Mayor Paul Soglin and city council members held rival press conferences Friday defending and attacking the current balance of power, respectively.
In response to city council efforts to curtail his committee appointment powers, Soglin proposed the creation of a committee to evaluate the structure of city government. But council members behind the original efforts said Soglin’s proposal does not address the specific issues they hope to solve.
For the second time this month, Soglin and what he refers to as “The Secret Six,” held rival press conferences defending their respective positions on the issue. Soglin continues to paint the effort to limit his powers as an act of retribution for committee assignments while “The Secret Six” said their efforts are just an example of progressive government reform.
The proposal in question is not an example of clean government, Soglin said. He said the effort has no regard for city or public input in the process. He also added that the proposal was a “rush job” to get it passed by May. Such a drastic change to the structure of city government should be decided by the public via referendum, he said.
Ald. Mark Clear, District 19, one of the six supporting the proposal, said he disputes this narrative and said there is no intent to rush the process of changing city government.
Clear said the proposal has nothing to do with any slights he may have received from the mayor in the past. He added that the move instead stems from the need to fix a glaring structural issue.
“In state Legislatures and in Congress, the Speaker of the House appoints council members,” Clear said. “This is about [Soglin] clinging to his powers.”
Should the council move to adopt changes to the mayor’s powers, Soglin said he would veto the resolution and an override would require at least 14 alders to vote in favor.
