NCC 2021 Redistricting Commission ZOOM Hybrid Public Meeting, 7PM Wednesday, July 28th (RSVP)

 NCC 2021 Redistricting Commission Meeting 

7 - 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 28th

1st Floor Council Chambers, City/County Building 

800 North French Street,Wilmington, DE 19801 

**Zoom option for public and member participation 

REGISTER HERE

 

AGENDA 

I. Call to Order 

II. Roll Call 

III. Reading and Approval of July 12, 2021 Meeting Minutes 

IV. Discussion re: Procedural Rule 1.5 

V. Overview of Commission Charge & Redistricting Procedures --Commission member binder Tab 5 

VI. Redistricting Timeline Review --Commission member binder Tab 6 

VII. Review Current New Castle County Council district maps 

VIII. Robert’s Rules of Order, and & discussion regarding personal attendance at meetings --Procedural Rule: Voting in Person '

IX. Discussion of request for 2011 Redistricting Commission meeting minutes and other proposed rule changes 

X. Set Meeting Schedule 

XI. Public Comment 

XII. Other 

XIII. Adjournment

Join: https://us02web.zoom.us/s/83547049656?pwd=Y3hTNCtDeCtVS0pDTm5NTTJ0QzV6UT09

Watch the June 12, 2021 NCC Redistricting Commission meeting HERE

NCC Council 2021 Redistricting Commission VIRTUAL Meeting - 6PM Monday, July 12th

The first New Castle County Council redistricting VIRTUAL meeting is scheduled for this Monday at 6 pm . 

Civic League President, Chuck Stirk, is a member of this commission. He said this first meeting would be mostly about understanding and setting groundrules for the process.

NEW CASTLE COUNTY 

2021 Redistricting Commission Meeting 

Monday, July 12, 2021 – 6:00 p.m. 

VIRTUAL ZOOM WEBINAR MEETING

REVISED AGENDA 

I. Welcome and Introductions 

II. Election of Commission Chair 

III. Discussion re: Procedural Rules for Commission Business 

IV. Overview of Commission Charge & Redistricting Procedures 

V. Set Meeting Schedule 

VI. Public Comment 

VII. Adjournment \

The link to join the meeting via computer, smart device, or smart phone is: https://us02web.zoom.us/s/83547049656?pwd=Y3hTNCtDeCtVS0pDTm5NTTJ0QzV6UT09

 Passcode: 135935 You may also call into the meeting (audio) using the following call in numbers: +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 646 558 8656 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 669 900 9128, Webinar ID: 835 4704 9656. 

The Civic League for NCC supports the Fair Maps Delaware initiative. Click on the link and read more about standing up for fair mapping for our communities.

Redistricting: People-Powered Fair Maps Project, 11AM Thursday, April 29th ZOOM Program (RSVP)

LWVDE ~ 

Redistricting: People-Powered Fair Maps Project

11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Thursday, April 29th

ZOOM Program 

REGISTER HERE

Hear from Expert speakers on Redistricting. Topics to include communities of interest, transparency and prison based gerrymandering.

Please join us on April 29th at 11am for a day of action for REDISTRICTING. We will start the day with two amazing speakers. Alerks Kajstura is the legal director at the prison policy initiative and Yurij Rudensky, is the redistricting counsel at the Brennan Centers democracy program. Our speaker will be here to answer questions till 12:30pm.

Please Register Here https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZArdu6prTgoHtS20BQTfm8Q_NEDHSQ67Hx0?

Also see ~

Census shows Delaware population up by 10 percent over past decade 

Delaware’s population falls about 10,000 short of 1 million residents 

2020 Census shows Delaware still not a millionaire 

Delaware's population growth ranks first among Northeast states  

2020 Census Apportionment Results Delivered to the President 

U.S. Population Over Last Decade Grew at Slowest Rate Since 1930s

Census releases House apportionment for next decade

CLNCC April ZOOM Meeting - REDISTRICTING For Communities Of Interest - 7PM Tuesday, April 20th

 

CLNCC Monthly Meeting

7 p.m. Tuesday, April 20th

ZOOM Program

JOIN HERE

REDISTRICTING for COMMUNITIES of INTEREST

Show Us Your Maps! 

In addition to our regular agenda, LWVDE Sandy Spence has asked us to help identify and reach out to communities of interest. Learn more about the project below! Create citizen-drawn maps and share them with the LWVDE, members of the General Assembly, and New Castle County Council. 

Join CLNCC for our monthly meeting and work on fair mapping for Delaware. Where are the community interest groups located and who will benefit from getting a better shot at uniting their electoral voice?

