By Grace Carlson

The Dem primary candidates in the Milwaukee area’s 13th Assembly District hold conflicting opinions on a possible data center development moratorium.

Milwaukeean David Sanchez is an attorney at Foley and Lardner LLP in Milwaukee whose work largely focuses on renewable energy and housing development. He said he doesn’t think a moratorium “is the right solution,” calling it a “one-size-fits-all solution.” 

Amy Zimmerman manages IT projects and is the co-owner of a small business in her hometown of Brookfield. 

She disagrees, saying, “it’s important that we have a moratorium in place while we develop a robust regulatory framework that can govern hyperscale data centers of the future.” 

The candidates are running for Dem Rep. Robyn Vining’s spot as the Wauwatosa lawmaker runs for the 5th Senate District. The 13th AD encompasses Wauwatosa, Brookfield and Elm Grove in the western suburbs of Milwaukee. 

Zimmerman and Sanchez also disagree on if they would have voted for the $1.8 billion bipartisan surplus package. In May, the package didn’t pass despite support from Dem Gov. Tony Evers and GOP legislative leaders. 

The largest parts of the $1.8 billion package included: $870 million for one-time rebates; $315 million to boost reimbursements for special education costs; and $302.5 million for a new school aid beginning in 2026-27 that would drive down the property taxes that districts collect. It would have also eliminated taxes on tips and overtime pay. 

Sanchez says he “doesn’t know” if he would have voted for the package, saying it was “bipartisan in support and bipartisan against.” 

Zimmerman would not have voted for the surplus package, citing the analysis released by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau the week after the bill failed to pass. 

“A lot of the opponents to that package were correct that it overspent, that the direct rebates were not going to the majority of the households that could really use that extra money,” Zimmerman said. “And it set up the budget for a chronic deficit starting in 2027.” 

Both candidates agreed that funding for the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program should be renewed, and both shared frustrations that it had been allowed to lapse. Additionally, Sanchez and Zimmerman don’t support federal immigration enforcement efforts being assisted by local and state law enforcement.