Branford’s five election districts will expand to seven in a major redistricting plan aimed at better balancing the number of voters in each of the town’s voting districts.
The Representative Town Meeting’s Rules and Ordinance committee agreed in principle last month to the change, but the committee is still working on a final version of a few boundaries, Alinor Sterling, the chair of R&O, said in an interview.
The committee had hoped to discuss the topic at a Tuesday meeting, but notice was not sent in on time. So while some 20 people showed up, the meeting was not held. However, a vote on the redistricting concept had taken place at a previous meeting.
The next meeting on the redistricting issue will be held on Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. at the Canoe Brook Senior Center. The committee is asking for community input. It hopes to present the new plan to the RTM’s March or April meeting.
The committee is aiming for changes that would affect the 2009 first selectman’s race. Were there to be a primary, it would take place in August ’09. This means the RTM must act soon.
In June, the Registrar of Voters Office stepped back from a plan similar to this one because of timing issues. Instead it sought approval from the RTM to make three specific changes before the November presidential election.
The RTM made the changes, but it wanted additional time to study a major redistricting plan. This plan, the one with tentative RTM committee approval, will also change the number of RTM members in each district.
Sterling also said one of the components of the plan is to try to foster the idea of community, specifically,” the village center concept that came out of the town’s Vision project. “As we redraw the district lines we are trying to keep community centers in mind.”
For example, she said, the committee is now aware of the school district layout. “We can’t of course make the school district line-up with the election districts, but we are considering those lines as we go forward.”
Branford is now operating seven polling stations because the town has two assembly districts within its borders. Some residents in Stony Creek and Pine Orchard vote in the 98th State district. The rest of Branford votes in the 102nd. The two assembly districts require a total of seven polling places. Pat Widlitz of Guilford represents the 98th and Lonnie Reed the the 102nd.
R&O committee member Peter Black said he would like to have “convenient, centrally located polling stations.” Black, who like Sterling is a lawyer, said a good deal of preparation is needed to make the changes so he would like the RTM to vote on it sooner rather than later.
Black said “cohesion of interests in neighborhoods” played a part. For example, people who live in condominiums have different concerns from those who live in older neighborhoods like Short Beach, Pine Orchard or Branford Point. “These residents may have mixed incomes but they are set in their homes. They may be a lot more concerned about what’s happening to seniors than are the single moms who live on Branford Hill.”
Under the proposed redistricting, the 1st district would vote in the town’s Community Center, the 2nd at St.Therese’s Church, the 3rd at Orchard House, a new 4th would vote at the Branford Hills School, the 5th at Indian Neck school, a new 6th at Mary Murphy School, and the 7th at Walsh Intermediate School.
Sterling and Black said that district lines throughout the state may be redrawn after the 2010 Census but that action would take several years to complete.
Dan Hally, the Democratic registrar of voters, said there is no way to predict the 2010 census, “and we probably could not implement that until 2013.” Overall, he said, he does not see drastic changes flowing from the 2010 census.
“The objective, which is my objective, is to even out the voters in the districts,” he said. Another objective is to make the town district lines follow along the state lines that divide the 98th from the 102nd districts.
Hally said it is likely the state may redraw its lines. Sterling agreed. But that is down the road. True, she said, at that time “our carefully drawn maps will have to be realigned and we will have to move voters again.”
But, she added, “If we were to wait until then we would be waiting with the currently very unbalanced districts.”
Hally said the district that changes the most is the new 6th district which will draw from several others. Voters in the 4th district who two years ago voted at the Canoe brook Senior Center and last year at the Mary Murphy School will now vote at the Branford Hills School. Hally said it was a centrally located spot..
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