Bay Joins Challenge Against County Board Redistricting Plan

The Whitefish Bay Village Board unanimously adopted a resolution Monday opposing the Milwaukee County Board's plan to split the village's representation on the board.

The County Board on April 21 that would cut the board from 19 members to 18 members and would eliminate the seat of Supervisor Joe Rice, a conservative who has been on the board since 2004. 

A former Whitefish Bay trustee, Rice made an appearance at Monday's meeting to speak out against the redistricting plan.

“It really does have a very direct impact on Whitefish Bay,” he said. “For the first time since 1970, Whitefish Bay is divided into multiple supervisory districts.”

Rice said various groups – from the Milwaukee Chamber of Commerce to the NAACP to newspaper editorial boards – have condemned the redistricting plan for reducing minority representation and possibly violating the state's Open Meetings Law.

The resolution passed by the Village Board Monday night urges the County Board to comply with state statutes requiring village notification prior to the preliminary adoption of the plan. The resolution also states the plan should not favor incumbents, disenfranchise minorities or fragment a geographically compact minority community. It also calls on the board to hold additional public hearings about the details of the plan.

A similar resolution was unanimously approved by the Intergovernmental Cooperation Council of Milwaukee County on May 9. The ICC is a consortium of municipalities in Milwaukee County.

In a letter to municipalities, Franklin Mayor and ICC Chairman Tom Taylor and Greenfield Mayor and ICC Vice Chairman Michael Neitzke said the resolution is meant to send a message.

“Many have commented upon the transparent attempt to gerrymander the North Shore to achieve political objectives,” they wrote. “The intent of the ICC resolution is that a representative redistricting outcome will only result if the redistricting process is open and transparent, allowing for public education and engagement.”

The village received word of the new boundaries on fom the county on May 4 without being consulted previously.

Currently, Rice’s 6th District includes all of Whitefish Bay, Fox Point, River Hills and Bayside, and parts of Glendale and Milwaukee.

The new ward map places Rice’s home in the district served by Gerry Broderick, who lives on the East Side of Milwaukee and has served on the board since July 2002. Shorewood will continue to be a part of Broderick’s district.

The northern part of Whitefish Bay will be represented by Willie Johnson Jr. of Milwaukee. That district would also include River Hills, Fox Point and Bayside, communities now represented by Rice.

The ICC will host a panel discussion about the redistricting plan from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. June 22 at the Whitefish Bay Women's Club, 600 E. Henry Clay St. The forum moderator will be Rob Henken, President of the Public Policy Forum.