District 5

[detroitgirl]

Assuming the Council by districts map holds up [[citizens have 30 days to appeal), what problems would you like to see addressed/fixed in the new district 5? In case you don't know the boundaries, go to the link below and then selection option 3.

http://blog.datadrivendetroit.org/20...blic-meetings/

[Detroitnerd]

What would I like to see? Somebody who'll stand up to Matty Moroun down there...

[detroitgirl]

Amen to that!! State Rep. Tlaib is trying her best but facing a lot of opposition.

[Detroitnerd]

I do wish Midtown and Corktown hadn't been bundled in with southwest.

[JayKay88]

I do wish Midtown and Corktown hadn't been bundled in with southwest.

I don't understand why the council wasn't allowed to take the established districts into consideration when drawing the lines. I remember it having something to do with the police department and the way the precincts are made? I also don't understand the logic behind having midtown, cork town and downtown being bundled in with southwest, but that might be because you can't draw a district line that separates out a minority because of Constitutional issues.

[detroitgirl]

Depending on who gets elected, A Southwest-Corktown-Downtown-Midtown connection could lead to some very positive things, especially in the realm of promoting arts and culture. If the Midtown Incentive Program [[http://wayne.edu/livemidtown/) could be expanded to include all of these areas, it may encourage more people to move to the district [[as long as other core problems are addressed). I work at WSU and living in SW Detroit for me means a very short commute--a definite plus. Now these areas will all have a stake in each other-an improvement in my opinion. Or maybe I'm being overly optimistic?

[Jason]

The incentive program is being done by private groups who have explicitly said that they won't be expanding the program into other areas, since their goal is to really build up one quality area first.


At first I was against separating downtown, but thinking about it now, I think both of those districts will be voting for pro greater downtown council members anyway. So basically greater downtown gets two votes.

SW Detroit isn't really part of greater downtown but it's more urban, and it's generally popular with the greater-downtown crowd, so I don't think that's too bad.

[antongast]

At first I was against separating downtown, but thinking about it now, I think both of those districts will be voting for pro greater downtown council members anyway. So basically greater downtown gets two votes.

That's why I'm concerned about separating greater downtown. The whole damn point of districts is to make city council more responsive to neighborhood concerns.

[detroitgirl]

Plus I think tying downtown to specific other neighborhoods will have a restraining effect and balance allocation of resources. Not concentrating on Southwest would not be very smart if someone wants the votes and is at all concerned about reelection.