Brookfield Committee Votes Down Redistricting Resolution

BROOKFIELD, WI — The Legislative and Licensing Committee voted down a resolution that would have had the city urge the state legislature to create a nonpartisan redistricting panel.

The committee voted 4-1 Tuesday to disapprove the resolution, which was proposed by Aldermen Brad Blumer and Mike Hallquist.

The Brookfield Common Council will vote on the resolution on Aug. 17, even though the committee disapproved.

Hallquist, who isn't on the committee but spoke at the meeting, said that he felt that state and federal issues have impact down to the county and city.

“The state is two freight trains that are already dead set on colliding with each other at the state level, and unfortunately the fallout of that rests on residents of Wisconsin,” Blumer said at the meeting. Asking state representatives as a city to start a new redistricting panel wouldn’t be a burden on the committee, he said.

Other committee members disputed the language used in the resolution, saying it was highly partisan while presenting itself as nonpartisan.

“This resolution states that we on behalf of the city insist on the state government to take a certain action,” Alderman Mark Nelson, who voted to disapprove, said at the meeting. “It’s difficult to see this proposed resolution as a bipartisan effort, given the comments and resolution attack the party now in control.”

The resolution would put the common council at a crossroads because it asked whether or not it would turn into an activist council, Brookfield Mayor Steve Ponto said at the meeting.

“This is not within our prerogative,” Ponto said. “And if we start doing this we open the floodgates of many other resolutions.”

The resolution came from conversations and meetings that Blumer had with a group of residents, Blumer told Patch. Even cities such as Brookfield had lopsided representation because of natural representative districts, he said.

See Also: Brookfield Special Session Will Vote On Redistricting Resolution