Salem Lakes…Public servant and life-long Kenosha County resident Samantha Kerkman is announcing her run for Kenosha County Executive. Kerkman will bring her years of experience and dedication representing Kenosha County in the State Legislature closer to home at the county level.

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“Since the current County Executive announced that he was retiring, I have reached out to many of my constituents and neighbors, as well as Kenosha’s business owners and government leaders, and listened to what they thought were the most important issues facing our county,” said Kerkman. “Many shared the need for increased collaboration between all members of the community to help keep our neighborhoods safe and the need for a strong transportation system to support economic development. With these and many other issues in mind, I have decided to seek the office of Kenosha County Executive.”

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“We must lay the groundwork to attract more jobs and investments in Kenosha County,” said Kerkman. “Few candidates will be able to match my experience at both state and local levels of government. If we’re going to support business-friendly communities, we need extensive experience like mine to make it happen.” Kenosha County is leading the way in job creation with 12,000 new jobs since 2013, and Kerkman hopes to drive that number higher.

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Kerkman is passionate about tackling waste, fraud, and abuse in government.  She served as the Co-chair of the Joint Audit Committee, where she uncovered $86 million in fraud payments during her oversight of audits for the Wisconsin Shares program, the Foodshare program, and the Unemployment Insurance program.

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“Government fraud and waste should never be tolerated at any level,” said Kerkman.  She intends to put new measures in place to address excess spending and those who may be taking advantage of their positions.

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Kerkman is also proud of her work to protect the most vulnerable and points to a time when she was contacted by a local family that had been a victim of crime. She worked with local law enforcement and concerned citizens to change the law to increase the penalties for those who hurt children.

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In addition to her duties in Madison, Kerkman remains dedicated to local community activities and organizations. She serves on the Kenosha County Local Emergency Management Planning Committee, the Twin Lakes Chamber Association and Kenosha Area Business Alliance and is a member of St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Wheatland.