OK. Connie raises an interesting issue. How can anyone in Minneapolis say they are unrepresented at the City Council no matter who is serving their ward? Ward boundaries are redrawn each decade to accommodate minor shifts in population, but also as a political action to distribute political and personal interests different from the previous configuration. In any case, no one is "unrepresented" as implied by Rep. Kahn's bill to hold elections again in 2003 in redrawn wards.
It is silly in the extreme to suggest in any way that the one-person, one vote guarantee is violated by the present ward boundaries and could ever be over the next two, three years. The only localities where populations have grown or shrunk by any radical amount are in suburban and ex-urban areas of the Metro and beyond. Urban populations have changed little, certainly no more than 2%-4% in any direction, hardly worth redistricting over - unless you have political motives beyond proper representation by the numbers. Councilmembers currently serving their wards today may, in fact, want those in prospectively new wards a couple of years from now to become acquainted with them, but little incentive exists for ignoring present constituencies to do so. Andy Driscoll Saint Paul -------- What does it matter to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy? � Mahatma Ghandi > From: Constance Nompelis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Tue, 25 Feb 2003 21:39:40 -0800 (PST) > To: Phyllis Kahn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: [Mpls] HF67 > > I have been thinking about this redistricting and subsequent effort by Rep. > Kahn for some months now, and have been hesitant to post on it in emotional > haste. > > My position on this subject (just in case you all care to know so much about > me :)) is further complicated by my role with the Minneapolis Republican > Committee AND my being a neighbor to, and constituent of, the very nice guy, > CM Dean Zimmermann. > > Anyhow, after extensive mental chewing, I have come up with the following > question which I think is pivotal: > > For those of us who have been redistricted into new wards, are we in a > position of being without representation? That is to say, are our "current" > representatives more interested in ingratiating themselves with their > "future" constituents, to the detriment of those who have been carved out? > > The above scenario was my fear, and the basis for my *initial* outrage at > the prospect of having to wait until 2005 to gain "real" representation. > > This is something that deserves serious analysis...but having brought up > the fear, let me now make an argument against it in my own situation. Dean > Zimmermann has most definitely NOT abandoned the 6th ward folk for his > potential 9th ward voters, should he choose to run again in his new ward. > (Where I will be too.) In fact, I would more easily see Zimmermann moving > in order to stay with the bulk of his constituents in 6 than pandering to a > new and different group in 9. (But I'm just guessing. Dean can tell us one > way or the other.) > > Further, I can tell you for sure that Schiff is NOT trying to woo my little > corner of the new 9th. Quite the opposite in fact, if you consider his > involvement with the shelter advisory board and how the 1/4 mile spacing > rule affects those of us over here on Franklin. Schiff is not going to get > ANY votes over in my precinct due to that, and he doesn't seem worried. > > On the other side, I did get an email from CM Lilligren immediately after > the lines were drawn (he didn't notice that I was ousted from 6) asking me > what I thought about him being moved into 6. The implication was not that > he was unhappy with it, rather that he thought he could start cultivating a > base right away. > > So, I would put the following question to those of you who are straddling > the old ward and the new: how, if at all, has your representation or access > to your CM changed? If it hasn't, then I don't see a problem with waiting > until 2005. If, however, the person you voted in has now abandoned you for > the future guy, then we have a serious problem. > > Eager to hear peoples' experiences, > > Connie Nompelis > Ventura Village > DC, MRC > > __________________________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more > http://taxes.yahoo.com/ > > TEMPORARY REMINDER: > 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. > 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. > > ________________________________ > > Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy > Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls > TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
