*Note: this is an ongoing blog and more information will be added as it comes out during the campaign. Check back often for updates.
The KCDP has release our list of endorsed and recommended candidates for the April 2nd Spring 2024 election. You can find that list of candidates HERE.
While there are some great candidates running for office, there are many reasons the KCDP chooses not to support certain candidates. Often it is due to a lack of shared vision for addressing the issues the county faces or because we determine a candidate is poorly prepared for the office for which they are running.
This year, however, there are a number of candidates running for office that hold extremist views. At your door, on their social media or at meet and greets, you may never guess they hold extremist views.
We felt it important to make the community aware before they cast their votes.
Below are KUSD school board candidates who raise concern.
To find the Kenosha County Board candidates we have concerns about, visit here.
For our complete Spring 2024 Voter's Guide, visit here.
The Kenosha Education Association recently released a graphic candidate evaluation (below) There appears to be a clear difference between the candidate's preparedness to serve on the KUSD school board.
According to the KEA: All KUSD School Board Candidates were invited to participate in KEA’s endorsement process. The evaluation below summarizes participating candidates’ responses to written questionnaire and in-person interview questions.
The following candidates did not choose to participate in KEA’s endorsement process: Jonathon Kim, Angela Kretchmer, Mary Modder, and Robert Tierney.
These are our endorsed candidates in the KUSD school board race. There will be 8 candidates on your ballot-you can vote for 4. Please write in Robin Cullen and vote for Todd Price, Mary Modder and Sabrina Landry for KUSD school board:
The Kenosha Educational Justice Coalition also released their report cards based on the candidate's public responses, answers at school board forums, statements at KUSD school board meetings, campaign social media posts and comments as well as direct responses to questions:
Voting for KUSD School Board Candidates
There are 8 candidates listed on the ballot for KUSD school board. There are 4 open seats.
Angela Cassity has dropped out of the race but her name will still appear on the ballot.
Robin Cullen is running as a write-in candidate.
You can vote for 4 candidates (writing in Robin Cullen's name on the line below Mary Modder's name counts as a vote).
About Moms for Liberty
Four of the candidates running for KUSD school board are either members Members of Moms for Liberty or have aligned themselves with Moms for Liberty.
All have been recommended by Moms for Liberty: Brian Thomas, Bob Tierney, Angela Kretchmer and Jon Kim
In case you missed the 60 Minutes news coverage about Moms for Liberty, you can see the full segment here.
The behavior of members of Kenosha Moms for Liberty forced the shut down of a KUSD school board meeting in April 2021 (above)
Their disruptive behavior also forced the shut down of a KUSD school board meeting in February 2023.
Moms for Liberty is an anti-government extremist group, according to the nation's oldest civil rights watchdog, the Southern Poverty Law Center. The Southern Poverty Law Center was instrumental in defunding the KKK.
Moms for Liberty is the primary group behind a nation-wide wave of book bans targeting books with LGBT and race-inclusive content. Members of Kenosha Moms for Liberty have also been attempting to ban books from KUSD libraries. You can read more about that here. Some of the KUSD school board candidates on this page have been involved in those efforts.
Moms for Liberty has also pushed for anti-LGBT legislation nationwide, including here in Wisconsin.
Above is a picture of Amber Infusino, the leader of Kenosha Moms for Liberty, at their annual conference in Philadelphia last year.
So which school board candidates are members of or aligned with Moms for Liberty? And which are Moms for Liberty supporting?
Bob Tierney
Bob Tierney is endorsed by Kenosha Moms for Liberty
Bob Tierney became a member of Moms for Liberty days before he began collecting signatures to run for KUSD school board (see below)
The Kenosha Chapter of Moms for Liberty, along with MassResistance, has led the attempt to remove and restrict books from both public school libraries and Kenosha public libraries. They have focused primarily on books with LGBT content. You can read more about Moms for Liberty's efforts to ban and restrict books in KUSD libraries here and to censor books in the Kenosha's public libraries here.
PLEASE TAKE A MINUTE TO LISTEN TO BOB TIERNEY SPEAKING AT A KUSD SCHOOL BOARD MEETING IN SEPTEMBER 2023
Unfortunately, we are unable to link the entire citizen comments from that KUSD school board meeting. The district could not post it on their YouTube channel due to the inappropriate behavior of Moms for Liberty members and members of MassResistance during the meeting that evening.
