Update: The City Council on Tuesday decided not to move ahead with putting either question on the spring ballot. A motion to do so was not seconded — essentially killing the proposed referenda.
Should South Milwaukee voters weigh in on the size and full-time status of the Milwaukee County Board?
The City Council will consider that issue on Tuesday night, when we discuss and potentially act on two potential advisory referendums that several other communities are adding to their local April ballots.
One asks voters if supervisors should be part-time, instead of full-time, positions. The other under consideration would ask voters if the board should be reduced from its current 18 members to nine.
Five other local councils have already voted to bring these questions before voters next spring, and the County Board had considered calling for a similar countywide referendum — an effort that now appears dead.
Where do I stand? Let me start by saying I think we have a terrific county supervisor in Pat Jursik. She is smart, hard-working, passionate and focused on positive change, and she truly cares about her constituents.
Even so, I absolutely support a smaller county board, and nine seems about right. (I’m not sure about the part-time issue.)
I am just not sure these local referendums will make any difference toward this end.
With only a handful of the county’s communities planning to ask the questions, their effectiveness is limited, and the message they may send would be severely weakened. And with these questions only being advisory in nature, you have to ask: How seriously will county supervisors take the results? My guess: Not very.
Any referendum on this issue should be countywide. Only then would it carry significant weight with the people who need to hear the message the loudest: the county board.
While I am open to hearing other arguments, I am hesitant to support putting this on the ballot only in South Milwaukee. It strikes me as a waste of time.
What do you think? Post your comments below!
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