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Two-Bit Squabble

Cheeseheads rule! Despite the fact that Wisconsin's Commemorative Quarter Council chose a theme of "early exploration" for the state's new quarter design, that turned out to be a no go.

Cheeseheads rule! Despite the fact that Wisconsin's Commemorative Quarter Council chose a theme of "early exploration" for the state's new quarter design, that turned out to be a no go. The pioneer trapper and American Indian design was not as popular with the public as one showing a cow, a wheel of cheese and an ear of corn. So Governor Jim Doyle chose the agricultural theme.

The Quarter Council was charged with sifting through the 9,000 designs submitted from residents. It put each of them into one of three themes--early exploration, agriculture and scenic Wisconsin--and then narrowed those down to three designs per theme. The group then worked with the U.S. Mint to select three finalists, since designs drawn on paper don't always lend themselves to being engraved and stamped on metal.

Controversy arose when the governor overturned the recommendation of the council after a public vote on the three designs via the Internet showed that 40 percent favored the agricultural theme, 32 percent chose the early exploration design and 28 percent wanted scenic Wisconsin.

Opponents of the agriculture theme fumed that the Internet vote was stacked and that there is more to the state than cows. But a vibrant agricultural community still exists that wants to promote its products. "In the end, do we err on the side of the public vote or err on the side of a 23-person council?" asked Kathryn Carlson, spokeswoman for the state Department of Financial Institutions.

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