VernonReporter

VIDEO: Tara Johnson takes Oath of Office for 96th assembly seat in Viroqua

VIROQUA, Wis. – Newly elected state representative Tara Johnson (D-La Crosse) took the oath of office in Viroqua on Sunday. Johnson was elected to the newly drawn 96th Assembly District in November and is the first Democrat to hold the seat since Patrick Lucey was elected to the 96th in 1950s. She defeated incumbent Republican Loren Oldenburg in November to win a seat in Madison. 

The 96th Assembly District includes the southwest corner of La Crosse and a most part of Vernon County. The previous 96th District did not include any of La Crosse County but did include all of Crawford County and the southern one third of Monroe County.

Johnson officially took the oath of office in Madison earlier this month, but she said she felt it was important to acknowledge the residents of Vernon County and Viroqua as the heart of a new 96th district that has been represented by a Republican for decades.

“Viroqua is an amazing community,” said Johnson. “It really is in the heart of this new 96th assembly district. So as you heard Justice Karofsky say, fair maps made this election possible. So, the 96th District is pretty much all of Vernon County. So, Viroqua is the county seat of Vernon County, but the 96th is also a significant portion of La Crosse County, the southern tier of the city of La Crosse, town of Shelby, town of Greenfield. And the folks in La Crosse County have had Democrats representing them for a long time. But Vernon County, this part of the new 96th has really had a long track record of being represented by Republicans. And I think it was important today to be in Viroqua, to be in the heart of Vernon County, to celebrate that this seat belongs to all of the people in the 96th assembly district”

Johnson identified what she plans to prioritize during her first term in office. 

“First and foremost is to make sure that we are establishing a connection with the residents of the 96th and making sure they feel like there is a representative in Madison who is responsive to their concerns, who is answering their phone calls, and helping them navigate systems in the state that they might need help with.”

Johnson said she feels like she is drinking from a fire hose with all of the information that she has to absorb right now but she is cautiously optimistic about getting things done in Madison, even with a bit of a rocky start last week.

“It’s a little disconcerting already that even though Democrats picked up 10 additional seats in the assembly the leadership, Robin Voss, as Speaker of the Assembly, decided to not add any additional seats onto committees for Democrats,” said Johnson. “And in fact, they took a couple. So what would I think most people’s logic be is that the seats, the number of seats on committees, be proportionate to the number of seats held by each party in the larger chamber, is not the case. So that’s disconcerting, right? It kind of gets us off to a bit of a rocky start. We had a vote on the schedule for the session, and that session calendar that was presented by the speaker and approved by a majority of the assembly, the Republicans in the assembly, its a pretty light schedule. It is not a very ambitious session calendar at all, and I that’s disconcerting to me. So hopefully we will be able to work through some of these, you know, difficult times, differences of opinion, and really prove to the voters of Wisconsin, prove to the Republicans that we have work to do, that we can do that work together. And, yeah, I’m optimistic about it.”

Johnson was assigned to the Health Committee and the Agriculture Committee.

A toast to newly elected Tara Johnson at her swearing in ceremony at the Encore in Viroqua on Sunday

“I’m thrilled and looking forward to that work on health and ag again. And I ask you all to make sure that you are keeping me honest in this work that I am about to do.”

Fellow Democrat including State Senator Brad Pfaff (D-Onalaska) and State Representatives Jill Billings (D-La Crosse) and Steve Doyle (D-Onalaska) attended the ceremony to congratulate Johnson.

Vernon County Democratic Party Chair Wayde Lawler praised Johnson’s commitment to public service and her embodiment of the values and priorities of the district, regardless of political affiliation. He encouraged the audience to hold Johnson accountable and stay engaged as she takes on her new role in the State Assembly.

“I am so excited to have her in the State Assembly,” said Lawler. “Because I know that regardless of your background, regardless of who you cast your vote for, she will work her tail off for you and for us in this district. And so I just think that is public service, and she has modeled that for decades, and she will continue to do so for us in the State Assembly.”

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