Title: Sharon Metz Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1973-1986

Creator:

• Metz, Sharon K., 1934-

Call Number: Green Bay Mss 114

Quantity: 9.8 c.f. (9 record center cartons and 2 archives boxes)

Repository:

Housed at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Archives and Area Research Center; owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

UW-Green Bay Cofrin Library / Green Bay Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Abstract:

Legislative papers of a former Democratic state representative from Green Bay, Wisconsin (1975-1987) known for her advocacy of child care legislation and her support of energy conservation. Included are correspondence and memoranda to and from constituents, colleagues, representatives of advocacy groups, and governmental officials; memoranda; press releases; newsletters; files of the Assembly Energy Committee (1979-1980); minutes and related papers for committees and task forces on child care, asbestos, and Indians; biographical clippings; reference material concerning the Joint Finance Committee and other topics; and a small quantity of material relating to her reelection efforts and to her unsuccessful campaign for lieutenant governor in 1986.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-gb0114

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Former Democratic state legislator Sharon Metz was born in Omro, Wisconsin on September 13, 1934. She graduated from high school in Winneconne but delayed her college education until her family was almost grown, and she graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in 1984.

Prior to her election to the Legislature in 1974 she was a mother of four and a housewife in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where her husband was a school teacher. Her official biography indicates that at various times during her life she worked as a salesperson, receptionist, typist, and administrative assistant to the director of the local VISTA program. She was also an active member of the Trinity Lutheran Church and a member of numerous community organizations including the Voluntary Commission for Human Rights, the United Way, the Green Bay Welfare Commission (1973-1975), the Co-Care Neighborhood Action Group, and the Women's Club of Green Bay.

In the Legislature, Metz was appointed to the Environmental Quality Committee and named chair of its subcommittee on solar energy, and she quickly won a reputation for her environmental advocacy. In 1978 she was named legislator of the year by the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation. In 1979 she was named the first chair of the Assembly Energy Committee. In 1980, 1982, and 1984 she was named one of the top Wisconsin legislators by the Environmental Decade. Metz also achieved a statewide reputation for her strong support of child care issues. In 1982 she headed the Legislative Council's Special Study Committee on Child Care and Early Education.

In 1977 Metz was chairperson of the Internal Management Committee and co-chair of the Health and Social Service Committee's Subcommittee on Juvenile Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. In that same year she was also appointed co-chair of the Joint Audit Committee. In 1981 she became the first woman from the Assembly to be appointed to the Joint Finance Committee; two years later she was elected co-chair. Other committee appointments are listed in biennial editions of the Wisconsin Blue Book.

In 1985 Metz's growing political reputation and the absence of other women candidates for statewide office on the Democratic ticket prompted her to announce her candidacy for lieutenant governor. Although successful in winning the nomination in the primary election in 1986, she was defeated as part of the Earl-Metz ticket in the general election. Since leaving the legislature Metz has been director of the Lutheran Human Relations Association of America in Milwaukee.

The Metz Papers deal almost exclusively with her tenure in the Wisconsin Assembly (1975-1987). However, even for this part of her career documentation is limited for the years from 1975 through 1978, and only one file of material on the Heritage Hill State Park suggests her pre-legislative activities. Furthermore, only a few items (some of which were collected in 1986 by the Archives staff) relate to her unsuccessful campaign as lieutenant governor. There are no materials in the collection relating to her work since leaving the Legislature and no personal papers.

The majority of Metz's files are comprised of correspondence to and from constituents, colleagues, representatives of advocacy groups, and government officials, together with extensive informational support material. As originally received, Metz's papers contained not only copies of her outgoing letters, but also drafts prepared by her staff. When these drafts contained annotations or comments in her hand or significant changes, the drafts have been retained. Routine correspondence in response to individual problems has also been weeded, except in instances in which Metz herself rather than a staff member intervened. Also in the papers are incomplete runs of her newsletters, press releases, occasional prepared speeches, and biographical clippings.

The Metz papers are organized chronologically by session, except for the material on the 1975-1976 and 1977-1978 sessions, which has been combined because of its limited quantity. Within each session, the files are arranged alphabetically by subject. The 1979-1980 files consist of the same general, alphabetically-arranged files present for other sessions as well as a separate file of records of the Assembly Energy Committee. The Energy Committee file is ordered as alphabetical subject files and numerically-arranged bill files.

