About Me

Yes, it's true. I got it on my forearm so when people shake my hand they know they can trust me.  Read the article about it here.

For the first six years I worked for a restaurant group known as "Little Wisco" that later changed its name to Happy Cooking Hospitality. I was the General Manager for 5 of those years. There's an article in the New York Times about my role and the company culture there. Read about it here. It was also pretty exciting when Wisconsin Public Radio sent a reporter out to interview us about Joseph Leonard.  

The final three years I invested in a restaurant and started my my own business called Loudest Yeller Bicycle Tours.  The tour was a  four hour historical tour around Brooklyn and Manhattan. It was my dream to own a bicycle tour so I'm pretty glad I did that. 

The best thing I got out of New York City was meeting my wife, Sacha. She was a bartender when we met and even knew how to make a Wisconsin style "Brandy Ole Fashioned Sour." (Obviously, I was impressed.) We have one little girl named Nellie after Nellie Bly and another one due 4th of July.

Yes, I ran for Sheriff on the Green Party ticket in 2002. Back then, like now, black people represented 3% of the population but 50% of Wisconsin's jail/prison population. To me that represents systemic racism that needs to be addressed. I tried my best to raise my voice about that issue then and I'm glad to see that racism at the front of people's minds now. You can find examples of my lit from those days on my campaign instagram account. I received around 36,000 votes and I only raised 6000 dollars. If I do that well this time around I will get the 210,000 votes I need to win the primary. Here's a commercial from that race.

My three favorites are L.A. Story, Nacho Libre and The Interview. I like comedies. When I was a kid I wanted to write movies. Do the Right Thing-- Spike Lee and Oliver Stone's had an enormous impact on me. I'd still like to be a writer but I have trouble sitting still. 

I've been reading a lot lately. Right now I'm half way through Loren Eisley's All Strange Hours which is an autobiography that begins with him hopping trains across America during the depression. Eventually he becomes an anthropologist. Beautiful writing. In getting ready for this Senate run I re-read La Follette's Autobiography. Everything he fought then we are fighting now. He says, "Shall government be for the benefit of private interests... Or, shall government be for the benefit of public interests? This is the simple issue involved in the present conflict in the nation." You don't have to have a law degree or be a rich business person to understand this -- Just read an article about Foxconn and you'll understand pretty quickly.

Buy the book and find out.  Who told you about that anyhow?

I have been to 48 countries and lived in China, France, Brazil and Bulgaria. My wife and daughter speak Swedish so I'm doing my best to learn that.