UPDATE #3 (18-Oct-11):
The City has now placed all of the Citizen-submitted maps online for the public to review. Tonight's City Council Meeting (starts at 6:30pm) will be the first meeting where the public can offer their opinions to Council on which plan they favor most. This will also be where the attorney in charge of insuring that all maps are legally sound will present his opinion on each map that was submitted by citizens.
CLICK HERE for the latest on the maps.
UPDATE #2 (12-Oct-11):
• Plan C Map
• Plan C Population Table
The City has now placed all of the Citizen-submitted maps online for the public to review. Tonight's City Council Meeting (starts at 6:30pm) will be the first meeting where the public can offer their opinions to Council on which plan they favor most. This will also be where the attorney in charge of insuring that all maps are legally sound will present his opinion on each map that was submitted by citizens.
CLICK HERE for the latest on the maps.
UPDATE #2 (12-Oct-11):
I just received the final version of my "Plan C" map from the attorney's office a few minutes ago! They should be posted on the city's website very soon! In the mean time, I have uploaded them to my website, and they are available for viewing here:
• Plan C Map
• Plan C Population Table
UPDATE #1 (11-Oct-11):
ORIGINAL POST (10-Oct-11):
I recently ran for City Council (district 4), earlier this year. I didn’t quite win that race, but it wasn’t for lack of trying, and I plan to run again in 2013, so stay tuned!! I have been actively involved with not only city-level politics, but also county, state,and national levels, as well. We have very important elections coming up this year, as well as next year! I’ve decided to run for Precinct Chair (for 2003 precinct), because I feel it is critical that each of us are thoroughly informed of our choices for these elections. The last thing we need in this country are uninformed voters! There are also some very important amendments to our Texas State Constitution coming up for our vote in November of this year.
BUT!!! Before we can even begin to look at future elections, we have to watch our own City Council and Mayor VERY closely in the coming weeks! As per State law, it is a requirement that we redraw our district lines to better balance the population numbers in each district, which will better reflect the new census numbers that are gathered and published every ten years. The City of Arlington has contracted a law firm in Austin to help them redraw our city’s district lines. I have had a chance to study these plans,which are named “Plan A” and “Plan B”. They have posted these plans online, along with the corresponding population data of each plan. They haven't posted the citizen-submitted plans yet, and honestly, I'm not really sure why!!
***Scroll down to the end of this blog for the full list of plans for you to review.***
HERE'S THE PROBLEM: Both plans A & B will split anywhere from 7 to 8 different precincts throughout our city! Splitting existing voting precincts requires that everything be re-printed and re-organized for polling locations, causing undue chaos, and causing voters to inadvertently show up at the wrong polling place. On a huge election day, this can be a deterrent, not to mention confusing! There will also be an increase in provisional ballots from residents who won't want to get back in their cars and drive to their "new" polling location. Then there's the re-printing (and verifying) of all of the precinct polling lists. This will cost the county millions of our tax dollars, and for what? Just to re-vamp the districts for political "convenience"? If precincts can remain as is, then we will save the city & county the headache of reconfiguration work, as well as save the taxpayers time and money that would be spent during the process. The process will be confusing enough with the required city district boundaries being changed. We shouldn't add to that confusion with changing precinct boundaries, as well. It's just not necessary!
Do you think splitting established voting precincts is a good idea so close to our first of many future elections (Nov 8th)? Or our first major Primary election of 2012(Mar 6th)? No, I don’t think it’s a good idea either! That’s why I developed a “Plan C” for your review. Plan C does not split any voting precincts! None of them! I formally presented this plan to City Council on Oct 4th. I have also circulated this plan to many people who think it is far better than what the city wants to go with, which right now is "Plan B".
***Scroll down to the end of this blog for the full list of plans for you to review.***
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO: Whatever your choice on there-apportionment maps, you need to make the Arlington City Council aware of your preference. This is how our government works! They represent us! We are their boss! But how will they know what we want unless we TALK to them?