When asked about the comments in the video linked above, Tierney responded, "had I known at the time that I was going to run for school board I probably would have chose some better words. I said what I said." Tierney did not indicate his opinions had changed.
Tierney has refused to answer questions relating to his Moms for Liberty membership, despite saying he is honest and transparent.
Tierney has also deleted numerous comments from Facebook, including ones that echoed similar sentiments to those expressed in his comments at the September 2023 school board meeting linked above. We assume that's because Tierney understands those comments might make him less appealing as a school board candidate. In the photo below from December, Forward Kenosha directly addressed the fact that Tierney was deleting problematic Facebook comments following his decision to run for school board.
Tierney missed a couple when he was deleting comments, we've included them below.
Here is a post where Tierney seems to be minimizing the danger of White Supremacy and saying the biggest threat to homeland security is the U.S. government:
Bob Tierney indicates in this Facebook post he was outraged that a teacher wasn't punished by the school district when a rainbow circle with the word 'gay' appeared on screen while a class was watching a program. The school determined it was an advertisement and the teacher made no comment about the ad and engaged in no discussion. Tierney believes the teacher should have been punished.
You can see the ad here that briefly appeared on the screen:
Tierney also voiced support for KUSD school board candidate Lamar Madison in 2023. Madison, a Moms for Liberty-endorsed candidate. Madison was a pro-voucher, anti-public school and anti-LGBT candidate (Madison lost his bid for KUSD school board):
Here is Lamar Madison's endorsement by Moms for Liberty Wisconsin. Bob Tierney supported Lamar Madison:
In addition to Tierney's anti-LGBT and anti-teacher comments in the video linked above, he shows a general lack of awareness/concern for the issues that impact LGBT students, teachers and families, as revealed by his response to a question in the Kenosha Education Justice Coalition forum. You can see all candidates response to that question here.
Tierney says it is not his goal to ban books. He indicates he wants to restrict access to certain books in school libraries unless a parent gives permission. He has not said who he thinks should determine what is 'appropriate' reading material and what must be 'restricted.' The Republican Party of Kenosha County is currently running a video on their Facebook page saying Tierney, Kretchmer, Kim and Thomas will remove materials from schools of which members of the Republican Party disapprove.
Because Moms for Liberty and MassResistance have primarily targeted books with LGBT content, and because their anti-LGBT rhetoric surrounding these books challenges, the ACLU is scrutinizing books challenges filed by members of Moms for Liberty and MassResistance with KUSD.
Tierney's response to incident at Lincoln Middle School where off-duty police officer knelt on a 12-year-old's neck
On March 4, 2022, an off-duty police officer at Lincoln Middle school broke up a fight between two girls. He was caught on video kneeling on the neck of a 12-year old girl for 22 seconds. George Floyd died two years earlier when a police officer knelt on his neck. You can see video of the off-duty police officer's actions at Lincoln Middle School here.
The Lincoln Middle School incident resulted in a Federal lawsuit against KUSD and questions about whether off-duty police should be handling school safety.
Following the police officer's actions at Lincoln Middle School, the community was outraged and listening sessions were held. Tierney attended and spoke in favor of keeping police officers in school, rather than some of the alternatives that were being discussed.
Tierney chose to wear a Thin Blue Line hat to the listening session where community members had gathered to express concern that a child's life was put in danger by the actions of a police officer. While some people simply view the Thin Blue Line as a way to show support for law enforcement, the Thin Blue Line has also become associated with ideologies described as "undemocratic, racist, and bigoted." The Thin Blue Line flag made an appearance at the deadly "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, which gathered White Supremacist groups, including the alt-right, neo-Nazis, and the Ku Klux Klan. It was flown by insurrectionists as they attacked the Capitol on January 6th to try to stop the certification of the presidential election. The Thin Blue Line has become steeped in controversy because of those associations and it has been banned by some police departments in the United States for that reason, including in Wisconsin. Whatever his reasons, Tierney's choice to wear that symbol to this particular occasion seems insensitive at best.
“The past few weeks alone since the incident that happened at Lincoln Middle School, my phone has been ringing off the hook,” said Dr. Dominique Pritchett, a Kenosha-based therapist who mostly works with Black patients. “Our Black and brown girls do not feel seen, supported or safe to go to school.”
Just like Tierney's failure to answer the question of how he would set policy to make sure LGBT children, staff and families would feel safe and secure in schools, Tierney's choice to wear a pro-police hat to a listening session about the dangerous behavior of a local police officer in a school setting shows at the minimum poor judgment and a lack of awareness of how this incident was impacting Kenosha's Black and Brown community.
