MADISON - Sen. Bob Jauch (D-Poplar) and Rep. Nick Milroy (D-Superior) are asking Gov. Jim Doyle to veto a bill requiring regional representation on the UW Board of Regents.

The bill would require that seven Regents come from specific regions of the state.  Supporters say the bill is needed to prevent southeastern Wisconsin from dominating the board.

Currently, twelve of the eighteen Regents are from the Milwaukee and Madison areas.  The others are from Neenah, Green Bay, Platteville, La Crosse, Eau Claire, and Wausau.

However, in a letter to the governor, Jauch and Milroy called the legislation "seriously flawed" and said creating regional Regents could actually disenfranchise some citizens.  The proposal would place Superior and Ashland in the same Regents district as Eau Claire and River Falls.

The lawmakers said it's unlikely someone from Superior or Ashland would be appointed to the board if there was already a member from the Chippewa Valley.

Jauch and Milroy said the bill could impair the Governor from appointing the best qualified candidates, and could create geographic divisiveness within the UW System.  "There is no doubt that elected officials and others will see the regional Regent as 'their Regent' and expect that the individual's job is to represent 'their area' instead of considering the best interests of the State as a whole," the lawmakers wrote.

Doyle has not announced his plans for the bill.

Letter to Governor Doyle UW Regent Veto Request.pdf