Paul Ryan visits Delavan Enterprise to kick off season
By Vicky Wedig
SLN Staff
U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan and two of his staff members visited the Delavan Enterprise, 1102 Ann St., on Monday to kick off the First District mobile office’s summer stops.
The mobile office, which provides an alternative to Ryan’s Janesville, Racine and Kenosha district offices, was scheduled to make its first stops Wednesday in Genoa City, Lake Geneva and Williams Bay.
The office will be manned by intern Zach Bobeck, a University of Wisconsin-Whitewater graduate, who will field residents’ questions or take their paperwork back to one of Ryan’s district offices for staff to handle.
The mobile office will make stops throughout Wisconsin’s First District from May to August.
Monday’s stop at the Delavan Enterprise was Ryan’s first since campaigning as Mitt Romney’s running mate during the 2012 presidential election.
“It was an honor,” said Ryan. “I felt proud to represent our state.”
The Janesville Republican said the 90-day campaign across the country, including Romney’s faux pas when he introduced Ryan as “the next president of the United States,” was “a life-changing event.”
Ryan said he had four rules for his time on the road – his family had to be with him once a week and he had to catch Mass each week, watch the Packers and get his workouts in.
“My kids got a chance to see the country,” he said.
Ryan said he encountered many different accents, foods and customs in different regions across the country while campaigning, but he said people’s principles and passion for their country were consistent.
Six months post-election – after a loss by fewer than 350,000 votes – Ryan says his family and his life are back to normal, except that he’s now recognized wherever he goes.
“I’ve lost my anonymity,” he said.
Ryan said he’s now focusing on his jobs at hand – serving as chairman of the House Budget Committee and representing Wisconsin’s First District – rather than thinking about future political aspirations.
Ryan said his connection with constituents here and the times he spends in the district hasn’t changed – he’s in Washington D.C. four days a week and at home in Janesville three days a week.
Ryan will spend time talking to constituents at his mobile office when it makes stops at county fairs on weekends this summer.
During the week, Bobeck will meet with residents to discuss concerns or questions they may have about federal issues and government agencies.
“The mobile office is a great resource for constituents to utilize, particularly for those who don’t live near one of the three permanent congressional offices in the First District,” Ryan said. “When the mobile office comes to their town or area, residents can stop by and talk to a member of my staff about any difficulties they are having dealing with government agencies or share their views about issues before Congress. I need to hear from and be accessible to those I serve in Wisconsin’s First District and the mobile office is a great way to help me do this.”
Ryan established the mobile office to serve as an extension of existing First District Constituent Service Centers. Since 1999, the mobile office has made nearly 3,000 visits to area communities and has provided assistance to thousands of residents over the years.
The mobile office will be parked near or in the parking lots of the following sites in Walworth County on these dates:
East Troy
• Noon to 1 p.m. May 23, June 20 and July 11, East Troy Police Department, 2015 Energy Drive.
Elkhorn
• 1:45 to 2:45 p.m. May 28 and June 25, Walworth County Sheriff’s Department, 1770 County Road NN.
Delavan
• 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. May 28 and June 25, Delavan Municipal Building, 123 S. Second St.
Darien
• 10:45 to 11:45 a.m. May 28 and June 25, Darien Village Hall and Police Department, 20 N. Wisconsin St.
Genoa City
• Noon to 1 p.m. Aug. 1, Genoa City Village Hall, 715 Walworth St.
Lake Geneva
• 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Aug. 1, municipal parking lot across from the Lake Geneva Police Department, 626 Geneva St.
Williams Bay
• 9 to 10 a.m. Aug. 1, Williams Bay Police Department, 250 Williams St.
Sharon
• 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. May 29, June 26 and July 16, Sharon Village Hall, 125 Plain St.
Walworth
• 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. May 28 and June 25, Walworth Village Hall, 227 N. Main St.
