Council Rejects Plan to Move Crofton into District 4

The Anne Arundel County Council on Monday rejected a bill that would have moved Crofton into a District with Odenton and Gambrills, but uncertainty over redistricting remains. 

The council was unable to muster the five votes needed to pass separate bills designed to address a population imbalance between District 1 and District 4. The failure to pass any bill came after county attorney David A. Plymyer warned that the county would be in violation of the state constitution if it did not redistrict. 

Under a bill proposed by council chairman Jerry Walker (R-District 7), the district lines would have been redrawn to turn District 7 into a so-called "rural district." Crofton would have moved to District 4, to be combined with portions of Gambrills and the eastern half of Odenton.

A separate redistricting plan presented by council member Chris Trumbauer (D-District 6) would have shifted one precinct from District 4 to District 1. Dubbed "the simple plan," it fell short of passage on a 4-3 vote, with Trumbauer joined by Dick Ladd (R-District 5), Peter Smith (D-District 1) and Jamie Benoit (D-District 4.)

The failure of the council to pass any redistricting plan could place the county in violation of the state constitution, according to county attorney David A. Plymyer. Under state law, council districts must be balanced in terms of population, with a permitted deviation of 5 percent. Due to population shifts, District 4 is now considerably more populated than District 1. 

Those interested in running for Anne Arundel County Council in 2014 can enter the race as soon as April 9. Barring another effort by the council, some could enter without a clear idea of what district they would serve.

"The question is, what kind of chaos will this bring?" Plymyer said. 

The county attorney declined to speculate heavily on how the state would respond to the county's lack of action, but said it would open the county up to legal challenges.

Business advocates in Odenton also opposed Walker's plan because it would split the town into two districts, potentially stalling progress in developing the Odenton Town Center. Odenton already has multiple representatives at the state level and in Congress.

"Odenton has struggled to find its political feet," said Claire Louder, president and CEO of the West Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce. "We have great concerns over what would happen if we were split in half."

See more:

• Redistricting Council Boundaries Could Reshape Politics in Anne Arundel