Tag Archives: West Bluff

Redistricting, West Bluff

Should the West Bluff be added to the first district?

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That’s one of the questions that will be debated at the West Bluff Council Redistricting Forum taking place tonight in the Michel Student Center Ballroom at Bradley University starting at 7 p.m. Of course, the West Bluff will be looking at it from their perspective (i.e., will it be good for the West Bluff to be included in the first district?).

Here’s one interesting point for the neighborhoods to consider from that perspective. In the last election (earlier this year), there were 552 ballots cast in the West Bluff (precincts 15 through 20), and there were 654 ballots cast in the entire first district (precincts 1 through 14). Additionally, on the proposed map, downtown moves out of the first district and into the third. Downtown (precinct 12) accounted for 105 of those first district votes in the last election. This would indicate that, if the proposed map were adopted and the West Bluff got moved to the first district, the West Bluff would likely have quite a bit of influence in the election of the first district representative.

Of course, it would also be a good idea to look at this from another perspective: Is having the West Bluff (and their influence) included in the first district good for the first district?

City of Peoria, Redistricting

New maps move downtown, Warehouse District to District 3

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The latest proposed maps from Peoria’s Planning and Growth Department show downtown and the Warehouse District being moved from the first to the third district, and the West Bluff moving from the second to the first district. You can see the maps and population information on the city’s website, or here:

07052011-Redistricting-Maps

The City’s Redistricting Committee had asked staff to put more emphasis on keeping established neighborhoods together, and also to take into consideration the future growth predictions for the city. Each district needs to have relatively equal population, but can have up to a 5% deviation. Based on the deviations on these new maps, the City evidently expects to see the most growth in the first and second districts, and the least growth in the fourth and fifth districts. In 2000, the City accurately predicted the most growth would be in the fifth district.

The next redistricting committee meeting is Tuesday, July 5, at 4:30 p.m. in City Council chambers. Also, the West Bluff Council will host an open forum for West Bluff neighbors to discuss the importance of redistricting at 7 p.m. Monday, July 18, at the Bradley University Student Center.