The issues on which Metz achieved a statewide reputation, particularly topics related to women and children and to energy conservation, are well represented in the collection. Included are her papers as head of the Assembly Energy Committee for the 1979-1980 legislative session, a session in which energy concerns were a major issue, as well supplementary material on the Legislative Council's Special Committee on Energy. The documentation on child care is equally rich. In this regard Metz's files supplement the official records of the Committee on Child Care and Early Education, and they provide unique documentation on the child care legislation she sponsored and on her general advocacy of day care.

In addition, at the time her papers were organized in 1989 her files on DILHR's Asbestos Study Group were the only records of that effort in archival custody. A substantial number of the topical files in Metz's papers contain informational material distributed to her as a member of the Joint Finance Committee as part of the budget review process. This material is of particular importance, as it is largely absent from the official records of the Joint Finance Committee held by the Archives as part of Series 169.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Sharon Metz, Green Bay, Wisconsin, January 8, 1987. Accession Number: M87-13

Processing Information

Processed by James Fogler (Intern), 1988.

	Series: 1973-1978
Box   1 Folder   1	Bottle bill
Box   1 Folder   2	Citizens Utility Board
Box   1 Folder   3	Day care
Box   1 Folder   4	Energy
Box   1 Folder   5	Energy conservation for rentals
Box   1 Folder   6	Green Bay office building
Box   1 Folder   7-8	Heritage Hill State Park
Box   1 Folder   9	Miscellaneous files
Box   1 Folder   10	Newsletter
Box   1 Folder   11	Newspaper clippings
Box   1 Folder   12	Solar access
Box   1 Folder   13	Tax on home heating fuel
Box   1 Folder   14	Women's issues
	Series: 1979-1980 Session	⇧
	General files
Box   1 Folder   15	Alcohol and drug abuse
Box   1 Folder   16	Cabinet government
Box   1 Folder   17	Capital gains taxes
Box   1 Folder   18	CETA
Box   1 Folder   19	Children
Box   1 Folder   21	Constituent cases
Box   1 Folder   20	Cooperative extension
	Day care
Box   1 Folder   22	General
Box   1 Folder   23	Funding
Box   1 Folder   24	Dental examining board
Box   1 Folder   25	Education
Box   1 Folder   26	Endangered resources tax checkoff program
Box   1 Folder   27	Environmental protection
Box   1 Folder   28	Family planning
Box   1 Folder   29	Federal employees
Box   1 Folder   30	Fetal alcohol syndrome
Box   1 Folder   31	Fuel assistance
Box   1 Folder   32	Green Bay office building
Box   1 Folder   33	Heritage Hill State Park
Box   1 Folder   34	Health and Social Services, Department of
Box   1 Folder   35	Homestead Law
Box   1 Folder   36	Housing
	Indians
Box   1 Folder   40	Domestic abuse
Box   1 Folder   37	Education
Box   1 Folder   38	Libraries
Box   1 Folder   39	Miscellany
Box   1 Folder   41	Insurance
Box   1 Folder   42	Local measured service
Box   1 Folder   43	LTEs
Box   1 Folder   44	Minimum mark-up
Box   1 Folder   45	Mining
Box   1 Folder   46	Newsletters
Box   1 Folder   47	Nursing
Box   1 Folder   48	Open records
Box   1 Folder   49	Police and fire
Box   1 Folder   50	Ports and harbors
Box   1 Folder   51	Pesticides
Box   1 Folder   52	Regional planning
Box   1 Folder   53	Retirement
Box   1 Folder   54	Rules, Joint Committee for the Review of Administrative
Box   1 Folder   55	School aids and cost controls
Box   1 Folder   56	Taxes
Box   1 Folder   57	Taxicab insurance
Box   2 Folder   1	Transportation
Box   2 Folder   2	Unemployment compensation
Box   2 Folder   3	Usury limits
Box   2 Folder   4	Utilities
Box   2 Folder   5	Veterans
Box   2 Folder   6	Welfare
	Energy Committee
	Subject files
Box   2 Folder   7	Attorney General's opinion requests
Box   2 Folder   8-10	Correspondence
Box   2 Folder   11	Energy Department proposal
