KENOSHA, Wis. — It’s not just a pen.
Recently, I received a very special gift from Amanda Nedweski — one of the pens used by Tony Evers to sign Wisconsin’s anti-grooming bill into law.
(File Photo by Kevin Mathewson, Kenosha County Eye)
To some people, that might not mean much. To others, it might just be a pen with the name of a governor they don’t particularly care for.
But to me, it symbolizes something much bigger.
It symbolizes that it takes a village. Things don’t just happen on their own. This law didn’t magically appear. It was the result of people speaking up, refusing to stay silent, and demanding change when the system failed.
Throughout this entire process, Amanda went out of her way to praise others for this bill being signed. She mentioned my early reporting of the Enwright scandal many times. She credited law enforcement, including Chief Pat Patton, who testified about the mistakes made by KUSD during the investigation. She acknowledged the people who showed up to school board meetings demanding accountability. She pointed to those who went to Madison and testified.
She gave credit to everybody else.
Just not herself.
Here’s the thing, though — her getting this bill pushed through a relatively split legislature and having a Democrat governor, who is also a former teacher and former DPI superintendent, sign it had to be incredibly difficult.
Amanda did what many called impossible.
She got that governor to sign this bill.
Now, in Wisconsin, it is a crime to groom children.
That doesn’t happen without leadership, persistence, and skill.
She spent so much time complimenting others and giving credit away, but it’s time she gets the credit she deserves. She fought hard for this, and she deserves praise.
And then there’s the pen itself.
I am extremely — extremely — grateful for it. “Flattered” isn’t even the right word. Out of everyone involved in this fight, she thought of me as one of just three people to receive one of these pens.
Think about that.
That shows you the power of the media — and the power of people who aren’t afraid to speak up.
This victory belongs to many.
It belongs to the people who went to school board meetings and demanded that Christian Enwright be fired. It belongs to those who spoke up and testified in Madison. It belongs to the community members who refused to let this issue fade away.
But most importantly, it belongs to Amanda — the one who had the courage to bring this forward, and the skills and personality to get it across the finish line.
To other people, it may just be a pen with the name of a governor they don’t like.
To me, it symbolizes a team effort — and a legislator who kept giving credit to others when, in reality, the credit belongs mostly to herself.
And yes — I’ll say it — while I don’t like the man whose name the pen bears, he did sign the bill, so he deserves at least a little bit of credit too, whether I like it or not.
Amanda’s skills, intelligence, and leadership are, frankly, on a level that seems — if I dare say — a little too high for the state legislature.
I think a lot of conservatives would agree: she would make a strong county executive. Someone with real leadership ability at the helm of this county, not an opportunist who needs the job just to pay the bills.
By all accounts, Amanda was financially successful before running for the state assembly and took a significant pay cut to serve. That says something.
Amanda, from the bottom of my heart — thank you for this pen.
It’s not just a pen.
It’s a symbol of what we can accomplish when we work together, speak up, and refuse to back down.
