State Rep. Adam Neylon, a Republican, has announced that he is running for Waukesha County Executive. We asked him 4 questions – why are you running, what are the top three issues you want to tackle as county executive, what is your biography, and what are your top accomplishments. You can read his answers below in full.
The other candidate running in the December special election to replace the late Paul Farrow is state Sen. Chris Kapenga, also a Republican. We have reached out to give him a chance to answer the same questions. If we receive a response, we will run a second story devoted to his answers. Kapenga’s website can be found here.
Adam Neylon Responds
1. Why are you running for Waukesha County Executive?
I’m running because I love this community, and I believe Waukesha County deserves leadership that matches that passion with action.
This community has given me everything. I graduated from Carroll University and met my wife here. I’m raising my family here. I want my kids to have the same opportunities I did—and I’m committed to making that happen.
Our families deserve leadership that puts community first, delivers results, protects taxpayers, and preserves the values that make this place special. That’s what I’m offering.
Being conservative isn’t about protecting the status quo. It’s about preserving what works, fixing what doesn’t, and having the courage to stand up for what’s right. Yes, we need a leader who will hold the line on spending and fight against unnecessary tax increases. I agree we shouldn’t raise the sales tax. But that’s just the beginning. It’s easy to say “no.” The hard part is building something better.
2. What are the top 3 issues you want to tackle as county executive?
The first major challenge I will tackle is the very real problem of Waukesha County sending too much money to Madison, especially given our large budget surplus. Take the Register of Deeds office as an example. According to the 2025 Executive Budget, the total real estate transfer fees collected are $11,621,500. Of this amount, $9,297,200, or 80% of the total fees, is sent to the state. Only the remaining $2,324,300, or 20%, is retained by the County despite the County doing all the work and taking all the risk of storing and maintaining the data. Flipping that amount would be a huge win for Waukesha County. But we need the right people to get this done.
Second, we must address the County budget to ensure it can carry us into the future. Fiscal responsibility is more than a one-year balanced budget. It’s whether Waukesha County stays affordable and high-quality for the next generation. That means holding the line on taxes, fixing broken processes, and utilizing technology to make government more efficient while protecting our individual freedoms and rights. Waukesha County is not broke. Taxpayers have already paid for a government that should work for them; the challenge is using modern tools so it actually does that without increasing the financial burden on our families and neighbors. I will fix the budget without raising taxes.
The third major challenge is modernizing the Waukesha Expo Center and County Fairgrounds. I absolutely love the County Fair and attend events regularly at the Expo Center but it’s missing the modern infrastructure like updated facilities, better amenities, and enhanced technology that other regional venues have. Modernizing it would allow us to host larger events, attract more visitors, and turn it into a true destination for families and businesses alike.
3. What is your biography?
I grew up in Northern Illinois, but Wisconsin was always a part of my life. It’s where my family went for vacations, Bible camp, and baseball tournaments. Naturally I moved to Wisconsin as soon as I had a choice. I came to Waukesha County as a college freshman at Carroll University and have called Wisconsin home ever since. It’s something I remind my wife often when she reminds me I’m from Illinois.
During college I became very active in local politics. My freshman Political Science 101 professor was Joel Brennan if you can believe it. We still laugh about it, and he likes to take credit for getting me into politics. I won’t give him direct credit but the timeline does line up for any good journalist who goes looking.
Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner hired me midway through my junior year of college. I’m fairly sure he thought I had already graduated. For the last year and a half of college I worked for Congressman Sensenbrenner full-time while also finishing my degree at Carroll. I was Jim’s driver for almost two years, and worked in his district office before moving to Washington DC to work for him out there. I loved my time at Carroll University, but I like to say my real political education came from Jim Sensenbrenner.
After about a year and a half working in Washington D.C. during the Obama years, I deeply missed Wisconsin and all the friends and community I had built here. I moved back to Waukesha and started a commercial and residential window cleaning business that I owned and operated for more than 10 years. I also got back involved with local politics, including jobs with the Republican Party of Wisconsin During the 2010 election where I met my wife who was also working for the RPW.
In 2013 after Paul Farrow was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate, I ran for his vacated Assembly seat in a special election and won a very competitive 5-way primary. Since that time I’ve served in the Wisconsin State Assembly leading a variety of committees, most notably (and enjoyably) the Joint Committee on Rules And Regulations (JCRAR).
I believe I’ve made a strong name for myself in Madison as someone who stands by their principles (100% voting record with Wisconsin Family Action last session) but also shows a commitment to getting things done.
In addition to my work in the Assembly, I have continued to invest in local small businesses, I’m a partner at Starting Point Fitness in Germantown and am also deeply involved in our local nonprofit soccer club, Lake Country FC.
My wife, Hannah, and I were married in 2015 and had our first child in 2016. Today we have three kids – Elizabeth, 10; Thomas, 8; and Henry, 6 – and enjoy our home in Pewaukee Wisconsin.
4. What are your accomplishments?
Cutting Red Tape for Businesses: I am incredibly proud of the work we’ve done on JCRAR. I authored and passed the REINS Act (MacIver Institute: Part III: Elected Lawmakers use REINS Act to Reclaim Constitutional Authority | Assembly District 15) , a regulatory rule reform bill that limits the power of unelected bureaucrats in Madison and protects Wisconsin businesses from expensive government overreach. This was a first of its kind, and a few states have passed it since, but we were the first.
Supporting Individual Freedoms: Through my leadership on JCRAR, I led the legislature in blocking Governor Evers’ overreach during COVID. Using the safeguards established through our regulatory reform, JCRAR was able to end the administrative orders that required extensive masking and stay-at-home requirements that impacted our schools and places of business. We were able to find the stay-at-home orders, the masking orders and daycare masking orders through our work on JCRAR.
Responsible Technology: I authored a landmark bill to regulate the use of AI images and “deepfakes” in political campaign ads (Rep. Neylon’s Bill on Campaign Ads with Artificial Intelligence Signed into Law | Assembly District 15). Because of my legislation, Wisconsin is protected from false and misleading campaign ads made with AI visuals, and other states are now modeling their legislation after ours. While I am an avid user of emerging technologies, I strongly believe that commonsense restrictions and guardrails, like this legislation, are needed to ensure technology enhances our lives rather than impeding them.
Developing our Future Workforce: I created a Robotics grant program to support manufacturing and technology development in local schools ( Grants | FIRST Wisconsin ). The Robotics League Participation Grant offers schools up to $6,000 to match private business funds secured to support school robots programs.
I have many others I’d love to discuss!
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