AN EAU CLAIRE COUNTY FOR ALL

Together, we will build a progressive county for all….. A county where no one is forgotten or left behind.

MATTHEW HAS THE PLAN TO GET THE JOB DONE

AND A RECORD TO BACK IT UP

Matthew has delivered impressive progressive victories for our community, now, he wants to continue this strong track record as a member of the Eau Claire County Board representing our neighborhood.

We deserve a fierce progressive advocate on our county board, and Matthew Lehner will deliver nothing less than that.

MATTHEW WILL BE A COUNTY SUPERVISORY THAT:

  • The war to strip Reproductive Rights and bodily autonomy has been going on long before 6 right-wing nationalists disguised as judges overturned 50+ years of precedent through Dobbs vs. Jackson in 2022. While many at the local level have shied away from confronting this issue head on, Matthew has taken up that challenge.

    Against fierce and stiff opposition, as a Student Senator, Matthew authored a resolution calling on the Eau Claire County Board to add a non-binding referendum question regarding Wisconsin’s 1849 abortion law to the April 2023 ballot. Matthew then also helped Supervisor Judy Gatlin to author that referendum question, which passed the County Board and made it to the April 2023 ballot, where voters overwhelmingly voted to call upon the state to repeal the 1849 law.

    On the county board, Matthew will fight for the reproductive rights and bodily autonomy of women, girls, and every citizen in our county and stand up to right-wing extremists on the board who are working to take these rights away. On the board Matthew will:

    • Author a resolution declaring that the county should not prosecute individuals that seek Abortion services (if the law is not repealed or struck down before hand)

    • Author a resolution formally calling on the state legislature to honor the will of the voters in Eau Claire County, and repeal Wisconsin’s 1849 Abortion ban.

  • The Chippewa Valley is facing a major housing crisis. Rents are skyrocketing, and home prices are far out of reach for many families. Matthew finds it unacceptable that in the richest, most prosperous country on earth, people continue to experience homelessness. Many of which exist in the Chippewa Valley.

    As a young person, student, and someone who is a part of the LGBTQIA+ community, Matthew falls into some of the demographics that are most at risk of becoming unhoused, and has an important perspective on this issue that has been missing for many years in our local government. Matthew also understands that District 22 is in many ways at the epicenter of this crisis, as the bulk of unhoused individuals who call Eau Claire County their home reside and seek critical services within District 22. District 22 also holds a diverse mix of both homeowners and renters, and will bring the necessary leadership and advocacy that both of these groups deserve in our local government.

    While there is only so much that our local government can do to solve this crisis, Matthew believes that if we are more bold in our leadership in our local governments, and stand firm in our willingness to hold both state and federal governments accountable for the roles that they play in solving our housing crisis, we can begin to expand on the many strides that we have taken to ease the burden of this crisis on our community. As the next County Supervisor for District 22, Matthew will:

    • Vote against every singe zoning request that comes before the county Board by big multi-state housing developers that include no affordable housing within their development plans

    • Author a resolution calling on the state legislature to overturn state statute forbidding local governments from implementing ordinances that ensure developers set aside a certain amount of units that cost no more than 25% of a tenants monthly income in Wisconsin

    • Author a resolution calling on the state legislature to allow local governments to establish rent capping ordinances, which would allow the county to write and pass an ordinance ensuring landlords could not raise a person’s rent over a certain percentage if they are renewing a term lease or a month-to-month lease

    • Continue to seek out grants from all levels set aside for building affordable housing. The more grants that we receive, the more that we will be able address the supply problem that exists within our region

    • Work with municipalities to establish renting programs where a portion of a tenants rent goes in a savings account that they can use to afford a downpayment on house (similar to the City of Fitchburg)

    • Provide constant outreach to renters on their rights and connect them with the necessary tools and community organizations that can provide support and assistance in their relationship with landlords

    • Ensure that we continue to expand from the county funding amount of $50,000 to the Sojourner House in the next county budget.

    • Provide $500,000 to match the funds allocated by the City of Eau Claire towards building a permanent day shelter for our unhoused neighbors which will fall within District 22. The conversations about this funding should NOT end with it not being included in the final ARPA fund allocation. Matthew will work to ensure the county applies for grants, and work with state and national leaders to get the funding if necessary.

  • As a member of the LG(B)TQIA+ community, Matthew knows first hand the struggles and lived experiences that queer people face in our Eau Claire county community. Matthew knows what it feels like to have your rights and very existence debated by a group of out of touch politicians, and the pain that anti-queer policies cause the LGBTQIA+ community.

