Yesterday the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors approved of its redistricting plan with a vote of 13-6. With this vote, the county moves forward to the 2012 election cycle with 18 districts, down one from the current 19. The district chopped off comes via Supervisor Joesph Rice's district, which was a district representing the North Shore suburbs. Rice was usually part of the minority on the County Board, generally siding with a more conservative suburban bloc versus the majority, more Democratic bloc flanked by supervisors from the City of Milwaukee.
Franklin Mayor Tom Taylor has been a strong opponent of the county's redistricting plan, siding with the rest of the Mayors and Village Presidents of all 19 county municipalities, including the City of Milwaukee. Through the Intergovernmental Cooperation Council (ICC), they have worked closely with the Greater Milwaukee Committee in seeking a significant reduction to the County Board. While there is the elimination of one supervisor in the plan that passed, the ICC and GMC were seeking a reduction of 10+ supervisors, down to a level where perhaps 7 supervisors (instead of the present 19) would conduct the county's business.
With the new districts put in place beginning in the 2012 election cycle, though, the City of Franklin will see an increased representation on the County Board. Presently, Franklin is represented via two supervisors, Paul Cesarz of the 9th District and Mark Borkowski of the 11th District. Under the new plan, Cesarz and Borkowski will both give up certain portions of Franklin to make way for an additional supervisor, Joe Sanfelippo of the 17th District. If all three seek re-election and win in April, 2012, those individuals will be Franklin's supervisors on the County Board. Sanfelippo will be taking over representation mostly in the 1st and 2nd aldermanic districts, from the Wyndham subdivisions and Ben Franklin neighborhoods all the way to the Red Wing Meadows and Stonewood subdivisions south of Puetz Road.
