Mary Lynne Donohue for Assembly

30/09/2021

Hey folks--change in time and place for the women's march on October 2 here in Sheboygan: Fountain Park, 5p. Hope you can make it. In solidarity!!

25/09/2021

Hey all--

Tanya Atkinson, CEO of PPWI, posted notices about Women's Marches in Wisconsin on October 2. And we have one right here in Sheboygan!
Information is below. Just harking back to January, 2017, when 400 of us showed up in support of women's rights and, well, women!

March for Women's Rights

LOCATION
Mead Public Library
710 N 8th Street
Sheboygan, WI 53081

TIME
Saturday, October 2nd
3:00 p.m.
HOST
Ashleigh Yonke
Join the event! And thanks to Ashleigh.

29/06/2021

Pro-life? Rep. Katsma and Vorpagel are likely to vote to remove the following from the state budget:

--Removing a $30 million investment in the Healthy Women, Healthy Babies initiative to address racial health disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes.
--Refusing to increase postpartum BadgerCare eligibility from 60 days to 12 months to ensure that mothers continue to have access to the care they need after they give birth. The Joint Finance Committee only increased postpartum eligibility to 90 days total.

This just isn't, by any measure, being pro-life. Please call Rep. Katsma, 608-266-0656; Rep. Vorpagel, 608-266-8530; tell them that if they are, indeed, pro-life, they need to stand up to leadership and make sure these necessary programs are fully funded.

Let's do it! Thanks!

29/05/2021

Can Ron Johnson! Stop by the Sheboygan County Democratic Party HQ today (on Erie Avenue, across from Fountain Park--you can't miss it!) with some canned goods, cereal, donations and we'll deliver to the Sheboygan County Food Bank. Yes, your opportunity to help can Ron Johnson!! Hope to see you today, anytime between 11am and 1pm. Thank you!!

26/05/2021

Gavel in, gavel out yesterday for the Legislative session: three seconds. It's breathtaking, really, when you think that the Republican Party used to stand on a platform of fiscal responsibility. The topic yesterday would have been expansion of Medical Assistance by accepting federal dollars, to expand health insurance coverage for 91,000 Wisconsinites. In addition, Wisconsin would have received another $1 billion (yes, billion) for projects to help our wonderful state. Here's the link of Governor Evers' proposed projects: https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/WIGOV/2021/05/19/file_attachments/1812887/Gov.%20Evers_SS%20Projects%20List.pdf, now just not possible.

And, just saying, 70% of Wisconsinites support the expansion of medical assistance health care.

25/05/2021

Voter fraud is Wisconsin since August 2020 amounted to 41 potential cases, according to the WI Elections Commission. That's out of 3.3 million votes cast.

Last December I made an Open Records' request to Rep. Katsma in response to his newsletter that he and others had received "thousands" of emails about election irregularities from concerned citizens. I did receive a prompt response with about 73 emails, none containing any direct observations of fraud.

So my current plan is to suggest that Mr. Katsma send out another newsletter to all District 26 constituents, reassuring them that voter fraud (if proven) represented .0012% of votes cast in August and November. Please feel free to join me! Mr. Katsma's email is [email protected]. If you're in the 27th, it's [email protected]. For more detail, here is the link to the Journal/Sentinel article: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2021/05/24/voter-fraud-wisconsin-clerks-flagged-41-cases-out-millions-cast/7418229002/

19/05/2021

I traveled to Madison on Monday, with son, Flan, to attend the Fair Maps rally at the Capitol. It was a great turnout, great speeches, and lots of energy! Representatives Andraca (D) and Smith (R) announced that they will be introducing legislation to set up an independent redistricting commission, modeled on the successful Iowa redistricting commission. Hooray, hooray!!

I loved the Madison Raging Grannies who were at the rally and their wonderful sign. (Sheboygan's Raging Grannies are a great group as well!) It's my new motto: Geriatrics Against Gerrymandering. This struggle for fair maps is ramping up, and we all need to be part of it. Stay tuned!

13/05/2021

Well, I, for one, was glad to see that the Assembly--always hard at work--passed a bill requiring the Star Spangled Banner to be sung at all sporting events held at venues that have received public funding. I expect that will include events at city parks, school gyms, soccer fields, golf courses, tennis courts--the list goes on. In that spirit, could I suggest that Assembly members, any time the body convenes, also join in with a robust version? A ca****la? It's a tough song to sing, no matter what, but I know our legislators will give it their all! Then they can go back to passing the bill that allow shooting beavers and muskrats that are damaging highways.

26/04/2021

Sounds about right to me.

Dan Patrick 👀

22/04/2021

Happy Earth Day--so it's April 22 and there is snow on the ground in Sheboygan. At least some things don't change. But this has, however. Fluence Media tells us: This Earth Day, 41% of Americans identify themselves as "environmentalists," including 22% who say they are "strong environmentalists." Far fewer Americans today than in the 1980s and 1990s think of themselves as environmentalists, with the historical high of 78% measured in 1991. GALLUP: https://fluence-media.co/2QIbMmK I'm not sure what to make of that, except there is so clearly a planet that needs to be saved.

