ARENA, Wis. – Today, Ben Gruber announced his candidacy for Assembly District 51. Gruber, a lifelong Wisconsinite, has served the 51st Assembly District as a conservation warden, an EMT, police officer, a firefighter, and as a AFSCME Local 1215 Union President. Gruber released the following statement: 

“I am proud to announce my candidacy for the 51st Assembly District. For far too long, families in this community have been left behind. From rising costs, lack of funding for local services, and school closures, the 51st has been hit hard by legislative actions in Madison. 

“As a husband and father, I’ve seen firsthand how policy decisions have affected people across the district. When our local elementary school in Arena closed, my daughter faced a bus ride of  over 90 minutes to kindergarten and our community lost one of its anchors. Our dream of sending our kids to the elementary school I attended was crushed. We’ve also seen how state actions can cause harm with volunteer EMS staffing collapsing and the village police department closing due to lack of resources. Time and time again, our communities have been forced to do more with less, and it’s time to change that. 

“I’m running for the Assembly to make sure working families in this district have someone who is truly looking out for us and who will truly listen to us. This district deserves better and I am looking forward to connecting with our communities in the months ahead about how true representation can help improve our everyday lives. Let’s get to work!” 

A video of the press conference can be found here