Box   2 Folder   12	Energy development fund
Box   2 Folder   13	Gas tax
Box   2 Folder   14	Ground water heat pumps
Box   2 Folder   15	Hearing notices
Box   2 Folder   16	Hydroelectric power
	Legislative Council Special Committee on Energy
Box   2 Folder   17	General
Box   2 Folder   18-19	Transportation Subcommittee
Box   2 Folder   20-22	Weatherization Subcommittee
Box   2 Folder   23	Natural gas, non-essential use
Box   2 Folder   24	Nuclear power
Box   2 Folder   25	Recycling
Box   2 Folder   26	Solar access rights
Box   2 Folder   27	Transportation
	Bill files
	Assembly bills
Box   2 Folder   28-43	2-932
Box   3 Folder   1-4	966-1146, JR 10
Box   3 Folder   5-7	Senate bills, 122, 500
	Series: 1981-1982 Session	⇧
Box   3 Folder   8	Abortion
Box   3 Folder   9	Adoption
Box   3 Folder   10	Age of majority
Box   3 Folder   11	Alcohol and drug abuse
Box   3 Folder   12	Armour Co. plant closing
Box   3 Folder   13	Banks
Box   3 Folder   14	Barbers
Box   3 Folder   15	Bats
Box   3 Folder   16	Bottle bill
Box   3 Folder   17	Budget adjustment bill (SB 783)
Box   3 Folder   18	Campaign committee (Metz)
Box   3 Folder   19	Capital gains taxes
Box   3 Folder   20	Chauffeurs' licenses
Box   3 Folder   21	Condominium conversion
Box   3 Folder   22	Contracting services
Box   3 Folder   23-28	Constituent correspondence
Box   3 Folder   29	Construction projects, Life cycle costs
Box   3 Folder   30	Consenting adults
Box   3 Folder   31	Corrections, prisons, and Justice Department
	Day care
Box   3 Folder   32	Legislative Council Special Committee on Child Care and Early Education
	General
Box   3 Folder   33-34	I-II
Box   4 Folder   1	III
Box   4 Folder   2	Domestic abuse and sexual assault
Box   4 Folder   3	Drivers clubs
Box   4 Folder   4	Drivers education
Box   4 Folder   5	Education
Box   4 Folder   6	Education Communications Board
Box   4 Folder   7	Eland Electric Corporation (Design/build litigation)
Box   4 Folder   8	Elderly
Box   4 Folder   9	Employe Trust Funds, Department of
	Energy
Box   4 Folder   10-12	General
Box   4 Folder   13-14	Budget
Box   4 Folder   15	Low income assistance
Box   4 Folder   16	Public Service Commission
Box   4 Folder   17	Renewable Resources rebate
Box   4 Folder   18	Weatherization Code
Box   4 Folder   19	Family planning
Box   4 Folder   20	Farmland preservation
Box   4 Folder   21	Fetal alcohol syndrome
Box   4 Folder   22	Form letters (D-M only)
Box   4 Folder   23	Great Lakes Inter-Basin Water Transfer Conference
Box   4 Folder   24	Green Bay
Box   4 Folder   25	Green Bay Reformatory
Box   4 Folder   26	Green Bay office building
Box   4 Folder   28	Guns
Box   4 Folder   29	Handicapped individuals
Box   4 Folder   30	Hartshore, Karl (Radiation exposure case)
Box   4 Folder   31	Health and Social Services, Department of
Box   4 Folder   32	Housing
Box   4 Folder   33	Housing allowance and fuel assistance
Box   4 Folder   34	Hunting and fishing
	Indians
Box   4 Folder   35	General
Box   4 Folder   36	Courts and rulings
Box   4 Folder   37	Education
Box   4 Folder   38	Weatherization
Box   4 Folder   39	Individual retirement accounts
Box   4 Folder   40	Industry, Labor, and Human Relations, Department of
Box   4 Folder   41	Inheritance taxes
Box   4 Folder   42	Insurance
Box   4 Folder   43	Issue papers (Metz campaign)
Box   4 Folder   44	Interest rates and exemptions
Box   4 Folder   45	Intervenor financing
Box   4 Folder   46	Labor
Box   4 Folder   47	Lotteries
Box   4 Folder   48	Marital property reform
Box   4 Folder   49	Medical support
Box   4 Folder   50	Miscellany
Box   4 Folder   51	Motorcycles
Box   5 Folder   1	Natural Resources, Department of
Box   5 Folder   2	Newsletters and questionnaires
Box   5 Folder   3	Nursing homes
Box   5 Folder   4	Obscenity and pornography
Box   5 Folder   5	Oil recycling
Box   5 Folder   6	Oil taxes
Box   5 Folder   7	Park aids (ORAP)
Box   5 Folder   8	Personal file
Box   5 Folder   9	Ports
Box   5 Folder   10	Press releases
