A group of Milwaukee County municipal leaders will hold its own public hearings aimed at pressuring the County Board to change its redistricting plan in favor of a greater downsizing. The group, which includes all of the county's mayors cheap mac brushes and village presidents, may also draft its own alternative County Board redistricting plan, members of the Intergovernmental Cooperation Council's redistricting committee said Wednesday.
And the group may file a lawsuit against the county over its redistricting plan, though that effort will wait while other moves are tried to prod the county to voluntarily change course on the politically sensitive issue. The smaller is better argument contends a slimmed down County Board would be more effective and cost less. Supervisors now are paid $50,679 a year, plus get health benefits.
The County Board last month gave preliminary approval to a remap that would cut the number of supervisors' districts by one, to 18. That vote came despite criticism the plan was rushed, failed to substantially trim the number of supervisors and didn't give enough voice to minorities. The plan also drew flack for eliminating Supervisor Joseph Rice's north shore district.
The intergovernmental group also has charged that the county violated state law by failing to explicitly solicit input from municipal officials. That could be the key to a potential lawsuit. In short, the board's plan is unfair, said Franklin mac makeup concealer chairman of the intergovernmental group. He said he couldn't recall any issue that had united the group so thoroughly unusual given the ICC's diverse membership.
Taylor said he had requested a meeting with County Board Chairman Lee Holloway on redistricting, but had gotten no response. County Board spokesman Harold Mester said he could find no record of Taylor's request. Holloway declined to comment on the ICC's push to overturn the County Board's redistricting plan. Supervisor Michael Mayo Sr. has defended the plan as having been done fairly and properly. Mayo heads the board's redistricting panel.
Taylor called for scheduling four or more public meetings on redistricting at different locations around the county over the next month. At those meetings, the county's preliminary plan would be presented, as well as plans by other supervisors that sought greater cuts in the board size.
Two community forums on redistricting have already been scheduled separately from the wholesale mac cosmetics panel discussion on redistricting and its impact on Milwaukee's African American community will feature Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Common Council President Willie Hines, Mayo and state Sen. Spencer Coggs (D Milwaukee). A second panel at the brainstorming meeting will include Milwaukee NAACP President James Hall. June 22 at the Whitefish Bay Women's Club, 600 E. Henry Clay St.
River Hills Village President Bob Brunner said alternatives to the County Board approved plan should be presented at the public meetings that cuts more seats from the board so the meetings don't become merely venues to air criticism. Proponents of a major downsizing of the Milwaukee County Board contend a smaller board would be focused on major issues. The Greater Milwaukee Committee has suggested cutting the board to between seven and 11 members.
While the national average number of county supervisors is fewer than seven, Milwaukee County's 19 supervisors are not unusual in Wisconsin. Only 13 of the state's 72 counties have smaller boards than Milwaukee County. Meanwhile cheap benefit makeup formally rejected Rice's complaint that the County Board violated the state open meetings law when it approved its redistricting plan April 21. Rice said the board failed to provide adequate advance notice it planned to vote on the plan that day, but Jorgensen said the two hours notice given that day coupled with news coverage on the issue was adequate.
And the group may file a lawsuit against the county over its redistricting plan, though that effort will wait while other moves are tried to prod the county to voluntarily change course on the politically sensitive issue. The smaller is better argument contends a slimmed down County Board would be more effective and cost less. Supervisors now are paid $50,679 a year, plus get health benefits.
The County Board last month gave preliminary approval to a remap that would cut the number of supervisors' districts by one, to 18. That vote came despite criticism the plan was rushed, failed to substantially trim the number of supervisors and didn't give enough voice to minorities. The plan also drew flack for eliminating Supervisor Joseph Rice's north shore district.
The intergovernmental group also has charged that the county violated state law by failing to explicitly solicit input from municipal officials. That could be the key to a potential lawsuit. In short, the board's plan is unfair, said Franklin mac makeup concealer chairman of the intergovernmental group. He said he couldn't recall any issue that had united the group so thoroughly unusual given the ICC's diverse membership.
Taylor said he had requested a meeting with County Board Chairman Lee Holloway on redistricting, but had gotten no response. County Board spokesman Harold Mester said he could find no record of Taylor's request. Holloway declined to comment on the ICC's push to overturn the County Board's redistricting plan. Supervisor Michael Mayo Sr. has defended the plan as having been done fairly and properly. Mayo heads the board's redistricting panel.
Taylor called for scheduling four or more public meetings on redistricting at different locations around the county over the next month. At those meetings, the county's preliminary plan would be presented, as well as plans by other supervisors that sought greater cuts in the board size.
Two community forums on redistricting have already been scheduled separately from the wholesale mac cosmetics panel discussion on redistricting and its impact on Milwaukee's African American community will feature Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, Common Council President Willie Hines, Mayo and state Sen. Spencer Coggs (D Milwaukee). A second panel at the brainstorming meeting will include Milwaukee NAACP President James Hall. June 22 at the Whitefish Bay Women's Club, 600 E. Henry Clay St.
River Hills Village President Bob Brunner said alternatives to the County Board approved plan should be presented at the public meetings that cuts more seats from the board so the meetings don't become merely venues to air criticism. Proponents of a major downsizing of the Milwaukee County Board contend a smaller board would be focused on major issues. The Greater Milwaukee Committee has suggested cutting the board to between seven and 11 members.
While the national average number of county supervisors is fewer than seven, Milwaukee County's 19 supervisors are not unusual in Wisconsin. Only 13 of the state's 72 counties have smaller boards than Milwaukee County. Meanwhile cheap benefit makeup formally rejected Rice's complaint that the County Board violated the state open meetings law when it approved its redistricting plan April 21. Rice said the board failed to provide adequate advance notice it planned to vote on the plan that day, but Jorgensen said the two hours notice given that day coupled with news coverage on the issue was adequate.