Hello everyone,
We have not spent much time with the state’s House and Senate redistricting process, since it’s a little outside “our lane.”
We know that Slaughter Beach wants to stay in its current district, due to its proximity to Milford.
We also know there will be a focus on the Sussex County Senate District now held by moderate Republican Ernie Lopez, who decided to not run again. The district leans Republican but has a more liberal coastal zone that will tempt Democrats in drawing more favorable boundaries in the growing area.
Naturally enough, Republicans, who have no Senate seats upstate and a fragile hold on their few House seats up north want their districts protected.
But the most interesting development comes straight out of the Fifth House District in the Bear area.
Making the rounds is a comparison of the district with the trademarked logo of the legendary hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan. Wu-Tang is enjoying a revival with the release of a streaming series on the group now in its second season.
Click here to check out the history of the logo that has made its way to many tattooed arms, etc.
There is a serious question here. In redrawing districts, is there some way to get rid of boundaries that create Wu-Tang-like designs?
The solidly Democratic 5th, among other things, divides one large subdivision community in half. The technology exists to draw these boundaries in a sensible manner, rather than making a bow to the cartoon that gave us the term gerrymandering.
What about in the next round of redistricting reducing the number of House seats as a way that increase the chances of configuring heavily populated districts in a rational manner? Better yet, why not appoint a bipartisan nonlegislative commission comprised of members of both parties?
I’m not holding my breath on seeing either of these ideas becoming a reality, but the ability to map districts in a common-sense manner is easier to accomplish these days, with a modest dose of tech assistance. – Doug and Sharon Rainey.
