Lillian Cheesman
Lillian Cheesman (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Wisconsin State Assembly to represent District 15. Cheesman lost in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Cheesman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2018. Click here to read the survey answers.
Elections
2018
- See also: Wisconsin State Assembly elections, 2018
General election
General election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 15
Incumbent Joe Sanfelippo defeated Lillian Cheesman in the general election for Wisconsin State Assembly District 15 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Joe Sanfelippo (R) | 56.1 | 15,089 |
 | Lillian Cheesman (D)  | 43.8 | 11,768 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 34 | ||
| Total votes: 26,891 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 15
Lillian Cheesman advanced from the Democratic primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 15 on August 14, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lillian Cheesman | 100.0 | 3,784 |
| Total votes: 3,784 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 15
Incumbent Joe Sanfelippo advanced from the Republican primary for Wisconsin State Assembly District 15 on August 14, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Joe Sanfelippo | 100.0 | 4,757 |
| Total votes: 4,757 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Campaign themes
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Lillian Cheesman completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Cheesman's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
Improve access to healthcare by making Badgercare something anyone can buy into. A lot of families in our community face an impossible choice between keeping access to Badgercare and their doctors or accepting a new job or raise. We must fix this to help people who are working hard to get their feet back under them. We need to reinvest in our neighborhood schools and treat teachers like the professionals that they are. We need to invest in the people of Wisconsin. Finally, I will work to restore accountability and oversight to all levels of government. There is no excuse for officials dodging open records laws, or making double payments on materials on construction contracts. We must make sure that our tax money is being spent wisely.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
We need to restore confidence in our elections by making IDs for voting easy to obtain for all US citizens eligible to vote. We need secured voting machines and procedures and a redundant tabulation method and mandatory spot audits. We shouldn't have to worry about tampering in election results. Elections are the cornerstone of any democracy. Without them we become a dictatorship.
Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?
The movie Bullworth.
What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?
Integrity, honesty, accountability, vision, perseverance, patience, the ability to see the merits in opposing arguments, critical thinking.
What legacy would you like to leave?
To bring conservatives and liberals together to implement common-sense solutions and restore confidence in our elections.
What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?
Fall of the Berlin Wall when I was 7 years old.
What was your very first job? How long did you have it?
The first summer I was old enough to work I delivered newspapers for the Milwaukee Journal.
What is your favorite holiday? Why?
New Year's Eve because everyone is out to have a good time and celebrate. It's a time to declare and cast off our old flaws and commit to becoming a better version of ourselves. It's a holiday of hope and change.
What is your favorite book? Why?
I read too many books to have a consistent favorite. Right now (October of 2018) I'm rereading ONE of my favorites, the Vatta's War series by Elizabeth Moon. I keep hoping that someone would make a tv show out of it since I think it would translate well to the screen without a need for a lot of special effects. I particularly enjoy experiencing characters and stories that clearly benefit from Moon's military service.
If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?
The Doctor.
What is your favorite thing in your home or apartment? Why?
Our plants. My fiance and I love to have growing things all around us. On one of our first dates, I sent him out to buy me a bouquet of flowers to decorate my desk at work. He came back with a pot of Thai Fairy Peppers instead. We're still growing the descendants of that first plant. They're delicious.
What was the last song that got stuck in your head?
How Far I'll Go from Moana.
What is something that has been a struggle in your life?
Making ends meet. I was fortunate to grow up in a middle class, public service focused family. But then I graduated into the Great Recession of 2008 and struggled to find the American Dream for myself. I know what it is to work hard every day yet still struggle to pay the bills and buy groceries. I know what it's like to set aside my need to see a doctor in order to make sure rent gets paid. In the richest country in the world, no one should have to go through what I went through or worse.
Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?
Longevity in a position can facilitate efficiency, however it can also breed complacency and detachment. People who only know their position inside government can easily lose touch with the people they are supposed to represent.
What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?
Making Wisconsin fiscally stable. We have given so much away in an attempt to be business friendly, that we owe far too much to supposedly profitable businesses. The Wisconsin taxpayer is now on the hook for private profits.
What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?
The Governor and the Legislature should not be friends, they should be friendly enemies. This is a system of checks and balances and should work as such.
Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.
Yes, coalitions need to be built. We all bring different and important experiences and viewpoints to the table, both from our own lives and from listening to the concerns of our constituents. Relationships between legislators makes it easier to convey specific concerns of our constituents to each other and find common ground. This is how we get the best outcomes of all viewpoints.
What process do you favor for redistricting?
I believe that the people drawing the district maps should not be the ones who benefit from the district maps. This is why I support forming a non-partisan committee to draw the maps. I support this even if it will hurt me or elected officials I like in their chances for reelection. No legislator should be able to draw a district map to make themselves "safe" from challengers. They shouldn't be allowed to strengthen their position by picking and choosing their voters.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Ballotpedia biographical submission form
The candidate completed Ballotpedia's biographical information submission form:
| “ | What is your political philosophy?
Government is just another word for community. It is how we come together to solve problems that are too big for any individual or business to tackle on our own. It is how we resolve disputes peacefully. I chose to run for office because - "Most people do have their private interests, and that, after all, is what a good political system is supposed to do—leave you free to do what you are best at, whatever it is. People want to do the work they love, marry and have children, have some fun. But if too many people do that, it leaves gaps for people who want power for its own sake, and who may use it in ways that later degrade your life." - Elizabeth Moon. |
” |
| —Lillian Cheesman[2] | ||
See also
External links
Footnotes
