So, a week ago everyone thought that Mo Cheeks was running for President and Marsha Rummel was running for Pro Tem (soon to be called the Vice President) . . . until last Thursday . . .
I don’t know all the inner workings but here’s what I’ve heard . . .
– Denise DeMarb decided to run for council president again last Thursday.
– At first, Mo Cheeks wasn’t going to challenge her, and just stay in the Pro Tem position.
– Late over the weekend, Mo Cheeks decided that he was still running for President, not Pro Tem.
What happens today, who knows. It takes eleven votes and there seem to be a solid 8 on each side, with a few in the middle that haven’t been nailed down. And might not know what they are doing until they vote tonight.
Here’s a bigger problem. The mayor. He has lost all faith and confidence in both Denise DeMarb and Mo Cheeks as they are part of the secret 6 that blindsided him with the “reform” package. So, if either of them are elected, the council is going to have a crappy relationship with the Mayor, as if it wasn’t already bad enough. On the other hand, no one else seems willing to run.
So, whatever happens, expect hurt feelings, bad relations between the Mayor and Council for another year and more infighting.
And, in case you’re wondering, does it take a majority of the votes or 11 votes to elect a council president? City Attorney Michael May says 11 votes in a memo sent to all alders:
Alder Rummel:
You were not the only person to ask this question, so I am sending a copy of this response to the entire Council.
When the Council considers the election of its officers, it devolves into the Committee of the Whole (COW). When acting as the COW, it is just like another committee of the council and is not the Council itself acting. See Robert’s Rules (11th Ed.), sec. 52, page 531, l.18-21. As a committee, it is subject to the general rule for committees that a matter is approved if it is supported by a majority of those in attendance, so long as that is also a majority of the quorum. Sec. 33.01(8)(d), MGO. Therefore, the COW could approve the election of the officers with a vote of 10-9 if one member were absent.
However, this is only half the story. Like other committees, the COW must report out its recommendation to the full Council. There is nothing in the nature of the elections of officers that changes the established rule that “ [a] majority of all the members shall be necessary to a confirmation.” Sec. 62.11(3)(a), Wis. Stats. The same rule is set forth in sec. 2.18, MGO. Therefore, although the COW may make a recommendation to the Council by a simple majority, once the COW adjourns and reports to the Council, a motion to accept the COW report by the Council and approve the election of the officers is still subject to the rule of 11.
In the end, it will take 11 votes of the Council to approve the report and elect the officers chosen by the COW.
Michael P. May
City Attorney
City of Madison
The council is in room 260 in the Municipal Building tonight, because the county board will be electing their leadership across the street at 7:00.
