A Primer on Local Government Bodies: Learn the Difference!

It's hard to fathom, especially for a trained journalist and news junkie, but some people don't know the difference between the city council and the county board.

Where were they during third-grade civics class? Do schools even teach civics anymore?

Cities are divided into wards. Each ward has one representative on the city council, or in Menominee's case, two. It depends on the city charter. (Marinette was reduced from nine wards to eight about a decade ago, but its council has an at-large representative, a sort of tie breaker. Uneven numbers are good!)

Counties are divided into districts, too, and it most cases, each has one representative on the county board.

Some areas have only city councils, also called common councils. But both Marinette and Menominee are county seats, or county capitols, so to speak, each with a courthouse. And each county is overseen by a county board.

Marinette's is large, a rather unwieldy 30 members. Menominee's is smaller, with only eight members.

Normally, both bodies meet at least once, sometimes twice a month. They also have committees, and each member serves on 1-3 committees or commissions (the latter tend to be made of up citizens who are appointed, not elected, too, but we will save that for another time).

Generally speaking, items up for discussion are first brought to committees. After discussion, a recommendation may be made, or the item may be tabled so more information may be obtained.

Or, the item may be transferred to a more appropriate committee for further consideration. Once that occurs, the item is passed on to city council, or rejected. More often than not, I have noted in eight years of attending city council meetings monthly, and another seven years of attending sporadically, the council will make a decision immediately. (An exception is the Back Forty Mine issue. After weeks of deliberation, Marinette took a stand against the sulfide mine, while Menominee is still dithering.)

Most government bodies follow Roberts Rule of Order. Sometimes, it gets a little loose, but there is usually a member who holds the body to those rules. In Menominee a decade or so ago, it was Ernie Pintarelli, a former school teacher. Sometimes but not always, city or county attorneys are sticklers for the rules.

As a citizen and taxpayer, you are encouraged to provide feedback to public officials in the form of public comment at meetings, emails, phone calls, or letters.

They officials themselves must learn to accept criticism graciously. They have thrust themselves into the public vortex, as I once heard a media lawyer say, and they are subject to your criticism of issues as well as behavior. (That's why our current president can be criticized without repercussion.)

Elected officials must learn to accept opposing views, handle angry taxpayers and behave ethically. Beware of officials who can't handle criticism, or who get arrested or charged with a crime. That has occurred on both city councils, with varying results. It's a sign that the person elected is not of good character.

Sadly, there are few checks and balances at the local level. In many cases, the mayor is allowed to cast a tie-breaking vote, which can be good or bad, depending on the mayor's motivation. The only way to ensure that your ward or district has good representation is to read the paper, follow the news, attend public meetings and interact with your rep. (We've been lucky in my ward, having then deputy, now sheriff Jerry Sauve; highly-ethical Martha Karban and now thoughtful, educated Jason Flatt as our representatives on the city council.)

These are the basics. There are many more differences and nuances between government panels on either side of the river. You owe it to yourself to learn them firsthand.