Tony Hill: > Here is a plan for redistricting Minneapolis ward boundaries. The > ideal ward population is 29,432 (382,618 / 13). The permitted deviation > is 1471 (29,432 * 5%). The only wards in need of redistricting are 1, > 2, 6, 11, and 12, so my plan leaves the others the way they are, with > the exception of Ward 9.
Ooo...a fellow redistricting geek! Tony's plan is fascinatingly simple, though I can't comment on the ultra-local rivalries disturbed by the few chess pieces he needs to move. It won't be as easy as this, of course. Non-DFLers may have more representation on the redistricting commission this time around (though my quick read of the charter indicates that to be a major party eligible for automatic redistricting commission slots, you have to get 5 percent of the Minneapolis vote in the preceding Governor or US Senate election - sorry, Nader fans, no Presidential election eligibility. Did Ken Pentel get 5 percent of the Minneapolis vote as a Green gov candidate in 1998? I can't even remember the Green Senate nominee in 2000....then again, it is 5:30 a.m.). Anyway, there will probably be ward-boundary shifts made for other reasons - some crassly political, some more objective. One objective principle is linking ward boundaries to neighborhood boundaries. Here in humble Kingfield, we are represented by three of the 13 council members (10th, 11th, and 8th wards). This can be a blessing and a curse. You do have 23 percent of the council that has to pay at least some direct attention to your concerns. When we had our recent bus hub controversy, we were able to convince two of our council members to check a third who largely disagreed with us. Then again, we make up less of any single ward and we are the appendix of the 8th ward, which is 90-plus percent located on the other side of the highway. That part of Kingfield has long felt that because there is more poverty and "crisis" on the east side of 35W, their concerns got especially short shrift from their council rep. (I don't want to get into Herron-bashing; I think there is an inherent structural problem.) Also, rounding up all three council members to make sure they're "in the loop" anytime there's an important-but-not-crisis-level neighborhood-wide issue can be a headache for neighborhood leaders. I'm still wrestling with what's best for my neighborhood. But given that neighborhoods - mostly through NRP but also for other reasons - have evolved in importance in city government, I think a sound principle for the next decade is that no neighborhood should be represented by more than 2 council members. Comments? 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
