MILWAUKEE - In a narrow 11-9 vote, a sharply divided countywide intergovernmental body voted Monday to deny County Board Chairwoman Marina Dimitrijevic's request to have voting powers.

In May, Dimitrijevic attended a meeting of the Intergovernmental Cooperation Council of Milwaukee County and asked to have a vote alongside the 19 mayors and village presidents and County Executive Chris Abele.

Members of the ICC take up a myriad issues, including shared services arrangements and issues of interest across the county. Some of the items discussed are under the county's jurisdiction a point Dimitrijevic rose in her pitch to be a 21st voting member on the council.

"This is about demonstrating a spirit of cooperation," Dimitrijevic said this week, before the ICC discussed and voted on the request. "I think actions speak louder than words." Proponents of Dimitrijevic's request lauded the overtures she's made in the past three months since being appointed chairwoman by the majority of her elected colleagues on the County Board.

But opponents expressed concern of straying away from the ICC's original mission. The sitting 20 members are directly elected to their leadership positions. While Dimitrijevic is voted into office as a County Board member, she is appointed to her leadership role.

Franklin Mayor Tom Taylor, who chairs the ICC, was among the supporters.

"This is about working together and putting any sort of partisanship aside," Taylor said. "This is the essence of the Intergovernmental Cooperation Council. We seek out cooperation whenever we can." Under previous leadership, relations between the ICC and county were, at times, strained. Case in point: last year's redistricting caused controversy when some municipal leaders believed their opinions were not taken into account.

But Taylor said he is already starting to notice some of the changes.

"Everything that the chairwoman is doing signals that she is listening to us," Taylor said. "It's a new day. I think the public would welcome us working together." In the past, the elected officials appointed to the positions of County Board chair and Milwaukee Common Council president have been considered ex-officio members of the ICC, meaning they are welcome to offer input, but are unable to vote.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett also voted in favor of giving Dimitrijevic a seat at the table, but followed up with a caveat.

"We've been talking about cooperation, and there's nothing wrong with that," Barrett said. "But I'm here to say that if Council President (Willie) Hines asks to have a vote on this body, I'm going to be very supportive of it. I just wanted to be on the record." Greenfield Mayor Michael Neitzke was among the officials who voted against Dimitrijevic's proposal. With Abele already on the board, Neitzke cautioned that two county officials could shift the ICC's original mission.

"The concern I have is the issues percolating at the county level," Neitzke said. "I wouldn't want the county executive and County Board chair sounding off in this body." But Neitzke also praised Dimitrijevic for the commitment she has displayed to date.

"She's been here for the past three meetings, and I think it's spades above what the previous county chair did," Neitzke said. "I don't view this as a vote against cooperation. Far from it." While he did not explain his reasoning, Abele was among the dissenters at this week's meeting.

In a prepared statement hours after the ICC's vote, Dimitrijevic pledged to continue the collaborative efforts she has been touting in recent months.

"Today's ICC vote was very close, and I appreciate the broad spectrum of support I received from all four corners of the county," Dimitrijevic said in the statement. "We've come a long way already in recent months."