This is why State Senate elections are structured as they are: two 4-year terms, followed by one two-year term just prior to the reapportionment process. Senators are in their two-year term as we speak and will run next year.
The same should be structured for 4-year terms on the City Council. Jurisdictions with staggered terms are usually unaffected, but those in the first of a 4-year term when redistricting takes place get 3 years representing new districts without having been elected by new constituents for most of that term. It's worth checking, but I'm guessing that councilmembers might represent areas that did not elect them or lose areas that did for purposes of city management. Ward lines should not wait until January of 2006 to take effect. The charter should be revised or a state law passed making reapportionment year terms two years so elections can take place not long after the redistricting occurs. And, since you don't want the Mayor staggered with the Council every other decade, that office should also have a 2-year term to coincide with the Council. And it's not too late to have court order that elections this year run for two, not four years, based on the possible disenfranchisement issue. Andy Driscoll Saint Paul ------ "The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who, in times of moral crisis, remain neutral" --Dante > From: "David Brauer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2001 10:34:40 > -0500 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: [Mpls] City redistricting > > on 10/23/01 9:21 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > >> Redistricting is not done until the state has redistricted. That has to be >> done by 3/15/02 and, if it's not, it then goes to the courts. A >> redistricting committee is established by the Council. That will be done in >> 2002 and the new lines will be in effect by November 2002 when all County >> Commissioners will run. If I'm not mistaken, I believe all Council seats >> will be up in 2003 using the new lines. >> > > Although questioning Karen Collier carries heavy risks, I think she is wrong: > the council members elected this year will serve full four-year terms until > �05. Terrell Brown is right; this is an unfortunate mathematical confluence > (�01 election, �02 redistricting, �05 first post-redistricting election.) > > My question is: after the city redistricts in �02, do council members serve > their �01 election districts or the new post-redistricting boundaries. (My > guess is they serve the current �01 districts until �05.) > > In other words, could I be voting for a 10th ward council member this year > but be in the 11th ward next year? > > David Brauer > King Field � Ward 10 > > > _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get > your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com > > _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil > City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls > _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
