60th District Candidate Schwister Aims to Make State More Friendly to Tax Payers, Businesses

• Editor's Note: This is one article in a series of profiles on the candidates running for the 60th Assembly District.

After spending years working with government contracts while living in Milwaukee, candidate for the 60th Assembly District Tim Schwister said he can see how the many are "created and designed to take money out of the tax payers pocket."

That's why Schwister said he is running for the 60th District representative spot with a plan, one that will "save substantial amounts of money and make the business climate more conductive to qualified business."

Schwister is one of nine candidates vying for the 60th District position, and one of seven Republicans. The primary election for the spot is Tuesday; the top Republican and top Democrat candidate will move on to a general election on May 3. The 60th Assembly District seat has been empty to become transportation secretary for Gov. Scott Walker.

He has meetings scheduled with area officials before releasing information about the plan — an idea that is just one of his areas of focus.

"The whole system is broken, and we're on our way to fixing it, but we need to be diligent," he said.

Schwister hopes to see tighter regulations on prescription medicines and pain killers, after losing a brother to an overdose. He also hopes to see more care taken for the area's natural resources, such as Lake Michigan, and has met with former Gov. Jim Doyle to discuss the environmental impact of dumping raw sewage into the lake.

Pointing to empty buildings in downtown Port and vacant industrial buildings throughout the area, he said: "I really want to see more jobs in this area. We need jobs — we need to fill our vacant retail spaces, we need to fill our industrial retail spaces."

Schwister said he's confident his viewpoints align with a majority in the 60th District, but added that as an elected official he promises to represent the people should his ideals ever differ.

"That is, at the core, the duty of an elected representative," he said. A state Assembly representative is the 'voice of the people' in Madison. It is a huge responsibility, and one that I will gladly undertake."

Schwister said he has been endorsed by Wisconsin Right to Life and Pro-life Wisconsin.

Tim Schwister
"As an elected representative, my job will be to draft new legislation and review current and past legislation to improve the quality of life for the people I represent and improve the conditions in my district and the state. I am certain that most of the people of the 60th District agree with my personal philosophy. However, anyone who follows politics knows how things change on a day-to-day basis. It is my promise to the people of the 60th District that if my personal philosophy ever differs from that of the majority of the district, I will vote their voice."
Professional/educational background: Graduated from the Univeristy of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a BFA in 1998, then took a position with a Milwaukee firm that specialized in working with schools, private firms and local communities
Community involvement: Was a member of the Ozaukee County Shamrock 4-H Club, serving as camp counselor, treasurer, assistant president and president
Family: Single
Age: 37
Address: P.O. Box 1, Port Washington

Patch will have more coverage on candidates leading up to the elections. to find out more information about who will be on the ballot, as well as find links to other candidates' profiles.