“(The council) further insulates itself in an era where there’s hardly anybody running for the job,” Soglin said.

Ald. Mark Clear, District 19, said the council has moved toward professionalizing its staff, but he argued Soglin sees greater council capacity as a “threat."

With redistricting approaching in 2020, Soglin said now is the time to make structural changes. Clear, a frequent Soglin critic, said he agrees and would like to see changes put in place before the 2019 election, but he does not think Soglin should lead that effort.

“There should be resident participation in the process of making this decision,” Clear said. “Whether it should be entirely residents and not consist of any current council members, I think I would have some concern about subject matter expertise and just knowledge of the internal workings."

Clear did not speculate on structural changes but said a large council, though sometimes "unwieldy," provides advantages such as dividing the workload and fostering strong relationships with residents.

Making structural changes would also require thinking about balancing the council’s workload, Clear said.