06/04/2021

Ryan Sorenson is going to be a TERRIFIC mayor! Please get out today and vote--you'll be helping to open a new chapter for our wonderful city. Not sure where to vote? Check out myvote.wi.gov. Democracy thanks you from the bottom of its heart!!!

06/04/2021

Hooray!! Election Day. My school board votes are for Santino Laster and Marcos Guevara. Maeve Quinn explains:

It is unfortunate that our local media has not focused deeply on the school board candidates. To have two candidates with a simple platform of "5 Days a Week" during a pandemic is dangerous. Most people are unaware that elementary schools HAVE BEEN 5 days a week for months! Our very large middle schools and large high schools are already back to 4 days a week. Their platform is dangerous for students, teachers, staff and families (we have already lost a student, teacher and custodian to this very real and very deadly virus).
AND one of those two candidates took her child out of SASD and enrolled the child in the Oostburg School District. I served on the SASD for 9 years with a board member who had his children in a private school. This does not support the SASD public schools.
TODAY -- In light of the Election tomorrow, please take the time to check in with 5-10 friends and family members today. Our spring elections tend to only have 20-25% of voters participating.
The conversations TODAY with friends and family will have an impact on the election. Just a couple of years ago a great school board candidate lost by only 7 votes (we all know more than 7 people...). Chat about the candidates and chat about the plan for voting (vote before work, during lunch, after work, etc...). These conversations TODAY really make a difference. You can also confirm their polling station by entering their address into myvote.wi.gov
Thanks for all that you do for our community!

What Maeve said!! Hope you get out and vote today!!

22/03/2021

Marcos Guevara is a wonderful school board member--the Sheboygan Area School District (and all of us!) are lucky to have him in this critically important position. Marcos does not view teachers or administrators as the enemy. Having served on the school board when, for a time, that was the case, I can tell you it's important! Join us this Wednesday--it'll be short, sweet and informative! Send a message, and I'll send a link. Thank you!!

15/03/2021

Hey, hey!! Democracy never stops! We have an important election on April 6th! Join Maeve and me tomorrow, March 16 at 5:30p for a short, fun and informative house party for SANTINO LASTER, running for school board. Can I just say that, between Maeve and me and our 15 years of school board experience, we know a good candidate when we see one! So please join us.

07/03/2021

Greetings all! I submitted the following comments to the People's Maps Commission after it held a public hearing on how to draw fair, non-gerrymandered maps. It's a little long, but comes from my heart (and head).

My name is Mary Lynne Donohue. I live in Sheboygan, in the 26th Assembly District. I am a retired lawyer, vice-president of the Sheboygan Common Council and a community activist. I was also one of the original plaintiffs in the Whitford v. Gill redistricting lawsuit that eventually made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court. From that perspective, I have a keen understanding of the process that turns constitutionally mandated redistricting into gerrymander schemes that present a real and present danger to our democracy.

The 2011 gerrymandered redistricting done by the Legislature has been exceptionally successful for the Republican Party. In my district, the current incumbent won his election handily in 2014, 2016, and 2018. Understandably, it was very hard to find a candidate to run against him in 2020. With only two weeks before nominations papers were due, I decided to jump into the race. I knew I would not likely win, but every incumbent, in my opinion, needs a challenger.

What I did not expect was the huge number of people who jumped into the campaign with me. My campaign was lively, well run and it deeply engaged many constituents. I also raised four times more money than any other candidate in previous races in the 26th. In spite of my immodest assessment of the campaign as one of the best the 26th Assembly has seen, I barely moved the needle in terms of the percentage I lost by.

This is what the Republican gerrymander plan intended, and it has truly succeeded, election over election.

Here is your challenge, as the State moves into a new redistricting cycle: it is not a comfort that Governor Evers can veto an unfair redistricting plan. There has already been a petition filed before the Wisconsin Supreme Court to remove legislative participation in the process, even before it begins. While that will likely not succeed before the Court, the Legislature could redistrict by joint resolution, taking away the power of the Governor to veto. Although the joint resolution process was ruled unconstitutional by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1964, that precedent could be overturned by this Court. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Rucho, on its face, removes any judicial involvement in gerrymandering dispute resolution.

With all of that in mind, and bearing in mind the incredible damage that the 2011 gerrymander has done to the civic life of our state in the past decade, I believe the only credible solution is an Iowa model independent redistricting commission. It could work here in Wisconsin because our Legislative Reference Bureau is truly nonpartisan and would provide a firm and defensible plan that has real checks and balances built into it.

The challenge that this Commission and all Wisconsin citizens face is how to make our voices heard. The 2011 gerrymander has so firmly protected incumbents that they have no need and clearly no desire to listen to constituents. I’m not sure how this ends, but greatly appreciate the opportunity to make these comments.

16/02/2021

Big election day, blizzard notwithstanding! Please get out and vote for Ryan Sorenson for Mayor, Santino Laster and Marcos Guevara for School Board and Jill Underly for State Superintendent of Schools. Hooray for democracy!!

