Council Approves Redistricting On First Read

The Fredericksburg City Council has given its initial approval to a redistricting proposal which would redraw and re-balance the city's political boundaries. the City Council members ended up choosing option 2B that was proposed by Ward 2 Councilor George Solley. 

Option 2B sees Ward 1 lose Normandy Village to Ward 2. The Altoona Subdvision, the western half of Huntington Hills and an area on the west side of Route 1 southeast of Hazel Run would all go to Ward 3. All of the area north of Fall Hill Avenue would be in Ward 4. Ward 3 would lose the Fairview neighborhood to Ward 2 and the Fredericksburg Industrial Park to Ward 4. Ward 4 would lose four blocks between Charlotte Street and Hanover Street from Lee Avenue to Prince Edward Street and five blocks on the west side of Charles Street between Fauquier Street and Ford Street.

option 2B had the largest proportion of minority residents in Ward 4, the city's minority-majority district. As part of the city's redistricting efforts, officials are instructed to preserve minority-majority wards as much as possible. Under option 2B, Ward 4 would be composed of 63.8 percent minority residents, including 42.5-percent black residents, over 40.7-percent white residents. Despite the advantages in numbers, however, black residents only make up 39.7 percent of the voting age population in Ward 4 under option 2B. White residents make up 46.3 percent of the voting age population in Ward 4. Overall, minority residents of voting age make up nearly 58 percent of Ward 4's population under option 2B. 

Option 2B beat out the one remaining option under consideration, Option 1. This measure attracted the opposition of Mayor Thomas Tomzak, Ward 4 Councilor Bea Paolucci, Ward 1 Councilor Brad Ellis and Ward 3 Councilor Fred Howe. Those four criticized the Ward 1 proposal because it would split neighborhoods in the Hills of Snowden subdivision between two wards. 

"That ward has a very large contingent of individuals who literally are bussed to the polls right down the street," said Ellis, himself a resident of the Hills of Snowden, in disapproval of option 1. "They aren't exactly mobile, and causing them to have to travel even further to vote is an issue that I am certainly sensitive to."

In a public hearing prior to the meeting, two city residents spoke against option 1. Sean Lawrence, also a city planning commissioner, said that he was also opposed to option 1 because of the way it split the Hills of Snowden.

"I saw where that neighborhood was divided," said Lawrence to the council. "If that was Mayfield, this room would be jam packed."

Scott Visina, vice president of the Hills at Snowden Homeowners Association, also urged the council to deny option 1 in favor of option 2B, saying it would discourage voter turnout, especially among the elderly of the community.

Despite this vocal opposition, Solley initially eschewed his proposed option 2B in favor of option 1. His motion to move forward with option 1 was defeated 4-3, with Howe, Paolucci, Ellis and Tomzak voting against it. 

After the defeat of that option, Paolucci moved for the council to adopt option 2B. Solley, along with Vice Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw and At-Large Councilor Kerry Devine ended up joining Howe, Paolucci, Ellis and Tomzak in unanimously approving option 2B. 

Yesterday's vote was only a preliminary approval. The measure must be voted on a second time before it becomes official. 

The City Council is unable to take a final vote on the matter until after the Nov. 8 general election. State law prohibits changes to voting districts in the 60 days prior to an election. The earliest the City Council could vote on the matter in regular session would be on Nov. 22. If approved, the ordinance would be forwarded to the Department of Justice for preclearance review. 

The new district boundaries require a second polling location and precinct for Ward 1. Also at the Nov. 22 meeting, the City Council would vote on the new precinct and polling place on first reading, with a second reading scheduled for Dec. 13 before the ordinance would be forwarded to the Department of Justice for preclearance review. 

Under this timeline, notices alerting voters of the changes would be mailed out by Feb. 17, 2012, a little under a month before the presidential primary election sees the new precincts in action.