First, a few comments to other comments: Michael Libby writes: > And on the topic of Ward 07. What the heck? Elliott Park neighborhood is > totally going to get ramrodded on anything by the rich in downtown and > Kenwood! There is a HUGE population of people living just south in/of > downtown who have absolutely no voice in this plan.
Actually, they did have a voice in it. Tom Reid, executive director of the Elliot Park Neighborhood, Inc., was the *only* neighborhood leader to testify before the commission pre-map. He said EP wanted to remain intact and in a Downtown ward. Lisa Goodman currently represents EP, and EP is already lumped in with cake-eaters, just more in south Minneapolis than in Downtown. Anyway, I don't think EP is too upset with this, since they are intent on knitting themselves more directly into Downtown through ongoing master planning. Michael also says > I'm having a hard time seeing it on the map Mr. Brauer provided Please don't use the map I emailed to the list - that was just to get something out there immediately after the vote. The city now has a good group of maps at: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/redistricting/MinneapolisRedistrictingPl an.asp or, if the link breaks: http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/redistricting/ Rosalind Nelson writes: > As for benefits for Ward 8, a number of people feel that Ward 5 has lost > influence because of losing the prosperous downtown areas. Ward 8 is losing a > chunk of Phillips but gaining the more prosperous blocks on the west section of > Powderhorn and in Kingfield. Will this make Ward 8 more influential? I don't buy the affluence theory, personally, or at least I think it's a poor predictor of influence. I think there are two much bigger determinants of effectiveness: how effective you are interpersonally, and how powerful your party is. Check it out: the guy who currently represents the silkiest-stocking land - Barret Lane - is one of the most marginalized. Meanwhile Jackie Cherryhomes, from the poorest ward, was the most powerful (and the Gold Coast factor in Ward 5 was only to help her raise $$, not gain influence, which she had from the moment she set foot on the council before the '90s maps were drawn.). Brian Herron was from a poor ward and ineffective because he could obviously be led; Tony Scallon represented a poorer-than-average ward but was a power because he was smart, ruthless and effective. Is affluence a non-factor? Probably not; all things being equal, it's probably better to represent the rich than the poor. But I think it is a poor third place. One indirect argument against my point and for affluence=influence is this: socioeconomic status correlates with turnout (generally but not precisely); therefore, it's easier for a small and therefore potentially unrepresentative group to get and stay in power. (This can happen in all wards, but I submit happens more to the poor.) Thus, poor wards may be more likely to turn out ineffective leaders, and this is how the affluence=influence link happens. Disclaimer: I am not taking a position on Ward 5 because I cover it. I think Natalie Johnson Lee has a fair point that minorities may have been "packed" and that with so many poor, the ward may be harder to represent. OK, new point: With all the talk of gerrymandering, one of the most blatant examples is in the park districts (again, surf to the redistricting page, click on redistricting plan, and look at the tentative park plan under Ward Boundary Maps). The lines are fairly clean in southwest - everything south of Lake St. and west of 35W in Park District 6....with one exception: the ECCO neighborhood. Guess where Tracey Nordstrom, the 2001 challenger to current District 6 incumbent Bob Fine lives? That's right, ECCO! And guess who one of the two park district-specific Redistricting Commissioners was? Scott Neiman, a big Bob Fine supporter! To be fair, on April 3, list member and ECCO resident Harvey Zuckman made some perfectly lucid arguments to move ECCO to District 4 - and the Redistricting Commission listened! Congrats, Harvey - I am jealous! Also, it's possible Tracey is happy to be away from the Fine juggernaut and in a district with Vivian Mason (who supported Tracey in 2001). Maybe Tracey, should she choose to run, will have an easier time succeeding Vivian in 4 than besting Bob in 6. I dunno. But the map seemed - as the Church Lady once said - very conveeeeeeeeeeenient. David Brauer King Field - Ward 10 trending to 8, Park District 6 _______________________________________ 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
