Much of Van Wanggaard’s work in public office stems from his time at Racine Police Credit Union.
He became a police officer in Racine, Wis., shortly after his 20th birthday, and subsequently joined the credit union, which now has $1.8 billion in assets.
Throughout the years, Wanggaard climbed the ranks within the credit union, starting out as a board member in 1983 and eventually serving as president for five years starting in 1994.
Working at the credit union “was going in and investing in people’s lives,” Wanggaard said.
“Having lived and breathed this for so many years with the police department credit union, with the credit union philosophy being that it’s everybody sharing in the expense of borrowing and saving dollars, I think it [the movement] has grown,” Wanggaard added.
After retiring in 2001 following a high-speed chase that left him with a fractured neck, Wanggaard, 66, has gone on to serve the public in another way. He ran for office in 2002, servicing on the Racine County Board for five terms before being elected to the state senate in 2010.
Now, the Republican is looking to retain his seat, which represents most of Racine County in southeastern Wisconsin, and is running on a platform that he says is both pro-business and pro-family.
Wanggaard advocates for victims of crime. Current legislation on his docket includes working on Marsy’s Law, which would require courts to consider victims and their families at bail and parole hearings and during plea negotiations.
Wanggaard is also interested in bringing more factories to Wisconsin to aid the state’s economy. Wisconsin's Gov. Scott Walker signed a multibillion-dollar deal in November 2017 for Foxconn Technology Group, which manufactures and assembles electronics, to open a factory in Racine County.
"We reduced taxing and tax levels to companies who relocated here, where if you grow jobs here, then there’ll be incentives to keep you here,” Wanggaard said. “We brought a lot of businesses from out of state."
He believes that credit unions need to remain relevant. That means ensuring consumers “understand what credit unions are about” through "a little more talk about what they do,” he said. The state senator believes that credit unions shouldn’t be a “Republican or a Democrat issue” since they look out for everybody.
“Credit unions base everything they do on relationships,” Wanggaard said. “They look at the member, and the member is not a number, they’re a name.”
