On the heels of the State of the State address Wednesday, four members of Governor Tony Evers cabinet stopped at Nicolet College in Rhinelander Thursday to meet with the public.
Director for Business and Rural Development Brad Pfaff, Secretary of Financial Institutions Kathy Blumenfeld, and Veterans Affairs Secretary Mary Kolar joined Administration Secretary Joel Brennan.
Gov. Evers said he's going to form groups to recommend how voting districts will be drawn, otherwise known as redistricting.
Brennan detailed that proposal...
"These are not going to be elected officials but people from communities around the state to look at the processes and opportunities available, what do fair maps look like? It has been acknowledged and there's been lawsuits since the last maps came out that Wisconsin has very gerrymandered districts. There's a better way of doing it...."
Wisconsin holds to a system where the party in power at the time of the census redraws the maps for the next 10 years. Democrats complained all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court that Wisconsin's districts had been rigged to favor Republicans. While that court didn't take up the case, observers say Democrats are working to establish what's called the 'Iowa model' where a non-aligned panel draws the maps. A Marquette University Law School poll showed that 72 of percent of respondents supported having a nonpartisan commission draw the maps.
Brennan also says he was impressed by the Northwoods group who spoke to the cabinet members...
"...It's impressive to see the collaborative spirit among all the actors here. Whether it's people from the banking community, the technical college, or (business leaders) who are working through economic development here. I think there are similar messages how the state can be a partner. There are already solutions that are boiling up from the local level...."
The group also flew to Superior to meet with the public there.
Meanwhile,
While Evers Administration Democrats fanned out across the state Thursday to praise the Governor's State of the State speech, Republicans were less enthused. Representative Rob Swearingen of Rhinelander says he and fellow Republicans weren't too excited about it...
"I felt fairly empty walking away, I guess I would just classify it as an underwhelming speech. I will say he focused a lot on rural Wisconsin which tells me which tells me his numbers aren't as high in rural parts of the state as they are in Madison and Milwaukee. For the first time he didn't talk mostly about Madison and Milwaukee but rural Wisconsin and farmers. That gives me some optimism, I'm optimistic, but talk is cheap..."
Swearingen says they will have to look at the proposals closer to see what Republicans can support.
