Youngstown residents: We must redistrict city’s wards
YOUNGSTOWN
Those who spoke at the charter-review committee’s first public- input meeting provided various perspectives on what to change in the city charter.
But several of them at Tuesday’s meeting agreed that a redistricting of the city’s seven wards — with populations ranging from 7,227 in the South Side’s 6th Ward to 12,130 in the West Side’s 4th Ward — must be done.
“The need for redistricting of council is great,” said Patricia Dougan of Sheridan Road, an active block-watch and citizen-coalition member in the 7th Ward. “What we have right now is not equal representation. Every person should be equally represented.”
About 30 residents attended the meeting at the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County’s Newport branch, 3730 Market St.
The city charter reads: “All wards shall be composed of contiguous and compact territory, as nearly equal in population as possible, and bounded by natural boundaries or street lines.”
But the last line of the charter’s section on “division of city into wards” reads: “Following each federal census, council may redistrict the city so as to maintain a reasonable equality of population among the seven wards.”
Several people at the meeting said the charter should change the word “may” to “must” or “shall.” The boundary lines of the wards haven’t been changed in 30 years.
Redistricting is also on the minds of the charter review committee. At Tuesday’s public-input meeting, the committee distributed a map of the city with the populations of the seven wards as well as the state law on an equal division of city wards.
“The ambiguous language of ‘may’ has postponed a redistricting,” said Phil Kidd, one of the 11 members of the charter-review committee.
Changing “may” to “shall” on redistricting is a “given,” said Jerome Williams, the committee’s chairman. “It needs to be done. Council and the mayor should hire a firm to do the redistricting.”
But it’s not a concept warmly embraced by all city council members.
Councilman John R. Swierz, D-7th, said: “If the people want it; [but] I don’t see a need for it.”
If redistricting is to occur, a comparison to other cities of similar population with a charter form of government should first be done, he said.
There were mixed opinions on having at-large council members though several citizens spoke in support of retaining the current law on term-limits. Currently, council members and the mayor can be elected to no more than two consecutive four-year terms.
“It took a long time to get term limits in there,” said Bob Gray of Detroit Avenue. “It’s a good thing.”
The charter-review committee will have three other public-input meetings: 5 to 7 p.m. today at the Main Public Library, 305 Wick Ave.; 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Our Lady of Hungary Church Hall, 545 N. Belle Vista Ave.; and 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the East Side Public Library, 430 Early Road.
The committee will provide recommendations on proposed charter amendments to city council by June 1.
It’s up to city council to accept or reject the recommendations.
Those supported by council will go on the November general election ballot for voters to consider.