Affordability in Kenosha

Affordability is the recognition that things are more expensive than they used to be and it is becoming more difficult to afford even the basics of daily life. Groceries, rent, housing, and healthcare are being priced out of reach of everyday Americans.

All of these issues cannot necessarily be solved at the local level, but people need leaders in every position - local, state, and federal - who are willing to look at the problems and implement solutions that benefit the majority of Americans.

Limit Rent Increases and Empower Ownership

Proposed Wisconsin legislation, specifically AB1049, aims to cap annual rent and fee increases in manufactured home communities at 2% to 4%, tied to the U.S. Consumer Price Index, following concerns over steep, corporate-driven hikes. The bill requires 90-day notice for increases and allows residents to form cooperatives to purchase parks. (According to Wisconsin Watch)

Key Details of the Proposed Bill:

  • Rent Cap: Increases are limited to the average percentage change in the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI), with a minimum of 2% and a maximum of 4%.

  • Exceptions: Rent can exceed these limits if necessary to cover "extraordinary" increases in operating expenses.

  • Protections: The bill, introduced by Democratic lawmakers including Sen. Jeff Smith and Rep. Jodi Emerson, requires 90-day notice for any fee or rent increases.

  • Resident Rights: It creates pathways for residents to purchase their communities through cooperatives.

I support this bill and will do everything I can to help renters if this bill passes.

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Everyone should be able to own a home!

I spoke to a teacher who just retired, and they said they still pay rent. This resident does not believe they will ever be able to afford to buy a home. No one who works a full-time, salaried job should be forced to rent their entire life.

How can people build wealth if they can never break free from paying a housing subscription?

How can people become independent if home values are too high because of private equity and low housing supply?

What if the city issued municipal bonds to build houses and apartments that would then be sold to the people who will live in those homes at reasonable prices through rent to own options?

What if private equity landlords were limited to the total amount of return per year they could get on their rental property? This would incentivize owners to pay for maintenance, even if rent increases were limited, without having to reduce property taxes.

I’m not saying I have all the solutions, but if the economy is moving towards everybody rents from a few private equity groups, there is a problem that needs immediate attention.

Everyone deserves the opportunity to build wealth over time by owning the home they live in.

Dynamic Pricing Should Not Be Allowed

Dynamic pricing is using AI algorithms to change the price of items. While proponents say that it will allow companies to give discounts to customers, the reality is that dynamic pricing can be used to charge customers as much money as possible. How did something so objective as the cost of labor and material to make a product mutate downstream to consumer prices that are detached from those underlying costs?

Businesses in Kenosha should be good neighbors and continue to price products at market cost, not at prices that will extract as much money out of people as possible.

I support measures to outlaw AI driven pricing that leads to price increases for customers. Why should every person pay a different price for the same product? This is especially true if the price is algorithmically calculated to be the highest price that individual is willing to pay based on personal data that isn’t consensually shared.

DATA CENTERS INCREASE COST OF LIVING

I continue to oppose the construction of the data center in Kenosha. Data centers all across the country are causes electricity and water bills to increase.

Data centers also pose a threat to our environment and therefore our overall health. If pollution from the power plants that were approved to be built in Paris, WI or from the data center itself makes your sick, you will have to pay.