Box   5 Folder   11	Property taxes
Box   5 Folder   12	Recommendations
Box   5 Folder   13	Regulation and Licensing, Department of
Box   5 Folder   14	Residency
Box   5 Folder   15	Small business
Box   5 Folder   16	Smoking
Box   5 Folder   17	Social Security
Box   5 Folder   18	Solar access legislation (AB 62)
Box   5 Folder   19	Tax incremental financing
Box   5 Folder   20	Taxes
Box   5 Folder   21	Taxicab industry
Box   5 Folder   22	Thank-you letters
Box   5 Folder   23	Transportation, Department of
Box   5 Folder   24	Tuition surcharge
Box   5 Folder   25	Unemployment compensation
Box   4 Folder   27	University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
Box   5 Folder   26	University of Wisconsin System
Box   5 Folder   27	Utilities
Box   5 Folder   28	Veterans
Box   5 Folder   29	Welfare
Box   5 Folder   30	Wetlands
Box   5 Folder   31	Wisconsin Environmental Protection Agency
Box   5 Folder   32	Wisconsin Housing & Development Authority
Box   5 Folder   33	Women
Box   5 Folder   34	Youth aids programs
	Series: 1983-1984 Session	⇧
Box   5 Folder   35	Acid rain
Box   5 Folder   36	Air quality plan for Green Bay
Box   5 Folder   37	Beaver control
Box   5 Folder   38	Boat and canoe fees
Box   5 Folder   39	Brogni bill (employment of stepchildren)
Box   5 Folder   40	Brown County
Box   5 Folder   41-42	Budget bill (SB 83)
Box   5 Folder   43	Business Advisory Committee
Box   5 Folder   44-46	Constituent correspondence
Box   6 Folder   1-7	Constituent correspondence
Box   6 Folder   8	County fairs
Box   6 Folder   9	Crime bill
Box   6 Folder   10-12	Day care
Box   6 Folder   13	Budget
Box   6 Folder   14	Kindergarten and school issues
Box   6 Folder   15	Legislative Council Special Committee on Child Care and Early Education
Box   6 Folder   16	Miscellany
	Proposed legislation
Box   6 Folder   17	General
Box   6 Folder   18	AB 434
Box   6 Folder   19	AB 1056
Box   6 Folder   20	Press
Box   6 Folder   21	Regulations and policy of DHSS6
Box   6 Folder   22	Domestic abuse and sexual assault
Box   6 Folder   23	Earl, Gov. Anthony
Box   6 Folder   24	Economic development
Box   6 Folder   25	Education
Box   6 Folder   26	Energy
Box   6 Folder   27	Environment
Box   6 Folder   28	Fetal alcohol syndrome
Box   6 Folder   29	Fishing and hunting
Box   6 Folder   30	Gay rights
Box   6 Folder   31	General relief
Box   6 Folder   32	Green Bay
Box   6 Folder   33	Green Bay housing
Box   6 Folder   34	Green Bay reformatory
Box   6 Folder   35	Green Bay schools
Box   6 Folder   36	Ground water
Box   6 Folder   37	Handicapped children (Brown County)
Box   6 Folder   38	Health care cost containment
Box   6 Folder   39	Health and Social Services - Budget
Box   7 Folder   1	Heritage Hill State Park
	Indians
Box   7 Folder   2	Cigarette tax
Box   7 Folder   3-4	Miscellany
Box   7 Folder   5	Relief to Needy Indian Persons
Box   7 Folder   6	Low Income Energy Assistance Program
Box   7 Folder   7	Marital property
Box   7 Folder   8	Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District
Box   7 Folder   9	Miscellany
Box   7 Folder   10	Natural Resources, Department of
Box   7 Folder   11	Newsletters
Box   7 Folder   12	Nursing home reimbursement
Box   7 Folder   13	PCBs
Box   7 Folder   14	Pensions and retirement
Box   7 Folder   15	Phosphate ban
Box   7 Folder   16	Paramilitary training/Posse Comitatus
Box   7 Folder   17	Preferred provider health care organizations
Box   7 Folder   18	Press releases
Box   7 Folder   19	Property tax relief
Box   7 Folder   20	Railroads
Box   7 Folder   21	Realtors
Box   7 Folder   22	Recycling
Box   7 Folder   23	Renewable resource rebate program
Box   7 Folder   24	Residency requirements
Box   7 Folder   25	Road salt
Box   7 Folder   26	Sales tax
Box   7 Folder   27	Special Session bills
Box   7 Folder   28	State building program
Box   7 Folder   29	State employees wages
Box   7 Folder   30	State employees retirement
Box   7 Folder   31	Surplus state land
