Todd Krysiak / Capital Newspapers
47th Assembly District Democratic candidate Trish O’Neil listens to a question from the audience as competitor Paul Fisk listens during a forum Wednesday at the Northern Edge Restaurant in Lodi.

LODI - The two Democratic candidates vying for the open seat of longtime state Rep. Eugene Hahn found little to disagree about during an open forum Wednesday.

On questions ranging from health care to court systems, both expressed concern about the way the Wisconsin Legislature - in particular the Assembly, which has been dominated by Republican rule - approached the issues.

Yet when it came to Gov. Jim Doyle's decision to reallocate $243 million designated for transportation costs to make up for part of a massive budget shortfall earlier this year, former Lodi Mayor Paul Fisk told the crowd at Northern Edge Restaurant that he opposed Doyle's decision.

"The money should stay where it is intended," he said in response to a question raised by a member of the audience about the decision. "We should not be raiding these segregated funds to make up for problems elsewhere."

Columbus resident Trish O'Neil told the more than 40 people in attendance that she supported the governor's decision and believes state government had to do what families across the region are doing - cutting back.

"We simply don't have enough funds," she said. "When that happens, you take money from places where it may not be needed and use it to cover the necessities."

On most other issues, the two candidates found little to disagree about, although Fisk said he believed the state needed to find a new way to fund public education.

Fisk, who served as the mayor of Lodi for 12 years, pointed to his background in local politics as a stepping stone that helped him learn what it takes to be part of a functioning government that is accountable to its constituents.

O'Neil, who formerly was president of the Columbus School Board and is a registered nurse, said she entered the race after she became "outraged at the partisan politics" she saw in Madison.

Independent 47th Assembly District candidate Dennis Hruby's supporters also made an appearance at the forum and placed a truck that served as a rolling advertisement supporting his candidacy outside the restaurant for all to see as they entered the forum.

All four Republican candidates running for the 47th District seat - Merrimac administrator Tim McCumber; Portage School Board member Steven Pate of the town of Pacific; Keith Ripp, a town of Dane supervisor and president of the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board; and Erich Ruth, a DeForest Village Board member - are expected to attend next week's Lodi forum.

Both events are sponsored by the Lodi Optimist Club. The next forum will take place at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday at Northern Edge Restaurant.

The primary election is Sept. 9, with the general election to follow Nov. 4.

Hahn, a Republican from Cambria, held the seat for nine terms before announcing his plans to retire from politics.

The 47th Assembly District includes parts of Columbia County - with the exception of Portage, Wyocena, Pardeeville, Wisconsin Dells and the towns of Wyocena, Marcellon, Fort Winnebago, Lewiston, Caledonia and Newport. It also includes the northwest corner and the northern towns of Dane County and a small portion of Sauk County.