Our Evaluation:
Bob Tierney's decision to join Moms for Liberty at the time he started his campaign, his evasive answers to questions about his membership, his offensive anti-LGBT and anti-teacher comments at the KUSD school board meeting in September and his continued anti-LGBT attitude, his choice to delete most of those comments from social media, his tone-deaf choice to wear a pro-police hat to a listening session following a police officer kneeling on the neck of a young Black girl, his low score on the KEJC School Board Candidate Report Card, and his failure to complete the Kenosha Education Association survey all should make voters question Bob's ability to effectively represent all students and families should he be elected to the KUSD School Board.
Members of the KCDP have voted to endorse Price, Modder, Landry and write-in Robin Cullen for KUSD school board
Angela Rose Kretchmer
Angela Kretchmer is a member of Moms for Liberty and has been endorsed by Moms for Liberty:
Kretchmer is one of the administrators of Moms for Liberty Facebook page (as shown in the photo above). It is a closed group on Facebook that only allows its members to see its posts and comment.
Kretchmer is wearing her Moms for Liberty pin as she testifies during a Wisconsin Assembly hearing in January in favor of a Moms for Liberty-sponsored bill that the Wisconsin ACLU says would force schools to out LGBT students and censor schools and teachers.
Kretchmer's first fundraiser as a KUSD school board candidate was the screening of an anti-LGBT film that has been banned from most social media sites as hate speech.
Kretchmer has joined other members of Moms for Liberty in advocating for the removal and/or restriction of books from school libraries.
Kretchmer has also been endorsed by an anti-LGBT hate group, MassResistance, in her bid for KUSD school board.
Kretchmer uses her campaign page to push culture war issues and recently spread misinformation about KUSD school closings. You can read more about that here.
Kretcher has also indicated her support for replacing Scholastic Book Fairs in KUSD schools, which are LGBT inclusive, with book fairs that push right-wing political propaganda, such as Brave Books and Skytree Books.
OpenGov Kenosha has also posted allegations that Kretchmer has a criminal past.
Kretcher did not participate in the Kenosha Educational Justice forum and did not complete the Kenosha Education Association survey, which would indicate her level of preparedness to serve on the KUSD school board. The KEJC filled out her report card based on the candidate's public responses, answers at school board forums, statements at KUSD school board meetings, campaign social media posts and comments, as well as direct responses to questions:
Our Evaluation:
Kretchmer's membership in Moms for Liberty, her anti-LGBT beliefs, her endorsement by an anti-LGBT hate group, her spreading of misinformation about KUSD, and her failure to complete the Kenosha Education Association survey and her low scores on the KUSD School Board Candidate Report Card should make voters question whether Angela Kretchmer is appropriate to serve on KUSD's school board.
Members of the KCDP have voted to endorse Price, Modder, Landry and write-in Robin Cullen for KUSD school board
Brian Thomas
Thomas has been formally endorsed by Moms for Liberty.
Thomas' partner, Tamara Weber, is a member of Moms for Liberty and has spoken at KUSD school board meetings about removing or restricting access to books of which she doesn't approve.
In 2022, Thomas was listed as the largest single donor on Moms for Liberty-endorsed candidate Lamar Madison's campaign finance report.
Thomas also actively supported Moms for Liberty member Lamar Madison's campaign by displaying a large sign at his business, the Kenosha Running Company, which he runs with his partner Weber.
Lamar Madison expressed anti-public school and anti-LGBT views during his campaign for KUSD school board in 2022. He was formally endorsed by Moms for Liberty (below).
Like Bob Tierney and Jon Kim, Thomas' response to a question about LGBT students was problematic during a recent school board forum. You can listen to his response here.
Brian Thomas Dismisses Bullying As Something That Can't Be Addressed by School Policy
Electing school board leaders who believe the problems the district faces can be solved is important. But during a recent school board forum, Brian Thomas' answer indicated he thought bullying was a right of passage. Thomas went on to state he didn't believe there was any policy anywhere that could diminish bullying.
Brian Thomas Pushes 2020 Election Conspiracies
Thomas is simultaneously running for re-election to a seat on the Kenosha County Board of Supervisors.
When he was elected Supervisor in 2022, Thomas held events which propagated election conspiracy theories.
