In case you missed it yesterday, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel had an article yesteday about how county boards across the state are looking at downsizing the size of their county boards.
I think it's great that we started something like this here in Waukesha. I think the Waukesha Taxpayers League, all the volunteers and all the people with whom I've spoken about this effort should be proud of the example that we set in forcing our county board to reduce their size (if that's what they do vote today).
I think State Senator Kanavas should be proud of his bill that has not only affected the sizes of Wisconsin's county boards, but has changed the way we think about our local governments.
Finally, (and I know some will disagree with me here) I think County Executive Dan Vrakas deserves an "atta boy". If he were a do-nothing County Executive, he could have sat back and said, "Whatever the county board decides is fine. It's an internal matter with them." As it is, he burned some bridges with the board when he proposed reducing the size of the board to either 25 or 19.
I know some would like him to veto the 25 member proposal, but it was his proposal. It's just unreasonable to expect him to veto it.
I think we need to remember, too, that Vrakas pushed for this law as a member of the legislature.
And now, after an election in October when Vrakas proposed this change in the face of everyone saying it's a dead issue, after the bill was signed allowing this change at the beginning of the year and still everyone thought there would be no change, I think we've come a long way to cut ten county board members.
And this issue is far from over. We'll revisit it again at the census, probably with some new board members.
