The five council districts in the City of Peoria are going to change. After each decennial census, cities are required by law to redraw their district boundaries so that each district has an approximately equal number of residents. The process for redrawing those boundaries got started Thursday night in City Council chambers.
The City’s redistricting committee is made up of the five district council members: Clyde Gulley, Barbara Van Auken, Tim Riggenbach, Bill Spears, and Dan Irving, with Spears acting as chairman since he’s the longest serving of the five. Their first meeting lasted about an hour and consisted primarily of establishing the criteria for redrawing the district map. Some of the criteria are required by law (each district must have nearly equal population and be compact and contiguous), and other criteria were added by committee members (don’t split neighborhoods between multiple districts, use major thoroughfares as boundaries as much as possible).
Keeping these criteria in mind, the committee asked the staff to come back with some proposed maps for the next meeting. They’d like to see several different possible configurations: one that has all districts running east to west (layered), one that has all districts running north to south (columnar), one that has districts one through four laid out as quadrants with the fifth district across the top of it, and one that preserves the current districts as much as possible (West Bluff in second district, East Bluff in third district, valley in first district, etc.).
Senior urban planner Josh Naven is in charge of creating these map proposals. Unlike the old days when these maps had to be created by hand, Naven will have the use of ESRI Districting software. The software comes preloaded with political maps and all the 2010 Census data down to the block level, and has some interoperability with the County’s GIS system. When Naven draws a district boundary, the software will tell him the total population count, minority population, voting age, etc., within that boundary. He can use this information to ensure the new boundaries meet federal and state requirements as he draws the maps to the committee’s specifications.
All redistricting info is being posted to the City’s website at http://www.ci.peoria.il.us/redistricting. This is where the proposed maps will be posted within the week before the committee’s next meeting, which will be Tuesday, June 21, at 5:30 in City Council chambers.
While the committee doesn’t legally have to complete its work until nearly the end of 2012, the City’s Election Commission would like to see the new maps adopted by Labor Day of this year, if possible. Executive Director Tom Bride said the Commission has to redraw all the precincts in the City and send out new voter registration cards, and the council district boundaries impact this process. Precincts cannot be split across district boundary lines, and voting districts are printed on the voter registration cards. The Election Commission’s deadline for completing these tasks is earlier than the City’s deadline for establishing new district boundaries. Establishing the new district boundaries early will keep the Election Commission from having to redo its work later next year.
Incidentally, even though at-large council members were not required to attend this meeting, one did: Chuck Weaver. In light of recent discussions here on the blog, I thought this was worth noting.
I’m glad to see we have our best and brightest working on this. VanAuken, Gulley, Riggenbach and Irving, gee can’t wait to see the results.
Columnar, huh? It would be great to see the north valley go to into the 3rd district. This would take it from the hands of a neglectful councilman and put it in the hands of a different neglectful councilman. I guess you can’t win them all.
Averyville was and still is in the 3rd…If anyone can find a project Riggenbach has backed for the Old Northend I will donate to their charity..I will even donate to that charity if they can find him saying the word Averyville in a council meeting.Good Luck!!
@ CW & W. Hernandez – Yes, I’m not sure Riggenbach would be an improvement but anything is worth a try. I have NEVER seen Gulley in the North Valley. Apparently he didn’t get a map when he was sworn in and doesn’t realize that his district includes north of downtown as well. I do see Lynn Scott Pearson out and about. Guess it helps that she lives down here.
I sure love all the critisizing commmentors that always include viable solutions(yeah,right)…blogging comments have become nothing but the bastian of the unhappy, angry, but don’t have the gumption or ability to get off theeir lazy a–es and provide a better way, types of people. Again, people, if you don’t like it, DO somethng about it. Constant griping doesn’t solve a thing, or better yet, MOVE away from the whole Peoria metro area.
A viable solution to me is putting a little money up to see if anyone cares to see for themselves if I am right..If I am maybe we can get some focus on the northend neighborhood and the total lack of support we get.. And if I’m not a charity gets a little help..But to find out I guess one would have to get off their lazy ars and find out,or move..
@outsidethebox – we are not criticizing, just stating facts. Below the bluff we get very little, if any council representation. Honestly, Mr. Gulley has never, to my knowledge, campaigned in the North Valley that he represents nor does he walk thru or drive thru to see what our needs or concerns are down here. Yes, if I had the money and the time to run I’d love to. However, I work full-time plus carry a pretty heavy load at school and don’t have the time or money to run against Mr. Gulley. All we are asking is for our council representatives to represent their districts – ALL of the district. Not just the select areas that get them some good press or where they own a business.
Could the city make a 6th district and split the 5th and keep 1-4 the same?
Mr. box, the quick and easy response to your comment is that we elect these people to find the viable solutions to these problems and they’re not doing an adequate job. We are providing a service on this blog by criticising their lack of action so others, who would normally overlook their negligence, will know they are not doing what they’ve been elected to do.
I know I’m guilty of getting out of line sometimes, but none of the statements and accusations I’ve written here, with the exception of some obvious hyperbole, has been false.
Mr. Palmer, I believe there must be a citywide referendum to add any additional districts. Someone correct me if I’m wrong on that.
@W. Hernandez, yes it would require a referendum to split the 5th District or add a 6th through reapportionment, but legally, according to the materials handed out and available on the city website, it could be done. Actually, if I am reading them right, we could have up to 10 districts. But the problem would then be two wealthy areas vs. four less affluent areas, plus a 6th at large councilman. Not exactly in favor of distributing the wealth that way. The potential for abuse would be extreme, and we already seem to have enough distrust of our elected officials as it is.
I can’t speak to Gulley’s activities, but I can say the only time I ever see Riggenbach south of War Memorial is when he has a chance to campaign or stump. Two recent things have caught my eye. On the night that the council bade farewell to Councilman Montelongo, Councilman Riggenbach thanked him for introducing him to La Familia Restaurant, an eatery in Riggenbach’s district. Also, when the opportunity came for the city to recognize Riggenbach in some way for the soon to be opened Family House in his District, no such recognition came forward. He stood up in the center of the horseshoe, smiled for the camera, but not one word came out about his aid to the project…..hmmmm….got to say something, don’t you think?
I know. I wonder if he knows where the Cracked Pepper is. I thought it was amusing at the last meeting when BVA announced the open house for the new Family House (a terrible sight, by the way, that belongs in Dunlap more than Glen Oak. They didn’t make the slightest attempt to make it fit in with the surrounding neighborhood.) That’s in Riggy’s district but no one bothered to tell him apparently. What a mess.