The upcoming City Council meeting scheduled for October 25th is when they plan to have the first vote on the reapportionment maps, with a public hearing. We all know how Mayor Cluck tends to stifle our opinions (as he has done so in past council meetings), and I am VERY concerned that he will do just that on any reapportionment map OTHER THAN Plans A or B. These plans (A&B) split too many voting precincts. We ALL need to be writing to all of the council members, voicing our concern about this issue BEFORE the Oct 25th meeting.
Along with the "Plan C" map that I developed, Terry Meza and Luis Castillo have each submitted their versions of a "citizen-submitted" map, because they, too, feel that precincts should not be split. So we now have THREE citizen-submitted maps, above and beyond A & B. I personally do not care which one of the citizen-submitted maps get considered as long as the voting precincts do not get split, AND the population numbers balance according to the guidelines set forth in the resolutions, found on the city's website, http://www.arlingtontx.gov/citycouncil/reapportionment.html.
Along with the "Plan C" map that I developed, Terry Meza and Luis Castillo have each submitted their versions of a "citizen-submitted" map, because they, too, feel that precincts should not be split. So we now have THREE citizen-submitted maps, above and beyond A & B. I personally do not care which one of the citizen-submitted maps get considered as long as the voting precincts do not get split, AND the population numbers balance according to the guidelines set forth in the resolutions, found on the city's website, http://www.arlingtontx.gov/citycouncil/reapportionment.html.
I feel that maps A & B do NOT have the best interest of Arlington in mind, and therefore I strongly oppose both of them.
But the Council already knows my stance on this, as I personally presented "Plan C" to them at the Oct 4th Council meeting. They need to hear this from ALL OF US. Let's burn up their email in-boxes! If nothing else, everyone's emails will act as a permanent record, which will prove that the City Council members were DEFINITELY NOTIFIED of our opposition on plans A&B! Down the road, we can file an "Open Records" request, and obtain copies of ALL emails to each council member relating to this issue. We'll see just how many people actually contacted them in opposition AND in support of the maps. We can then hold them accountable!
***Scroll down to the end of this blog for the full list of plans for you to review.***
Contact info for Mayor and City Council members:
Mayor = robert.cluck@arlingtontx.gov 817-459-6121
District 1 (north) = mel.leblanc@arlingtontx.gov 817-459-6141 or 817-469-8525
District 2 (sw) = sheri.capehart@arlingtontx.gov 817-459-6122 or 817-483-4869
District 3 (se) = robert.rivera@arlingtontx.gov 817-459-6122 or 817-557-1542
District 4 (west) = kathryn.wilemon@arlingtontx.gov 817-459-6141 or 817-461-9615
District 5 (central/east) = lana.wolff@arlingtontx.gov 817-459-6141 or 817-462-5224
District 6 (city wide) = robert.shepard@arlingtontx.gov 817-459-6122
District 7 (city wide) = jimmy.bennett@arlingtontx.gov 817-459-6122
District 8 (city wide) = Gene Patrick (on leave, ill)
To reach the Mayor and all City Council members with a single email, copy the following into the “To” field of your email:
robert.cluck@arlingtontx.gov; mel.leblanc@arlingtontx.gov; sheri.capehart@arlingtontx.gov; robert.rivera@arlingtontx.gov; kathryn.wilemon@arlingtontx.gov; lana.wolff@arlingtontx.gov; robert.shepard@arlingtontx.gov; jimmy.bennett@arlingtontx.gov
Tell all of your Arlington neighbors about this!!! We need to get the council to wake up and smell the coffee!
CITY'S PLAN A:
CITY'S PLAN B:
• Map of Plan B
• Map of Plan B (with all of the split precincts marked with a blue circle)
• Illustrative Population data
PLAN C (Submitted by Kelly Canon):
• Map of Plan B (with all of the split precincts marked with a blue circle)
• Illustrative Population data
PLAN C (Submitted by Kelly Canon):
