September 4, 2026 – Daily Jefferson County Union
Watertown Assembly Representative William Penterman wants to have his cake and eat it too when it comes to protecting Wisconsin residents from the rising cost of, well, just about everything. He claims to “work tirelessly” to make our state government more effective and yet seems to avoid any bill that will create a meaningful difference in his constituents’ lives. We know better.
It’s no wonder that Assemblyman Penterman’s website is full of vague promises and little substance. He wants us just to take his word that he’s pro-affordability without having to do any of the work to address our crushing affordability crisis. He boasts online about fighting for Wisconsinites in the legislature but conveniently leaves out any actual bills, hoping we won’t look into his actions–or lack thereof.
Healthcare is one of many issues that Wisconsinites care about. With personal medical costs at an all-time high, people are looking for efforts to improve our healthcare system and provide relief for sky-high medical bills. What did this legislator do about it? Nothing. He felt no need to support bills like AB 62 to lower the cost of prescription drugs or AB 1153 to expand BadgerCare for Wisconsinites.
But that’s not all. Mr. Penterman let bill after bill go by this past session, including two bills intended to cut housing prices and over six bills intended to cut child care costs for families that he chose not to support. Families could have benefited from the support these bills offered, from creating a housing repair fund to capping the cost of expensive care for children. He’s dedicated to staying 100 feet away from bills that would help families with the cost of care, starving their pockets and losing their trust.
What’s the cherry on top? William Penterman was recently crowned with an endorsement in this paper from WEDA, an openly pro-data center organization, for his “affordability efforts.” In addition to healthcare, childcare, housing, and the costs of daily life, he doesn’t seem concerned with protecting consumers from skyhigh utility bills, pushed on them from data centers they had no say in. He has no plans for making life more affordable for working families in the future– giving himself more credit and leaving his constituents to fend for themselves.
Consider a change this November. A new voice for you in Madison. Terri Wenkman from Jefferson.
Ben Adams,
Watertown
