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Star Tribune Wed, 04 Jun 2008 06:14:17 GMT
Shorewood may revert to at-large council seats

The city adopted its ward boundaries six years ago, but a hearing on Monday could lead to at-large voting this fall. Shorewood is rethinking its six-year-old ward system and may decide that residents of the small bedroom community had a greater voice in city government when all its voters could elect all its council members at-large. After a public hearing next Monday, the City Council could vote to dismantle the wards before the election of three of four city council members and the mayor this fall. Wards are created to guarantee representation to residents of all parts of a city. That was the council's goal in 2002 when it carved up long, skinny Shorewood into four wards. But ward opponents say that in a town of 7,400 people, roughly half of them of voting age, holding at-large elections every two years would keep residents interested in city government and give them more power to hold the City Council accountable.

[[keywords: Elections;Metro;]]