RACINE — Six aldermen are officially ending their boycott of the Common Council following the approval of ordinances, including changes to how items are added to the council agenda.
The boycott halted the Oct. 1 council meeting because the council did not have enough members to reach a quorum.
Previous Coverage: https://www.tmj4.com/news/racine-county/six-racine-common-council-members-boycott-meeting-over-governance-concerns-other-alders-blindsided-by-move
During public comment, some residents voiced their frustration at the six alders boycotting, like James Poplawski.
“This has been for years, the procedure here in the city,” said Poplawski. “Well then, let's discuss it and work together to fix it or change it, or at least talk about it. Don't pull a stunt, not show up, and do the job you were elected to do.”
At issue is an ordinance passed in 2019 that shifted council communications and agenda-setting from the council to the mayor's and clerk’s offices in order to streamline communications.
“As it stands now, for example, if I submitted those ordinances to the clerk and the mayor, I would never know when those items would go to what committee until I saw them on the agenda,” Alderperson Sandy Weidner said during the meeting.
Watch: BOYCOTT OVER: Racine alders return to council, hear reactions from residents
The boycotting aldermen believe the ordinance passed Tuesday night at the council meeting, which was originally approved by the Committee of the Whole on Aug. 8, will restore balance to city government.
The six were expecting to see the ordinance and two others on the agenda for the Oct. 1 meeting. When they didn’t see it there, they launched the boycott.
They believed the mayor blocked this item from going to full council initially. It wasn’t until last Thursday that the executive committee passed the ordinance on to full council.
Keith Fair, a Racine resident and former alderman, supported the boycotting aldermen and believed the mayor had too much power in delegating where agenda items would go, if at all.
“That’s all that these people are asking for—this system of checks and balances, which has been instilled in our history for years and years and years,” Fair said.
Before, only ordinances approved by a standing committee were reported to the Common Council unless otherwise required by law.
Now, with the modification, all communications will appear before the council and be referred to a committee. Any communications and ordinances approved, disapproved, or received and filed by a standing committee will be reported at the next meeting of the Common Council.
“We are all on the same page,” Alderperson Weidner said during the meeting. “We know what items are being referred to committee and that those items will be taken up in those committees.”
The most noticeable absence Tuesday night was Mayor Cory Mason.
The new method of distributing communications will go into effect 60 days from publication.
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