is there any cannabis related legislation you have sponsored, co-sponsored, or publicly supported? No |
| Do you think individual states should keep their laws in line with federal laws regarding the legalization of cannabis? No |
| Do you support ending federal prohibition of cannabis? Yes |
| Do you support legalizing and regulating the responsible use of cannabis by adults in the state of Wisconsin? Yes |
| Would you support implementing impairment testing for employers versus preemployment drug screening? Yes, I’m interested to learn more. |
| Do you think cannabis should be classified as a Schedule 1 drug? No |
| Do you support medical use of cannabis in the State of Wisconsin? Yes |
| If you support medical use of cannabis, do you also support patient’s rights to cultivate their own medicine or assign caregivers to do it for them? Yes |
| Do you support decriminalization of cannabis in the State of Wisconsin? Yes |
| Do you support automatic expungement of non-violent cannabis possession convictions? No |
| If elected, would you add yourself as a co-sponsor and support Assembly Bill 130? If your answer is no, please explain why? Yes |
Zimmerman said the state should allow medical marijuana and be able to tax it.
“It’s estimated that the legalization of medical marijuana would bring in $130 million a year in additional tax revenue,” Zimmerman said. “And right now we need to look at different possibilities of additional revenue so we can balance our budget.” – source
Zimmerman ran for elected office as both a Republican candidate and Democratic candidate prior to 2021 – source
Candidate did not respond to questionnaire.
Candidate provided this state on his “stance on cannabis reform”
I have not fully developed it yet. I tend to shy away from legalization.
Candidate did not respond to questionnaire.
Candidate provided her “stance on cannabis reform” as the following:
I have been reading about this issue, and while there is still more research I will be doing, here is where I currently stand.
I am opposed to recreational use of cannabis. One of the benefits WI has is the ability to look at the results of those states who have legalized recreational cannabis. Those studies reveal that there are legitimate concerns about the effects of recreational cannabis on the communities. I am willing to consider medicinal cannabis, and I have looked through the studies conducted on this topic. However, many studies are not complete and others need to be started. I would like to see more studies completed so that we can pass legislation that precisely identifies how it will be regulated and distributed.
When asked about his “stance on cannabis reform”, Pete Adams had this to say, “I am in support of the legalization of recreational marijuana and on top of that taxing it and using the money from said tax to fund other state projects like fixing roads.”
| Full Name Pete Adams |
| Date 6/22/21 |
| Office Sought Assembly Representative for District 37 |
| Do you currently or have you previously held public office? Alderman for Columbus |
| Is there any cannabis related legislation you have sponsored, co-sponsored, or publicly supported? no |
| Do you think individual states should keep their laws in line with federal laws regarding the legalization of cannabis? No |
| Do you support ending federal prohibition of cannabis? Yes |
| Do you support legalizing and regulating the responsible use of cannabis by adults in the state of Wisconsin? Yes |
| Would you support implementing impairment testing for employers versus preemployment drug screening? Yes |
| Do you think cannabis should be classified as a Schedule 1 drug? No |
| Do you support medical use of cannabis in the State of Wisconsin? Yes |
| If you support medical use of cannabis, do you also support patient’s rights to cultivate their own medicine or assign caregivers to do it for them? Yes |
| Do you support decriminalization of cannabis in the State of Wisconsin? Yes |
| Do you support automatic expungement of non-violent cannabis possession convictions? Yes |
| If elected, would you add yourself as a co-sponsor and support Assembly Bill 130? If your answer is no, please explain why? Yes I would support AB 130. |
Waiting on response, but we know he supports reform of cannabis laws from previous runs for office.
Candidate did not respond.
Candidate did not respond.
Candidate did not respond.