State Sen. Kathleen Vinehout (D-Alma) has been unanimously selected to be vice chair of the state Senate Democratic caucus, joining the ticket with Sen. John Lehman (D-Racine) serving as chair of the caucus.
The position of vice chair calls for Vinehout to communicate with her colleagues about Democratic plans
heading into the 2009 Senate session. The chair resides over the caucus meetings that go on before the full Senate meets, and Vinehout will be put in that position should Lehman be unavailable. Vinehout will also be asked to brief the entire caucus on top issues such as budget reports and upcoming
legislation.
Vinehout said she is eager to enter into her new leadership role because it allows her to serve her fellow senators in a greater capacity.
“I appreciate the senators’ support and confidence, especially given my short tenure,” Vinehout said, who has only been serving in the state Senate since 2006.
Vinehout and Lehman ran unopposed on a platform of Senate diversification and helping the caucus function better as a unit.
“There’s great diversity among senators and the needs of their districts around the state,” Vinehout said. “We want to make sure that every voice is heard and the caucus provides an opportunity for people to share opinions, appreciate differences and use our diversity as our strength.”
Lehman agreed that the caucus chair team wants to see the party work together and it prides itself in having good relations with senators from all over the state, as evident by the contrasting backgrounds of both Lehman and Vinehout.
“(Vinehout) comes with a knowledge of health care and represents many rural constituents,” Lehman said. “She brings a wonderful representation of small towns and is in a group from mostly the center and northern parts of Wisconsin.”
Lehman also said he wants to address the economic issues of raising the minimum wage and balancing the state budget, which will concentrate the first six months of the next session. For students, he added that each issue should be looked at in a fair way that doesn’t hit tuition and financial aid in the process.
“The challenge is to be sensitive to the needs of everyone,” he said. “It’s time for students and families to let their legislators know not to forget about them.”
Now that the Democrats have an 18-15 majority in the Senate to go with a Democratic governor and majority in the Assembly, Vinehout said she expects to see more legislative initiatives from both branches. She added that this process requires a unified party, something the caucus can accomplish.
In addition to her new vice- chair position, Vinehout was also named chair of the Senate Audit Committee, which reviews how the state spends money and looks at both financial and program evaluation. She said the committee also looks at how well the state programs are actually working with those investments.