    Matthew has made it his mission to fight for the queer community from the county boardroom to the state capitol. When the state legislature was seeking to overturn a ban on conversion therapy in our state, Matthew drove down to the state capitol to testify against it which made the news locally and nationally. When the state legislature scheduled 3 anti-trans bills up for public hearing on the same day just over a year later, Matthew again travelled down to Madison waiting 5 hours in a committee room to testify against one of the bills, and even fielded questions from the committee. As a Student Senator, Matthew also recently authored and passed a resolution honoring National Coming Out Day on campus. The first time this had been done in years.

    While part of the reason that Matthew came to Eau Claire was due to its thriving queer community and broad acceptance of the LGBTQIA+ community, Matthew also knows that we have much more work to do as a community to achieve full LGBTQIA+ equality. If elected, Matthew will be the only out elected official in the entire county, and will bring the representation and advocacy to the Eau Claire County Board that the queer community deserves. As supervisor Matthew will:

    • Author a resolution declaring Eau Claire County a safe haven for the LGBTQIA+ community. Similar to Dane and Milwaukee Counties.

    • Raise the Pride Progress Flag at the County Administrative building year round.

    • Author a resolution to formally recognize Pride Month

    • Author a resolution honoring National Coming Out Day

    • Author a resolution formally calling on the state to codify same-sex marriage.

  • As a member of the younger generation, Matthew understands the urgent public safety threat that Climate Change poses to our Eau Claire County community. Like many, he hopes to one day have a family and children, and wants to see them grow up in a bright and sustainable community that cares about the environment and our planet. As an avid fisherman and hunter, Matthew also understands that successful wildlife management starts with taking bold and radical steps to address climate change

    As a community activist, Matthew stood up to the City of Eau Claire along with so many to demand that the city council vote no on allowing Niagara Bottling to take millions upon millions of gallons of our communities precious water in the name of making a profit for themselves and their shareholders. Matthew was proud to stand as a member of the younger generation in that conversation, which ultimately led to Niagara withdrawing from our community.

    While Matthew understands that significant progress has been made at the local level, there is much more to be done, and much more action to be taken to protect our environment. 2050 is to late to get to carbon neutrality. On the county board, Matthew will act accordingly and with a sense of urgency. As supervisor, Matthew will:

    • Author a resolution calling on the Wisconsin State Legislature to make Wisconsin carbon neutral by 2040

    • Amend the current sustainability resolution to ensure that Eau Claire County is carbon neutral by 2040 instead of 2050. He will additionally call for the county to cut carbon emissions by 50% in 2030, and expand wind power in the county by 50% by 2030, as well as additional urgency in looking at other energy alternatives.

    • Author a “Rights of Nature” resolution similar to Milwaukee County.

  • Who is my County Board Supervisor?

    What does the county board do?

    What fiscal power does the county board have?

    Why are my property taxes the way they are?

    When in the community, these are the questions that Matthew gets the most often. The truth is that even the most well informed and involved citizens aren’t sure what the county coard does in Eau Claire County and the responsibilities and programs that it is delegated to run by state government.

    As a Student Senator and community leader, Matthew has made it a priority to be an active and engaged leader. Listening more than he talks. While in his first few weeks in senate, Matthew authored a resolution which called on senate leadership to do a better job about live streaming meetings on all platforms to ensure that the public is able feel included and welcome in the conversation.

    Matthew believes that the Eau Claire County Board has a duty and a responsibility to be engaging with the citizens that it has the privilege of serving. He also believes that there is significant work to be done to ensure that county government is actively listening and working with citizens to deliver progressive victories. As County Supervisor Matthew will:

    • Write legislation directing more money for county supervisors to have the option of communicating with their constituencies via direct mail

    • Work with county staff through legislation or other means to create individual blogs for county board members to communicate to their constituents.

    • Work with county staff through legislation or other means a place where members of the public can track individual county supervisors on

      • The legislation they have sponsored

      • Votes they have taken on specific action items before the board

OTHER ISSUES:

  • The failure to legalize Marijuana in the State of Wisconsin by out of touch politicians in our legislature has caused more harm than good for our community. Eau Claire County loses out on millions of dollars in potential revenue to neighboring states like Minnesota every year that we can’t get a grip. In addition, we continue to subject many individuals to our criminal justice system who use marijuana and cause no harm to our community. Causing them to lose jobs, money and opportunities.

