One ward reduction supporter, Alderman Dan Guenther, D-9th Ward, urged opponents to cooperate with a yet-to-be-appointed advisory committee that is supposed to take public input on the process between now and the 2021 boundary redrawing.

The advisory panel's chairwoman says it would study how the larger wards and fewer aldermen could affect everyday operations such as delivering constituent services and allocating capital improvements money.

Guenther said the panel also could look into using analytical data and other resources from local universities to help devise the new boundary lines instead of a process in which political factors such as aldermanic seniority play a major role.

"It's in all of our interests to make sure all of our city has prosperity and growth," he said. "Now we're just voting on the fear of what might happen."

Guenther joined ward reduction opponents in voting to send Collins-Muhammad's measure to the full board.

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