I'm curious if any Kingfield residents have opinions on our impending redistricting into Ward 8. I personally have some concerns that the issues across this ward will be very divergent depending where you live and I wonder how one CM will deal with it.Mike – I’m told the tentative plan for Kingfield all in Ward 8 is already moot. There are a couple of plans floating out there...
One would split us 60-40 Ward 8 and Ward 11, respectively. The Ward 8 part would be east of Nicollet 36th to 46th, and everything north of 42nd. The ward 11 part would be south of 42nd, between Nicollet and Lyndale.
Another option is to keep the current 8-10-11 split, though I’m not quite sure where.
Judging from his quotes in the Strib, current 8th Ward Council member Robert Lilligren has a lot of concerns about representing a mostly east-of-highway district with a Kingfield/East Harriet component that is (relatively) more chi-chi and faces a lot of different problems. Most Kingfielders I have spoken to do not want to be an appendix in a ward that is primarily east-of-highway – and if the ward is split, whatever is in 8 will be a very tiny percentage, no more than 10 percent and possibly less. That does make us worry about representation, no disrespect to Robert Lilligren.
The neighborhood board is talking through the alternatives, and I’m scheduled to testify at the Commission hearing on Thursday based on their position. I’ll be sending an email out to the Kingfield neighborhood list, probably tonight.
I encourage all Kingfielders to email me their opinions so I can share those with the board. Also, list discussion is good!
David Brauer
King Field – Ward 10
President, kingfield neighborhood assn. Board
