A program will be held in La Farge Wednesday, July 25, to
discuss how laws passed by the Wisconsin legislature over the past several
years have dramatically decreased local governments’ right to govern
themselves.
Wisconsin Democracy Campaign executive director Matt
Rothschild plus Vernon County chair Dennis Brault and La Crosse County chair
Tara Johnson will speak at the event to be held at the La Farge Community
Center, 202 N. State St. Officials and residents of the village of La Farge and
nearby towns are encouraged to attend and discuss how the legislation has
affected them and how to regain control over issues including schools,
environment and property rights.
“The best democracy, the one you have the most control over,
is local,” Brault said. “You don’t want the state or federal government telling
you, ‘No you can’t do that.’ You don’t want a residential area down from a huge
pig farm. These should be local decisions, but they have been taken away from
us by the state.”
“But I want to bring the positive message that residents of
Wisconsin towns still do have some local controls,” he said. “I want to
encourage people to use those, such as the right to go to referendum.
The program, which will begin at 7 p.m., is free and
open to the public. It is the third of four bi-partisan discussions on the local
control issue being sponsored by the Vernon County Democratic Party this
summer. The first was held in Viroqua, and the next will be at the Stoddard
American Legion Aug. 22.