Box   7 Folder   32	Tax incremental financing
Box   7 Folder   33	Taxes on utilities
Box   7 Folder   34	Taxicabs
Box   7 Folder   35	Teaching assistants
Box   7 Folder   36	Thank you letters
Box   7 Folder   37	Thunder Mountain
Box   7 Folder   38	Tipping fees
Box   7 Folder   39	Transportation, Department of
Box   7 Folder   40	Unemployment compensation
Box   7 Folder   41	University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
Box   7 Folder   42	Utility holding programs
Box   7 Folder   43	Veterans
Box   7 Folder   44	Water, Diversion and pollution
Box   7 Folder   45	Weatherization
Box   7 Folder   46	Wildlife stamp reprints
Box   7 Folder   47	Wisconsin Conservation Corps
Box   7 Folder   48	Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority
Box   7 Folder   49	Women
Box   7 Folder   50	Workers Compensation
	Series: 1985-1986 Session	⇧
Box   8 Folder   1	Administration, Department of
	Asbestos Study Group
Box   8 Folder   2	Metz correspondence
Box   8 Folder   3	Minutes
Box   8 Folder   4	Rules revisions
Box   8 Folder   5-6	Support material
Box   8 Folder   7-8	Assembly Democratic Caucus
Box   8 Folder   9	Bill drafts
Box   8 Folder   10-17	Budget
Box   8 Folder   18	Campaign material
Box   8 Folder   19	Capital expenditure review program
Box   8 Folder   20	Child abuse
Box   8 Folder   21	Community integration program
Box   8 Folder   22-23	Comparable worth
Box   8 Folder   24-28	Constituent correspondence
Box   9 Folder   1	Constituent correspondence, continued
	Day care
Box   9 Folder   2	Advisory Committee
Box   9 Folder   3	Budget bill
Box   9 Folder   4	Licensing
Box   9 Folder   5	Tax deduction/credit
Box   9 Folder   6	Dental practices
Box   9 Folder   7	Development, Department of
Box   9 Folder   8-9	Dredging of Green Bay Harbor
Box   9 Folder   10	Drinking age
	Education
Box   9 Folder   11	Budget discussion group
Box   9 Folder   12	Public testimony
Box   9 Folder   13	Teacher incentives
Box   9 Folder   14	Energy
Box   9 Folder   15	Rental code changes
Box   9 Folder   16	Federal procurement
Box   9 Folder   17	Fetal alcohol syndrome
Box   9 Folder   18	General relief
Box   9 Folder   19	Green Bay state office building
Box   9 Folder   20	Ground water
	Health and Social Services, Department of
Box   9 Folder   21	Budget discussion group
Box   9 Folder   22	Health insurance
Box   9 Folder   23-24	Public testimony
Box   9 Folder   25	Indian education
Box   9 Folder   26-27	Insurance
Box   9 Folder   28	Licensing and Regulation, Department of
Box   9 Folder   29	Medical malpractice
Box   9 Folder   30	Miscellany
	Natural Resources, Department of
Box   9 Folder   31	General
Box   9 Folder   32	Budget discussion group
Box   9 Folder   33	Newsletters
Box   9 Folder   34	911 emergency system
Box   9 Folder   35	Oil overcharge
Box   10 Folder   1	Oil overcharge, continued
Box   10 Folder   2	Personal file
Box   10 Folder   3	Pregnancy options
Box   10 Folder   4	Press releases
Box   10 Folder   5	Prison farms
Box   10 Folder   6	Public health
Box   10 Folder   7	Railroads, Deceptive practices
Box   10 Folder   8	Relocation assistance
Box   10 Folder   9	Special session
Box   10 Folder   10	State employees wages
Box   10 Folder   11	Surplus property centers
Box   10 Folder   12	Southern Wisconsin Center for the Developmentally Disabled
	Taxes
Box   10 Folder   13	Amnesty and income
Box   10 Folder   14	Property
Box   10 Folder   15	Public testimony
Box   11 Folder   1	Reform
Box   11 Folder   2	Thank you letters
Box   11 Folder   3	Transportation, Department of
Box   11 Folder   4	Unemployment compensation reforms
Box   11 Folder   5	Utility holding companies
Box   11 Folder   6	University of Wisconsin
Box   11 Folder   7	Tuition
Box   11 Folder   8	Veterans
Box   11 Folder   9	Water lien
Box   11 Folder   10	West Africa market study
Box   11 Folder   11	Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority
Box   11 Folder   12	Wisconsin Conservation Corps
Box   11 Folder   13	Youth aids