Winnebago County Board continues to show disdain, disregard for electorate

Last month we told you how the new districting plan,, as a result of the Winnebago County Board voting in September to cut itself by two members, had been approved by the Winnebago County Judiciary and Public Safety Committee on a 4-1 vote. That action was taken in spite of a citizen group’s pending lawsuit against the county for refusing to accept more than 6,000 signatures to place a referendum on the spring ballot asking voters to cut the county board size in half.

Last night, on a vote of 22-14, the full Winnebago County Board approved that map, which will force run-off races in six supervisory districts between 12 current incumbent members and create vacancies in four districts.

County Executive Mark Harris tried to convince the board to wait until the lawsuit was settled, which really would have made the most sense, especially since a hearing on the matter is scheduled for just two weeks away, on Jan. 3. But the board ignored that advice. As far as I am concerned the board has acted irresponsibly in this matter from the moment it heard Citizens United to Transform the Winnebago County Board (C.U.T.) was circulating petitions to put the matter on a ballot. I said then and still believe it has been an end run around their efforts from the beginning, just to spite the group. The board’s haste and refusal to listen to common sense continues to make it look that way.

Under the newly-approved map, the following supervisors would challenge each other in the April 2008 election: Steven Arne and Chuck Farrey in the towns of Vinland and Oshkosh; Connie Drexler and Robert Warnke in the city of Oshkosh; Donna Lohry and Claud Thompson in the city of Oshkosh; Jerry Finch and County Board Vice Chairman John Schaidler in the town of Menasha; William Pollnow and Tom Widener in the city of Neenah; and Paul Eisen and Joe Hotynski in the city of Menasha.

I have thought all along that the county would lose this lawsuit and given the disregard and disdain the county board has shown for the wishes of thousands in the electorate, I now hope it does. It would serve the board right and, hopefully, teach board supervisors a lesson about trying to disregard the wishes and rights of the people they were elected to serve.