Caution urged on shrinking board -from Waukesha County

JS ONLINE: NEWS: WAUKESHA:
E-MAIL PRINTTHIS STORY
Caution urged on shrinking board
Citizens group uneasy with cutting supervisors
By SCOTT WILLIAMSswilliams@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Mar. 16, 2006
Waukesha - Organizers of a political movement that toppled Milwaukee County leaders and spawned similar efforts elsewhere are voicing reservations about a grass-roots push to downsize the Waukesha County Board.
Advertisement
var r = Math.round((Math.random() * 2000000))+ '-' + Math.round((Math.random() * 2000000))+ 10;
var url = 'http://adq.nextag.com/buyer/dyad/160x600s.jsp?s=1491&p=2884' + '&ord=' + r;
var frameContent = '';
document.write(frameContent);
Waukesha County Board
Recent Coverage
3/13/06: Group launches drive to shrink County Board 3/8/06: Editorial: Debate board size rationally 3/7/06: Downsizing draws heated discussion 3/6/06: Petition drive aims to cut County Board2/27/06: Big county boards common across state, but not nation 2/20/06: Supervisors assail proposal to reduce County Board 2/16/06: Think smaller, taxpayers group says 2/13/06: Officials wary of plan to cut County Board 2/10/06: Vrakas' proposal to trim board gets mixed reception 2/8/06: Vrakas touts successes thus far
Citizens for Responsible Government, which was born out of a Milwaukee County pension scandal, has had a hand in defeating a Waukesha school referendum and recalling a Pewaukee mayor.
But leaders of the group are taking issue with former associates now leading the drive to slash the size of the County Board from 35 members to 11.
Chris Kliesmet, executive administrator for the Milwaukee-based group, said he fears that cutting the board would open the door to transforming Waukesha County's part-time supervisors into full-time politicians.
"Downsizing is a good thing; however, you have to be careful," Kliesmet said. "You don't want to create a professional class of politicians. That is the root of the problem."
Orville Seymer, another leader of group, said activists trying to make county government more efficient and less costly should instead work to trim the $9,121-a-year salary paid to supervisors.
Seymer said a smaller board would force supervisors to spend more time campaigning and less time serving their constituents.
"You're consolidating power - you've got to be a little bit cautious about that," he said. "A dictatorship is the most efficient form of government there is, and I don't think anybody is advocating that."
Some of those same arguments have been raised by County Board members opposed to downsizing.
Proponents of a smaller County Board have dismissed such concerns as a smokescreen, saying that supervisors would not have to become full-time and that downsizing would save taxpayers money.
Christine Lufter, president of the Waukesha Taxpayers League, said about 300 people have stepped forward offering help since the league started circulating petitions Monday for a countywide referendum on the issue.
A public rally is planned tonight in Oconomowoc to promote the petition drive.
Lufter said the overriding sentiment of those getting involved is that county government should not require 35 elected representatives. The fact that some Citizens for Responsible Government leaders disagree, she said, is not a significant setback.
"They're not the authority and end-all as far as conservative groups go," she said.
The taxpayers league used to be affiliated with the group, but those ties were severed recently just as the County Board fight was taking shape.
Representatives of both organizations said disagreement over the County Board issue was not a factor in the breakup. "They're looking to establish their own identity," Kliesmet said.
Founded in 1989 by a group of residents opposed to rising taxes, the league has been active in local elections, government budget debates and other issues. It lost a fight in 1999 to stop expansion at Waukesha County Technical College but helped defeat a Waukesha School District spending increase last year.
If the league collects about 10,000 valid signatures on its petition within 60 days, voters will get a chance, possibly in September, to decide on downsizing the County Board to 11 members.
Such a change would increase each supervisor's district from about 11,000 residents to more than 30,000.
County Executive Dan Vrakas, whose candidacy was supported by the taxpayers league last summer, has submitted plans for trimming the County Board to 25 or 19 part-time members, also with the goal of saving money.
Don Taylor, chairman of the county Republican Party, said he has not made up his mind whether a smaller County Board would achieve the desired goals of efficiency and tax savings.
"I can see arguments on both sides," he said. "I'm actually in favor of smaller government - I just want to make sure that's what we get."
Debra Kohler, spokeswoman for Pewaukeeans for Better Government, a group that worked with Citizens for Responsible Government to recall Pewaukee Mayor Jeff Nowak, said her organization has not taken a stand on the County Board issue.
Kohler said she shares concerns that a smaller board could backfire with inflated salaries and poor representation.
"There needs to be a lot more conversation and a lot more debate," she said.
County Supervisor Rodell Singert is pushing for the County Board to decide the issue sooner rather than later.
Singert, a downsizing supporter from Vernon, has been working behind the scenes to call a special board meeting to consider Vrakas' downsizing plan.
Singert said he would continue to push for a smaller board, which he said has strong public support.
"The people are asking for this," he said. "And I don't think it's unreasonable."
The Waukesha Taxpayers League rally is scheduled for 6:30 tonight at Waukesha State Bank, 1227 Corporate Center Drive, Oconomowoc. On the Web: http://www.waukeshataxpayersleague.com/, http://www.crgnetwork.com/, http://www.waukeshacounty.gov/
From the Mar. 16, 2006 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Have an opinion on this story? Write a letter to the editor or start an online forum.Subscribe today and receive 4 weeks free! Sign up now.