7/13/11 – The state Legislature’s proposed redistricting plan would force a number of cities to re-draw the boundaries they already drafted for their new Common Council wards. Dan Thompson of the League of Wisconsin Municipalities says most cities have spent a lot of time and various resources working on new aldermanic boundaries. And Thompson says those cities might have to go back to “square one,” and re-draw the lines to fit those drafted by state legislative Republicans and the G-O-P’s attorneys. State law prohibits city wards to have two or more state Assembly or Senate districts. Beaver Dam’s Director of Administration John Somers says he was surprised to see the state plan come out before cities even finished their maps. Somers says it’s too early to tell how the city will be affected. Republicans issued their maps last Friday for Wisconsin’s new Assembly, Senate, and U-S House districts. Democrats and others accused the G-O-P of loading up the districts with their voters, with the apparent goal of keeping the Legislature in Republican hands for 10 years. Legal challenges are expected.
