The Madison Capital Times has once again come out against reducing the size of the Dane County Board. They oppose a measure that would reduce the Board from 37 to 19. They write, "Slashing the size of the board will not make supervisors better representatives. It will not make them more 'connected' with constituents. And it will not increase the importance of the board except, perhaps, to special interest campaign contributors who see an opportunity to gain the same sort of influence over the political process at the local level that they currently enjoy at the state and national levels."
In Winnebago County the situation is somewhat different. Special interests would like to see a smaller county board not to gain the same sort of influence over the political process they currently enjoy at the state and national levels, but to gain the same sort of influence they currently enjoy with the city of Oshkosh government. Can you imagine what a small Winnebago County Board would have done with Park View Nursing Home? Alzheimher's patients would soon be dodging Hazel Street traffic and soccer balls from Menominee Park because the small board would have eagerly given developer Ben Ganther the green light to build the home at the site of the old Mercy Medical Center.
I'm no big fan of the 38 member Winnebago County Board of Supervisors. Their budget deliberations leave much to be desired. But compared to the 7 member Oshkosh Common Council--secrecy obsessed, equally troubling budget deliberations, and with 6 members ready to set fire to the state statutes if the city attorney tells them to--the Board looks like a dignifed Roman Senate.
Previous blog entries on county board size can be found here and here.
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