Local candidates weigh in on key issues for voters ahead of Nov. 3 election

 BELOIT — Beloit voters heard first-hand from District 31 and District 45 Wisconsin Assembly candidates on Wednesday night as all took part in an online forum event.

The forum was hosted by Gale Hotchkiss and the event was sponsored by the Beloit NAACP chapter, Greater Beloit Chamber of Commerce, both the Beloit and Janesville League of Women Voters groups and the Wisconsin Health Professionals for Climate Action.

The District 31 race pits incumbent Rep. Amy Loudenbeck, R-Clinton, against Democratic challenger Elizabeth Lochner-Abel, a school teacher from Walworth. Loudenbeck, 51, is the former Greater Beloit Chamber of Commerce director and has served in the Assembly since 2010. Lochner-Abel, 62, is a retired teacher from Bigfoot High School and Boscobel Junior-Senior High School and has not sought public office before.

The candidates addressed questions ranging from the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare, policing, redistricting and climate change.

Both Loudenbeck and Lochner-Abel agreed lawmakers needed to continue to protect small businesses heading into 2021.

“Citizens want to see action,” Lochner-Abel said. “We need to monitor how aid is distributed and we need to help rural businesses because closures put strains on municipalities in the long run.”

In terms of public health mandates, Loudenbeck said more consistent messaging about masking was needed, while Lochner-Abel criticized the GOP-majority for inaction over the last six months.

“Local control and responsibility is vitally important,” Loudenbeck said. “Legislating a mask mandate is a very difficult conversation that is going to be tough to have.”

In terms of policing, Lochner-Abel said the state needed to shift focus from corrections to the judiciary, prioritizing reduction of recidivism and removing barriers for ex-offenders so they have access to education and workforce development.

Loudenbeck touted her work promoting diversion and treatment courts, along with her work in boosting pay for public defenders to increase retention of skilled attorneys for indigent clients.

In District 45, incumbent Rep. Mark Spreitzer, D-Beloit, will face Republican challenger Tawny Gustina. Spreitzer, 31, has served in the Assembly since 2014 and previously served on the Beloit City Council.

Gustina, 41, is a human resources professional and former educator. She said she’s running for office because she was tired of career politicians.

Gustina was not present for the video conference and Spreitzer was asked the same range of questions that were posed to the District 31 candidates, from COVID-19 response to economic recovery, healthcare and policing.

Spreitzer supported a wide range of virus mitigation and recovery efforts, from the statewide mask order to providing more aid to Wisconsin residents impacted by the pandemic.

“This is far from over,” Spreitzer said. “What we passed six months ago was a good start but we need to do more and the Legislature has not passed a bill since then. That is totally unacceptable.”

Greater Beloit Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Aimee Thurner said it was unclear why Gustina left the call and did not return during the District 31 forum portion of the event.