Brian Thomas' 'election integrity' events were part of the 'Big Lie' spread after the 2020 presidential election that Trump lost the race due to election irregularities.
While Brian Thomas claimed the events were strictly "informational", Thomas' speakers were election conspiracists. Thomas also recommended the conspiracy-filled documentary produced by conservative activist Dinesh D’Souza “2000 Mules”
The election fraud claims in the movie have proven false, with the filmmaker admitting in court that there was never any evidence of voter fraud.
In addition to his 'election integrity' events, Thomas was also part of a group of Republicans who sued the city of Kenosha over its administration of the 2020 presidential election during COVID. Thomas' partner Weber was also a plaintiff in the failed lawsuit, along with leaders of the local Republican party.
The lawsuit claims appear tied to the Republican conspiracy that election grants, used to conduct safe elections during the pandemic, were somehow used to influence the election results.
Eric Kardaal, the lawyer that represented Thomas and his partners in the lawsuit against Kenosha, was the same lawyer that represented Donald Trump in many of his failed lawsuits against Wisconsin following his 2020 election loss. Kardaal later played a role in Michael Gableman's failed attempt to prove Donald Trump lost due to election fraud. That investigation cost Wisconsin taxpayers millions.
Fact checkers have repeatedly found no evidence of widespread voter or election fraud.
Thomas' election grant lawsuit was handled by Erick Kardaal, the same lawyer who, following the 2020 election, represented Trump in multiple lawsuits against the state of Wisconsin, claiming voter and election fraud or irregularities. Kardaal also represented current Moms for Liberty KUSD school board member Eric Meadows in a failed lawsuit against KUSD school district. Meadows is now running for Kenosha County Board in District 18. You can read more about that here.
Brian Thomas' and Trump's lawyer Erick Kardaal, also tried suing Racine in a case related to the 2020 election.
Thomas' lawyer Kardaal helped Michael Gableman 'investigate' the 2020 election results in Wisconsin. Gableman was hired by Republican leader Robin Vos after Trump publicly shamed Vos for not doing enough to prove fraud. The investigation cost Wisconsin taxpayers over $2.5 million. Kardaal and Michael Gableman found no widespread voter or election fraud.
Brian Thomas' case against the city of Kenosha was dismissed but Kenosha taxpayers likely footed the legal bill.
Thomas later brought a resolution to the Kenosha County Board preventing the County from accepting election grants in the future.
CONCLUSION:
Thomas' alignment with Moms for Liberty, his inability to understand effective school policies can positively impact students lives, his promotion of election conspiracy theories and his low marks on the Kenosha Education Association survey and the Kenosha Education Justice Coalition Report Card should make voters question whether Brian Thomas is appropriate to serve on the KUSD school board (and the Kenosha County Board).
Members of the KCDP have voted to endorse Price, Modder, Landry and write-in Robin Cullen for KUSD school board
Jon Kim
Jon Kim is endorsed by Moms for Liberty.
Kim is running as part of a slate of 3 candidates other candidates endorsed by Moms for Liberty: Brian Thomas, Bob Tierney and Angela Kretchmer.
When Kim unsuccessfully ran for KUSD school board in 2022, he also ran as part of a slate of Moms for Liberty candidates with Eric Meadows and Kristine Schmaling.
Eric Meadows posted on his Facebook page that he stands with Moms for Liberty:
Kristine Schmaling then shared Meadows' Facebook post, saying she too stands with Moms for Liberty:
During a recent KUSD school board forum, Kim repeatedly said he did not believe public education should be free to all families.
CONCLUSION:
Jon Kim's alignment with Moms for Liberty members as well as his opinions about school funding plus his low scores on the Kenosha Education Justice Coalition report card should make voters question whether he is appropriate to serve on the KUSD school board.
Members of the KCDP have voted to endorse Price, Modder, Landry and write-in Robin Cullen for KUSD school board
KUSD school board members have the important responsibility of managing the district's budget and setting school policies which impact approximately 19,000 students, as well as teachers, school staff and administrators. School board member's decisions impact the entire Kenosha community.
It's important to elect people who have commonsense, who do not embrace an extreme ideology, who are willing to seek solutions to the district's problems, and who will support all students.
You will find the KCDPs full list of endorsed and recommended candidates in the Spring 2024 election here.
Vote for the pro-public school candidates who will work for ALL children. Vote for common sense for KUSD schools on April 2nd.
You can find your voter information here.