    Matthew has been a leader in the fight to legalize marijuana in our state and has worked hard to promote the facts and evidence here in our County. After helping to bring people out speak in favor of a Marijuana non-binding advisory referendum voted up by the county board in July of 2022, Matthew launched the Vote YES! Eau Claire campaign. A completely self-funded effort where Matthew travelled the county promoting the facts about legalizing marijuana and advocating for a yes vote. His efforts led to a 70 percent yes victory.

    On the board, Matthew will continue to fight for the legalization and decriminalization of marijuana in our state and locally. As the next County Supervisor for district 22, Matthew will:

    • Author a resolution formally calling on the state legislature to honor the will of the voters of Eau Claire County and legalize Marijuana in the State of Wisconsin

    • Work with the City of Eau Claire and any other interested municipalities to decriminalize small amounts of Marijuana similar to Madison

  • Matthew believes that healthcare is a human right, and that government has a responsibility to provide healthcare for all citizens. Matthew believes that Medicare for all is the best way to achieve this.

    In the midst of the closure of HSHS and Prevea in our community, Matthew understands that now more than an ever, we need strong and bold leadership that is not just focused on short term solutions, but also the long term solutions like Medicaid expansion.

    On the County Board, Matthew will take action to ensure those in higher levels of government and locally provide better healthcare access for our citizens: Matthew will:

    • Author a resolution calling upon the state to accept the Medicaid dollars provided by the federal government

    • Author a resolution calling on the State Legislature to transition Wisconsin to a Medicare for all system.

    • Work to expand mental healthcare access within the county, as well as support and expand the Sheriff's office mental health collaboration with human services.

    • Maintain and expand funding for the county's support for the elderly.

  • Good stewards of taxpayer money should always ensure to prioritize funding to our roads and bridges. In fact, maintaining county roads is a main responsibility that county governments are delegated to by our state government. Matthew firmly believes that all residents in Eau Claire County deserve well maintained and high quality roads and bridges in both rural and urban areas.

    Matthew finds it unacceptable that instead of having a state legislature working to provide municipalities the tools and funding to fix existing infrastructure, we have a legislature that forces some local governments to turn paved rural roads back to gravel.

    Matthew also understands that with building high quality physical infrastructure, also comes with a responsibility to be good stewards of the environment. On the county board, Matthew will:

    • Encourage the county to look at replacing crumbling roads with porous asphalt. A much more sustainable solution that is better for the environment, water table and soil, and lasts longer than traditional asphalt

    • Always vote in favor of critical highway and physical infrastructure funding and reject any supervisor proposed amendments to future budgets to take away funding from county infrastructure

  • Matthew believes that drug addiction is a disease that must be addressed in our county with a great deal of urgency. As supervisor, Matthew will call upon the county to renew our commitment to treating drug addiction as a disease, and look for ways to provide more funding and resources to drug courts within the County.

  • Matthew has seen and witnessed first hand the assault that right wing extremists have waged on the right to vote in this country. As a young person, Matthew understands the difficulties and challenges for marginalized groups like students and people of color face while voting. As a County Supervisor, Matthew will do everything he can to break down these barriers and protect the right to vote. Matthew will:

    • Author a resolution calling on the State of Wisconsin to abolish the voter ID law in the state of Wisconsin

    • Work with the City of Eau Claire and Town of Washington to make it easier to vote on campus. Matthew will work with the City of Eau Claire to permanently establish the University polling place on the third floor of the Davies Center, and Matthew will work with the Town of Washington to include The Priory housing list at the polling place to make it easier for students to register and vote.

    • Author a resolution condemning the State Legislature for taking Non-Binding Advisory Referendum away in the last biennial budget.

  • Matthew is apart of the generation that had to grow up being aware of school shootings and having to practice lockdown drills in schools. Learning how to use tools for learning like books and pencils instead as weapons against a mass shooter. As a hunter, Matthew is in no way interested in taking away guns from law abiding citizens. But Matthew believes that with certain rights come responsibility, and on the County Board, Matthew will fiercely advocate for a safer Eau Claire Community and state through creating gun laws that do just that. On the Board Matthew will:

    • Author a resolution calling on the State Legislature to protect our Eau Claire community by passing red flag laws, a ban on assault weapons, and a bill to expand background checks

    • Fiercely fight against any efforts to make Eau Claire County a so called “Second Amendment Sanctuary”