THE GAD REPORT. Do You Have The App? BRADLEY, REFERENDUMS BIG WINNERS MIXED RESULTS IN MENOMONIE REALTORS ASSOCIATION OF NORTHWESTERN WISCONSIN

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1 REALTORS ASSOCIATION OF NORTHWESTERN WISCONSIN THE GAD REPORT VOLUME 8, ISSUE 1 APRIL, 2015 BRADLEY, REFERENDUMS BIG WINNERS Justice Ann Walsh Bradley secured a third ten-year term on the Wisconsin Supreme Court by defeating James Daley by a 58 to 42 percent margin. A constitutional amendment that would allow the justices to elect their chief justice passed by a 53 to 47 percent margin. Eau Claire Judge Kristina Bourget lost her bid at the third district Court of Appeals by 58 to 42 percent. Contested races were few and far between in the region, many races were determined by just a handful of votes. Case in point, the only contested race for Eau Claire City Council saw District 4 incumbent Bob Von Hayden retain his seat by a margin of just eight votes over challenger Sandra McKinney. In the Village of Lake Hallie, incumbent board President John Neihart lost his bid for re-election by just 20 votes to Wayne Walkoviak. In Hayward, incumbent mayor William Swintkowski won by 15 votes. All incumbents were re- elected to Altoona and Chippewa Falls. In Cornell, incumbent Glen Logan lost his council seat, as did Edward Adams in Mondovi. In Rice Lake, incumbent Bruce Willers lost his council seat to James Dorrance, Beverly Schauer lost her seat in Colfax. Many school districts held referendums to improve facilities or exceed revenue caps for programming. In Durand, a $13.48 million measure to remodel an elementary school, close a second building, and upgrades to the high school passed by a tally of 1163 to 890. Ballot measures passed in Clayton, Bruce, & Alma. Do You Have The App? /realtor-party/get-involved/ mobile-app-1.html Available for iphone and Droid platforms SPRING ELECTIONS 1 MIXED RESULTS IN MENOMONIE Three incumbents will join three newcomers to the Menomonie City Council. The incumbents, Jeff Luther in the first ward, Clay Barnes in Ward 4 and Faith Cook in Ward 5 all won close races. Newcomers elected to two year terms on the council include Lee Hathaway defeated incumbent Leslie Brown in Ward 7. Hector Cruz defeated Steven May in Ward 9 and in Ward 11, Andrew Mercil defeated Earl Wildenberg. In Ward 3, Eric Sutherland was the only name on the ballot Three seats were up on the Menomonie School Board with Colleen Davis, Jim Swanson and Urs Haltimer were the winners of three year terms. SAND AND OIL 2 FAIRCHILD MINE 2 THE CASSOROLE 3 BAYFIELD CAFO 4 INVEST IN RPAC 4 SKIN IN THE GAME 5

2 PAGE 2 THE GAD REPORT THINK LOW OIL PRICES END SAND MINING? THINK AGAIN With crude oil prices bouncing between $43 and $53 a barrel, the material intensive practice of frac sand mining has taken a hit in the number of wells operating, new wells being drilled, and the amount of sand being ordered to wellheads. But if you think it s the end of sand mining in Wisconsin, you d be wrong. Very wrong. Our sand goes to many parts of the country, and is used for more than just oil. Our sand goes to the natural gas extraction industry, and to glassmaking companies. Recently however, experiments with using less fluid and more sand in wells have yielded sites that double production per well, adding to the bulging supply of oil. According to the US Geologic Survey, Wisconsin leads the nation in frac sand production, followed by Illinois, Texas and Minnesota. While the bulk of our sand goes to North Dakota, state law there gives tax breaks for wells completed after June 1st, you can expect many of the 850 wells waiting to be completed to be in operation or at some stage of development. Only time, and the market will determine the amount of Wisconsin sand going elsewhere.` FAIRCHILD MINE FILES WITH COUNTY CONGRATULATIONS TO REALTOR BRADY JENNEMAN ON YOUR ELECTION TO THE BLOOMER SCHOOL BOARD! U.S. Silica has filed a reclamation plan with Eau Claire County to operate a 287-acre frac sand mine just northwest of the Village of Fairchild. The land is adjacent to both Highway 12 and to the Union Pacific rail line, where a spur would be constructed to bring hopper cars in and out of the facility. To keep costs low and to keep dust to a minimum, the company plans to construct a covered conveyor system from the mine site to the load site, including a conveyor over County Road RR. The plan is for the site to be in operation for seven years, once the mining is done, the company will reclaim the site by planting vegetation and creating a lake that will be transferred to the village. The remainder of the site will be zoned for light industrial. This would be Eau Claire County s fourth frac sand mining facility. GTAC WITHDRAWS FROM THE NORTHWOODS Once holding a prospect of hundreds of jobs, improved highways and rail lines and residual economic development for a region of the state that has a shortage of jobs, GTAC quietly disappeared with the closing of their Hurley office, and a formal withdrawal of their plans to mine a 4.5 mile stretch of southern Iron and Ashland County, planning an open pit iron ore mine that would extend nearly 1000 feet into the earth, using high pressure water to extract the ore from the rock. Now, the only signs of any holes in the ground, are bore holes GTAC used to determine the site is not economically feasible for mining. The DNR will open the land up to hunting, fishing and recreation once the bore holes are filled in and the signs are all removed from the site.

