Amid all the speculation to find out who will replace Ald. Eli Judge, District 8, on the Madison City Council in the past week, there is another public office that has been sorely neglected: that of the Dane County supervisor.

Since being elected in April, District 5 Supervisor Wyndham Manning has kept things under the radar. While we’re not yet sure if that’s because he is still trying to find his foothold on the board or because of sheer laziness, until now we have had little reason to say anything of note regarding his tenure in office, as it has appeared as if he’s done nothing of consequence.

Last month, he had his first chance to define himself as a responsible representative. At the Nov. 17 meeting of the Dane County Board, an amendment to the 2009 operating budget proposed striking five new sheriff’s deputies and moving the more than $250,000 freed up as a result to support a worker outreach program. The amendment was designed as a punitive measure for Sheriff Dave Mahoney’s decision to report illegal immigrants arrested for criminal offenses to federal authorities.

During the meeting, County Board Chair Scott McDonell made a reasoned argument to vote against the reallocation, noting that though he and many of his constituents believe the sheriff’s actions are wrong, this was not the way to hold him accountable.

While that argument seemed to sway 29 members of the board, six still dissented, including Manning.

While we don’t know his exact rationale for supporting the amendment — as the only remarks he made during the meeting other than “aye” or “no” was a tribute to American armed forces before the pledge of allegiance — his interview with us last year revealed a sharp distaste for Mahoney’s policies because, as he put it, they would decrease the amount of diversity in Dane County.

Manning not only does his constituents a disservice by voting against law enforcement increases when crime is on the rise, but he also does himself a disservice by signing on to such a vengeful budget cut without articulating why.

This is not representation. Until Manning decides to either stop engaging in political slap fights or at least explain why he won’t, we still consider District 5 vacant.