courtesy of Jalen Maki
Tomahawk Leader Co-Editor
On Tuesday, Sep. 10 state senator Tom Tiffany (R-Minocqua) announced his candidacy to represent Wisconsin’s 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“I don’t plan to go to Washington looking for a fight, but I can guarantee I will never back down from one,” Tiffany said in a press release from Sept. 10. “Now more than ever we need to stand up to preserve our freedoms and our bedrock values. As we all know, it’s a swamp out there and we need someone who won’t waver, when it comes to doing what is right for Wisconsin.”
The statement goes on to say Tiffany is running for Congress; “to be the ally President Trump needs to keep moving our country forward. He needs help to secure our borders, to stop the left’s obsessive march towards Socialism, to protect our 2nd Amendment rights, to protect the unborn, and to get the government off our backs so we can all prosper. He needs a proven conservative with a track record of getting things done.”
Since his election to the State Senate in 2012, Tiffany has authored and co-authored bills pertaining to issues ranging from the economy to the environment.
On Aug. 14, Tiffany introduced legislation that would authorize the City of Tomahawk, the City of Sturgeon Bay and the Town of Minocqua to become premier resort areas, which would allow the municipalities to impose a Premier Resort Area Tax (PRAT). The City of Tomahawk attempted to implement a 0.5% PRAT last year after 69% of voters supported it in the April 3, 2018 advisory referendum, but the measure ultimately died in the state legislature.
A bill written by Tiffany and Rep. Rob Hutton (R-Brookfield) and signed by then-Governor Scott Walker in 2017, lifted the state’s moratorium on sulfide mining, which required mining companies to demonstrate there had been at least one mine in the United States or Canada that had operated for ten years and had been closed for ten years without polluting the environment.
Following the lifting of the moratorium, Tiffany was a vocal supporter of mining in Oneida County, saying he authored the mining reform legislation because “we can balance protecting the environment while bringing good-paying, family supporting jobs to the North.” Tiffany pointed to the Eagle Mine near Ishpeming, Mich., as a “good example,” noting the Oneida County Board of Supervisors had previously toured the mine.
The Lac du Flambeau Tribe and the grassroots organization Protect the Willow were vocal opponents of a potential mine in the Town of Lynne in Oneida County, near the Willow Flowage.
A non-binding referendum, “After performing their due diligence, should Oneida County allow leasing of County owned lands in the Town of Lynne for the purpose of metallic mineral exploration, prospecting and bulk sampling and mining?”, was ultimately defeated 11,927 to 7,129 in the Nov. 6, 2018 election.
Former Governor Scott Walker voiced his support for Tiffany on Twitter Wednesday, Sept. 11, saying Tiffany “is a fighter for northern Wisconsin and for the hard-working taxpayers. I enthusiastically endorse his run for Congress!”
Tiffany is running fill the seat to be vacated by Republican Sean Duffy, who is set to resign Monday, Sept. 23.