Loudenslager’s Grassroots Campaign Collects 160 Signatures in His Hometown Over the Weekend; While Judicial Opponents Have Recent—and Current—Connections to the Politically Connected and Wealthy

ANTIGO – Aaron Loudenslager, a candidate for a judgeship on the Wisconsin Court of Appeals – District 3, today announced that he and one campaign volunteer collected 160 signatures in Antigo, Wisconsin, his hometown, over the past weekend on behalf of his grassroots campaign. His campaign remains committed to collecting 1,000 signatures to get on the ballot for the April 2021 election.

“During the month of December, our grassroots campaign needs to collect at least 1,000 signatures to be placed on the spring 2021 ballot for the Wisconsin Court of Appeals – District 3,” said Loudenslager. “While it’s great that we collected 160 signatures over the weekend, we need more volunteers throughout northern Wisconsin to help us collect signatures in order to obtain ballot access. And if a circulator can only get a few signatures—or even just one signature from themselves, that’s alright, as each signature ultimately helps our grassroots campaign get on the ballot.”

Loudenslager is the only candidate for this position that explicitly addresses two fundamental issues affecting the Wisconsin judicial system: (1) the inappropriate influence of outside monetary contributions in judicial elections; and (2) the lack of necessary support staff throughout the Wisconsin judicial system—including the Wisconsin Court of Appeals.

“To ensure that I will be an impartial judge who is not beholden to private interests, I will accept no outside funds to finance my judicial campaign—and I will impose an $800 limitation with regard to my own financial contributions to the campaign,” said Loudenslager.

Additionally, he will advocate for immediate implementation of the recommendations contained in the October 2001 report conducted by the National Center for State Courts about caseflow management in the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, including the addition of more staff attorneys, law clerks and, with regard to the Wisconsin Court of Appeals—District 3, the report’s implicit recommendation for the addition of a new judgeship.

“In contrast, the two other declared candidates for this position are wholly ignoring these two fundamental issues—and their ties to the politically connected and wealthy likely explain why both have failed to explicitly address these significant issues facing the Wisconsin judicial system,” said Loudenslager.

For example, Rick Cveykus, an attorney residing in Wausau, appears to have hired Nation Consulting, a political consulting firm, to assist with his election efforts, with one of the consulting firm’s employees serving as his campaign committee’s treasurer,  and one of the consulting firm’s partners soliciting outside monetary contributions to finance his campaign. Furthermore, five and a half months before he declared his candidacy for this nonpartisan judicial position, Attorney Cveykus inexplicably donated $100 to Jeff Johnson, a candidate for Wisconsin’s 85th Assembly District on the Democratic Party ticket in the 2020 fall election, who ultimately was not successful in his election bid.

The other candidate, Gregory B. Gill, Jr., is currently a circuit court judge in Outagamie County. But prior to being appointed to this position by Governor Scott Walker, he was a partner at his family’s law firm, Gill & Gill, which is not shy to emphasize on its website that the firm “was one of the first law firms in Wisconsin, if not the country, to specialize in management representation in labor and employment law matters.” (Emphasis added.) In other words, his family’s law firm markets itself to the public as representing the interests of corporate management in its labor and employment law practice.

“Today, Judge Gill, Jr., still has ties to wealthy individuals—and corporate interests,” said Loudenslager.

After he informally announced his candidacy for this position, Judge Gill, Jr., touted the endorsement he received from Wisconsin Court of Appeals Judge Thomas Hruz, stating that he was “honored” to receive this endorsement—notwithstanding that when Judge Hruz ran unopposed in 2016, Judge Hruz personally loaned his own campaign committee $70,000, and then spent $5,000 on consulting fees. To top it off, Judge Gill, Jr., has appointed Robert T. Kemps, a consultant with The Savides Group—which offers financial services in Appleton through Robert W. Baird & Co. Inc.—as his campaign committee’s treasurer. Of course, Baird is well-known throughout the financial services industry for providing “wealth management, investment banking, institutional equities and research, asset management, and public finance services”—or, in other words, assisting the affluent further enlarge their wealth.

“Unfortunately, Judge Gill, Jr., does not just have ties to affluent individuals. Like Attorney Cveykus, he also has ties to the politically connected—and his most recent political connection occurred just a few days ago,” said Loudenslager. “And in fact, Judge Gill, Jr.’s, most recent political connection is ongoing.”

Last Tuesday, Judge Gill, Jr.’s campaign apparently hired a campaign manager, Landis Holdorf. According to Holdorf’s Facebook page, not only is he Judge Gill, Jr.’s campaign manager, he is also currently both the vice-chairman of the Lincoln Party Republican Party and a field organizer with the Wisconsin Republican Party.

“As a judicial candidate, I really shouldn’t have to be saying this to my opponents in the election. But maybe as judicial candidates—and current judges—we just need to get back to basics at the moment. And instead of pandering to partisan interests and the affluent, maybe we should just make sure we are conducting ourselves in such a manner that communicates to the public that we are truly independent adjudicators of our justice system, and free from partisan interests—such as advocating for the hiring of the necessary support staff that multiple independent public reports have indicated are necessary to have a basic functioning court system in Wisconsin, including at the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. Like I currently am, and have been for quite some time now.”

However, in order for Loudenslager to be able to address the fundamental issues plaguing the Wisconsin judicial system—and which the other candidates are ignoring—he first needs more volunteers in northern Wisconsin to help his grassroots campaign get on the spring 2021 ballot. If you are an eligible voter residing within the jurisdiction of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals – District 3, please consider signing/circulating his nomination papers so he can get on the ballot and ensure that the Wisconsin Court of Appeals is free from partisan influence.

A link to his nomination papers can be found at this link:  https://www.dropbox.com/s/aml81o1sgsz6fsg/Loudenslager%20Nomination%20Paper.pdf?dl=0&fbclid=IwAR1CXbp73vxVaAkiA3pWnt6LYeM9n2d_GK6aAN9qfOs8ZRRB8Oezp0QC21A

Guidelines for circulating his nomination papers can be found at this link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/x8dkdufr3t915g9/Gathering%20Signatures%20Instructions.pdf?dl=0&fbclid=IwAR0Kdic2TdDvZtnNJMs1ZzkroW4llvXzulcE28Vm-CfxLpIh7kDS2iSo75k

His campaign can be found online at https://loudenslagerforwisconsincourtofappeals.com/.  A full campaign statement can be online at https://medium.com/@loudenslager/campaign-statement-loudenslager-for-wisconsin-court-of-appeals-e8f87e85ef50.

Loudenslager for Wisconsin Court of Appeals

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.