3 WHAT DOES A CASSOROLE DISH AND A FORK HAVE TO DO WITH POLITICAL FUNDRAISING? COMING MAY 2015

4 VOLUME 8, ISSUE 1 PAGE 4 BAYFIELD LIVESTOCK COMMITTEE APPOINTED As part of the one-year moratorium on large scale livestock facilities passed by the Bayfield County board, a citizens committee of six elected officials and three residents has been tasked with researching the issue of largescale livestock operations and their impact on the environment, specifically the groundwater and air quality near the facility. The committee will meet several times and present their findings to the Bayfield County board in January, about a month before the moratorium expires. Neighboring counties were quick to act as Ashland and Washburn Counties passed moratoriums and asked Bayfield County to pass stringent safeguards protection and standards asa set by the Department of Ag, Trade and Consumer Protection relating to Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations. The Washburn resolution also asks for a DNR Environmental Impact Statement before the siting of the feeding operation in Bayfield County During the meeting, current 74th Assemblyperson Beth Meyers resigned from the Bayfield County board to devote full time to her responsibilities in the state Assembly. LARGE DONOR COUNCIL MADE EASY $1,000. That s the annual investment to join the Large Donor Council. In NAR speak, it s a Sterling R. Whatever you want to call it, it s a sign of leadership. But it s still $1,000. Here s how to make it easy to do, and make that big number, much smaller. On a monthly budget, it s $83.33 a month, and can be paid by a personal check or a personal Visa or Mastercard. $700 goes to Direct Giver, that is the amount that you control, and can give to the candidate (s) of your choice. The other $300 (which needs to be paid by September 30) goes to RPAC. That is dispensed to candidates after review by the WRA RPAC Trustees. As RANWW has its own PAC, thirty percent of that RPAC investment comes directly to your Association s PAC, where seven RPAC Trustees will decide who gets the money for state and local races. Take advantage of being able to spread your investment out over several months and become a member of the Large Donor Council. RPAC INVESTMENTS CAN BE MADE BY PERSONAL CHECK OR PERSONAL CREDIT CARD ONLY DIRECT GIVER BY THE NUMBERS Any amount from $100 to $999 makes you a Direct Giver. Wisconsin is unique in that it is the only state in the nation that has this type of political conduit program that allows you to invest in the candidate of your choice. From town board all the way to the White House, you can use your Direct Giver dollars to support candidates running for all political offices. There are limits as to how much you can contribute, but your investment is vitally needed to support candidates who support real estate and the rights of private property owners. With most local races having a difficult time recruiting candidates, supporting those who will support your industry is a must. Please consider an investment in RPAC Direct Giver, it s an investment in your business.

5 REALTORS ASSOCIATION OF NORTHWESTERN WISCONSIN 1903 Keith Street Suite #3 Eau Claire, WI Phone: home office/text Phone: board office Bruce King Government Affairs Director The REALTORS Association of Northwestern Wisconsin is the largest association in terms of area, stretching from Lake Pepin to the south all the way to near Cable in Bayfield County to the north. We are the fourth largest of the 24 associations in terms of membership. Your Association covers 270 units of local government, monitoring a wide variety of issues that can and do affect you. In addition to local government, your GAD also monitor issues at the state and national level that will have a direct or indirect impact on housing and the industry, as well as legislation that can affect the consumer. Your Government Affairs Director work with members and affiliates to raise investment dollars for RPAC that help to support elected officials that support your business. RANWW is one of only three REALTOR Association s in Wisconsin that have their own PAC, which was started 36 years ago to support candidates at the local and state level. We have added a Facebook page, called The GADabouts, that aims to keep you up to date on political issues that will affect your business. Your GAD also produces a periodic government affairs program posted on our YouTube channel, RANWWTV!! WWW. R A N W W. O RG "THE INDISPENSIBLE RESOURCE FOR REAL ESTATE IN NORTHWESTERN WISCONSIN." SKIN IN THE GAME BY BRUCE KING The annual RPAC fundraising usually begins after April 1st, and this year is no different. The launch begins with recruitment in the Large Donor Council, the minimum investment is $1000 a year (or in NAR speak, a Sterling R). We have had a number of our members at this investment level every year, and this year, the state goal of 180 LDC s is already at more than 50%...after only three days! In RANWW, Krag Blomberg, Paul Canfield, Dave Masterjohn and Pete Weise were the first to re-up for This year, they are joined by a first time LDC. Me. While I have invested in RPAC before, I am one of the point people that ask our members to invest, whether at the $35 level, as a Direct Giver, or a Large Donor Council member. I am also one of the point people who WRA works with to set the annual fundraising goal, which means its up to me to make sure our goals are met or exceeded. I also know that over 60% of our membership does not invest a penny in RPAC at any level. This year, I ve got some substantial skin in the game when I come to your office and ask you to invest. Do I expect everyone to match me? No, but we will have a conversation this year on the importance of investment in RPAC. Ready for your own skin in the game?