Detroit's City Council Districts Decided

**313WX** · February-16-12, 05:41 PM

Per Charles Pugh's Facebook page, council selected Option #3

Hooray!!!

**DTFellow** · February-16-12, 06:36 PM

Today at 3 PM, Detroit City Council voted to adopt Option 3 for the new voting districts.

http://www.freep.com/article/2012021...text|FRONTPAGE

What does everything think about their choice? Is it odd that the seemingly much favored 5th option by Data Driven Detroit was left out of the voting because it hadn't been looked at for voting rights purposes and other voting laws yet? Couldn't they have just gotten that done rather than pick a map that splits downtown?

**mam2009** · February-16-12, 07:49 PM

Three was my choice. Downtown should be split up because, as the center of the city, it belongs to more than just downtown residents & businesses IMHO.

**Gsgeorge** · February-16-12, 08:29 PM

Madness. the clowncil has dropped the ball again. What a confusing and arbitrary drawing of the districts. Splitting downtown and midtown would make sense if everyone lived in downtown and midtown, but they don't. They should've taken the hint from Data Driven Detroit [[the real experts in these matters) and kept the neighborhoods intact. Did you even see District 5? It stretches from Delray to Brush Street downtown, as far north as Oakman Boulevard, half of Midtown [[but not all of it), and half of Dowtown [[but not all of it). And yet this single district includes Cobo Hall, Comerica Park, Wayne State University, the museums,... etc. Well then what was the point of splitting it all up? How will Midtown or Downtown or any of the neighborhoods in this city ever be cohesive units if they are run by different district council members?

**Zozo** · February-16-12, 08:44 PM

What was initially meant to empower neighborhoods may actually now disenfranchise them. I can't imagine a clowncil member looking past panhandling or trashy streets in Foxtown or the CBD to address gang problems in SW Detroit. Vote the incumbent out if you will, but that doesn't guarantee that the next politician won't solely focus on downtown, or SW Detroit. Both sections of the city would be better served if they had their own representation. Instead, we now have what seems to be a division simply for the sake of a division and the appearance of "keeping things fair".

**internet_pseudopod** · February-16-12, 09:01 PM

The lesson here is: Be careful what you ask for. You just might get it.

**dtowncitylover** · February-16-12, 10:27 PM

At least they aren't had gerrymandered as Chicago's wards, now that map is confusing.

**corktownyuppie** · February-16-12, 10:49 PM

Ideal? No.
A much needed improvement? Yes.

The At-Large system made it impossible for anyone to run on an actual platform and made name recognition far more valuable than it should have been.

**Hypestyles** · February-16-12, 11:50 PM

I wish the D3 model/staff were at least consulted. Doesn't look like they were. There are people making comments that Data-Driven Detroit were "not Detroiters"... sigh..

**sycloneman** · February-17-12, 09:58 AM

Unfortunately the idiotic board we have in place now, which this system will do away with [[hopefully) is going to mess things up for the future. Can the districts be changed in the future? I know everyone has their own opinion of which option is best but if you compare option 3 to the one proposed by Data Driven Detroit, the latter just seems to make so much more sense, even just looking at the divisions with a quick glance its easier on the eyes!

**Hypestyles** · February-17-12, 10:09 AM

... still wondering what the purpose of the two "all city" council roles will be..

**Detroitnerd** · February-17-12, 12:56 PM

Originally Posted by Hypestyles

... still wondering what the purpose of the two "all city" council roles will be..

To let the biggest names of the bad old system get re-elected.

African-American representation is pretty secure with this. Cutting midtown and downtown in half allays any fears of a white councilperson appearing; instead it will be a Latino. Expect two church ladies and one retread in Palmer Park from the northwest.

I'm most interested, actually, in the neighborhoods they've written off: The large east side districts. Will our new leaders arise from the community there? Who will THEY be?

**drjeff** · February-17-12, 01:27 PM

Since this division is population based, would the districts be redrawn every ten years after the census?

**mam2009** · February-17-12, 11:22 PM

Originally Posted by drjeff

Since this division is population based, would the districts be redrawn every ten years after the census?

Yes, drjeff.

**Richard** · February-18-12, 01:29 AM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

I'm most interested, actually, in the neighborhoods they've written off: The large east side districts. Will our new leaders arise from the community there? Who will THEY be?

Who said they were written off? The way things look here and now may be quite different in the near future.

Kudos to those who have worked hard in the background to help make a difference.

**Danny** · February-18-12, 11:05 AM

OH NO! Here come the evil wards. Here comes the gerrymandering corruption. Detroit is NOT Chicago!

**kraig** · February-18-12, 11:14 AM

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

To let the biggest names of the bad old system get re-elected.

African-American representation is pretty secure with this. Cutting midtown and downtown in half allays any fears of a white councilperson appearing; instead it will be a Latino. Expect two church ladies and one retread in Palmer Park from the northwest.

I'm most interested, actually, in the neighborhoods they've written off: The large east side districts. Will our new leaders arise from the community there? Who will THEY be?

Don't be so sure about the Latino Councilperson. If the state rep voting is any indication, that area doesn't have any issues voting for a candidate that's not Latino.