12/02/2021

In case you missed it, the mask mandate is still in place, thanks to Governor Evers' quick action after the Legislature decided to undo the mandate, no matter what physical or monetary harm it would bring to Wisconsinites.

So how can these folks keep ignoring the clear wishes of those they repreresent? More than 70% of polled Wisconsinites want a mask mandate; more than 70% want common sense gun laws; more than 70% want independent redistricting. As you may suspect, it's just one word: GERRYMANDERING.

There's lots of good information out there on gerrymandering, but I learned a lot from Mel Barnes, a staff attorney at a brilliant new law firm in Madison called Law Forward. She published an article in the Wisconsin Examiner that succinctly describes the issue. Here's the link: https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2021/02/04/why-cant-wisconsin-keep-a-mask-mandate-gerrymandering/. Mel is a smart as you get, and Examiner is a great publication.

One thing I do know for sure: we need to keep our head and hearts and energy and commitment in the game.

Partisan gerrymandering that dilutes representation is the reason why Wisconsin cannot keep a mask mandate in place.

05/02/2021

It was a dizzy trip down a highway of mismanagement, mean-spiritedness, and malignity, constructed by our Republican legislature. The Assembly started, then stopped, and then made another u-turn (if I can continue the metaphor), voting to overturn the mask mandate. Governor Evers stepped in and issued a new mandate. Now Senate leader LeMahieu is giving up. This is not to say this is all good news, as there's a case pending in the WI Supreme Court on the issue. But this whole caper brings into sharp relief what happens when a heavily gerrymandered legislature can ignore just about everyone. Thanks to all who made their position known to what I loosely call "our representatives."

27/01/2021

I know you haven't heard from me for some time--but with important local races set for a primary on February 16, it's time to start talking (and acting) again!

Right now, what you all can do TODAY is to call Reps. Katsma and Vorpagel and tell them to vote NO on the bill that passed the Senate yesterday to ELIMINATE THE MASK MANDATE! This comes from a legislative body that has not done anything in nearly 300 days to combat Covid except get in the way of protecting Wisconsinites. Here are the phone numbers: Katsma: (888) 529-0026, Vorpagel: (888) 529-0027. Please tell them to vote for their constituents and against this wildly inappropriate legislation!

07/12/2020

So are you even thinking about running for local office?!? Join us for a short overview of the local election process.

Brought to you by Maeve Quinn and Mary Lynne Donohue and the Sheboygan Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Initiative.

04/11/2020

Dear, dear friends--it is the end of a long night and a long campaign and I'm very sorry to report that I lost the election. Final vote totals aren't in, and while I've improved the score from past years, it just didn't win the day. But, although the election may be lost, here's what's been gained: hundreds of volunteers and contributors, more voters registered, more issues up front and talked about in mailers, facebook and instagram posts, letters to the editors, and all those texts! You all were absolutely magnificent! We will have deep conversations in the coming days and weeks about how we make our voices powerfully heard and ways to change the system that works against so many. I know you will all be there with me. And final and profound thanks to the team that was always around me and made this campaign so powerful and imaginative: Kyle Whelton, Ryan Sorenson, Kurt Kober, Abby Kiefer, Dana Elmzen, Liz Braden, Emily Rendall Araujo, Barbara Alvarez, and the smartest, hardest working and most amazing campaign manager ever, Maeve Quinn--smart, savvy and wonderful people all. So stay tuned! And you've heard it before, but truly, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

03/11/2020

Sheboygan showed up!!! Let’s bring this home, folks!

03/11/2020

We’re in the homestretch now! Polls are open til 8pm! Get out and VOTE! 💙🤍❤️

03/11/2020

Vote Donohue TODAY!

https://www.donohueforassembly.com/vote for more information.

03/11/2020

GO VOTE! It's election day!

https://www.donohueforassembly.com/vote for more information.

03/11/2020

Happy Election Day! Polls are open from 7am-8pm! Let’s go out there and win this thing!! 🗳🇺🇸💙

02/11/2020

Does Terry Katsma work for the 26th District, or Speaker Robin Vos?

https://www.donohueforassembly.com/vote for more information on how to vote safely this year.

01/11/2020

Supporting needed funding for police and fire departments since 2012.

https://www.donohueforassembly.com/vote for more information on how to vote safely this year.

01/11/2020

I want to take a moment to express my profound gratitude for all of our essential workers. You’re the best!!!

31/10/2020

Mom. Wife. City Alderwoman. Proven Community Leader.
Vote Donohue for Assembly.

31/10/2020

You know what's scary? Republicans who keep trying to get rid of pre-existing healthcare coverage.
It's time for change.
https://www.donohueforassembly.com/vote for more information on how to vote safely this year.

30/10/2020

Why has Katsma refused to accept $1B in healthcare funding?

https://www.donohueforassembly.com/vote for more information on how to vote safely this year.

30/10/2020

📣📣📣‼️ Thank you Senator Tammy Baldwin for your endorsement.

30/10/2020

Speak Up and VOTE!

29/10/2020

Thank you for the pages of letters to the editor!

https://www.donohueforassembly.com/vote for more information.