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8986924710?pwd=YmJMbUhpZlpoMUtGMERqdENCQlk5UT09

Meeting ID: 898 692 4710

Passcode: 12345

One tap mobile

+13017158592,,8986924710#,,,,*12345# US (Washington DC)

I have asked Jakim Mohammed to share some mapping experiments for the communities along Route 40 to show how political representation can better serve existing neighborhoods by political district maps that do not divide and dilute their voice in government. 

We can all experiment with this mapping project and you are encouraged to share this website with your civic associations and other community leadership. Please bring and share any ideas and maps you may have created! : https://representable.org/?fbclid=IwAR1hHB4OtC56j5nIiAw0yC_74J5COBedf3cubERv0rpYV9PipHF0uz-A1G8

 

For example, State Rep. Larry Lambert has relayed his concern with Claymont which is split into four state senate districts. He believes Claymont can be identified as a Community of Interest and should re-mapped for a stronger representative voice.

I listened to the NCC Council discussion on Redistricting  during their Executive Committee meeting last Tuesday. The federal governement has indicated that while the formal Census Data presentation will be on September 30th, the data will be provided to local governements in the 3rd week of August. The county council picks redistricting committee members and there are strict timelines for production of maps in the council rules. You can click right onto the Agenda Item #6 and listen to that portion of the meeting https://nccde.new.swagit.com/videos/118592

Creative mapping can also look at Communities of Interest that may overlap with Delaware's Cancer Cluster report or sea level and flooding maps reflecting the expectancy of climate change and storm intensification. 

These maps could inform how we plan for growth and could be provided as materials being considered for the 2022 Comprehensive Plan Update.

Nancy Willing, President, CLNCC

nancyvwilling@yahoo.com

(302) 294-1939 

CLNCC Monthly ZOOM Meeting - With Kathleen Davies On Benefit Of An Inspector General For DE, 7PM March 16th

CLNCC Monthly Meeting

7 p.m. Tuesday, March 16th

ZOOM Program

JOIN HERE

Two great presentations are planned for our March meeting so please share the agenda and zoom link with your civic groups and friends.

Update: Sandy Spence is giving the LWVDE Power Point on Redistricting. League members will be attending to answer any questions we may have. 

Kathleen Davies is our Guest Speaker on Inspector Generals..Through sharing her past experience working with state and federat IGs,  she will discuss the potential benefit for Delaware in giving legislators a way to request validation of numbers they want to rely on, getting independent investigations, and having an office that can work with federal investigators for federal prosecution. She notes our state's lack of Attorney General independence and that our Auditor of Accounts is no longer focusing on prosecutorial work or financial audits where all of the standard reports are now contracted out.

Kathleen Davies worked under AOA Tom Wagner and ran in the 2018 primary as a Democratic candidate for that office. She earned a bachelor's degree in professional accountancy from Pennsylvania State University. Davies' career experience includes working as a CPA, Certified Fraud Examiner, Certified Information Systems Auditor, Certified Government Audit Professional, and Certified Government Financial Manager in the field of state government auditing. [https://ballotpedia.org/Kathleen_Davies]

Also: Updates on the General Assembly, Offshore Wind, and the New Jersey LNG facility.

And BIG NEWS: CIVIC UMBRELLA MEETINGS ARE BACK!

Although I got a flat NO from County Executive Meyer via Kenny Dunn email last week saying Meyer was not interested in resuming Civic Umbrella Meetings last held in 2019, Council President Karen Hartley-Nagle has agreed to begin holding these meetings through NCC Council ZOOM starting in late March. 

UPDATED: These meetings will continue to be held monthly (or as practicable) on Mondays at 5:30pm on off-council weeks. The council president will be issuing a meeting notice soon to all of the prior attendee organizations and individuals so look for the email invitation! 

If your organization has updated officers and contact information, please let me know and /or send the updates directly to: karen.hartley-nagle@newcastlede.gov

=============================

CLNCC is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: CLNCC Zoom Meeting

Time: Mar 16, 2021 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8986924710?pwd=YmJMbUhpZlpoMUtGMERqdENCQlk5UT09

Meeting ID: 898 692 4710

Passcode: 12345

One tap mobile

+13017158592,,8986924710#,,,,*12345# US (Washington DC)

+13126266799,,8986924710#,,,,*12345# US (Chicago)

Meeting ID: 898 692 4710

Passcode: 12345

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbxA3tE13n

New Castle County Council Begins Redistricing

Delaforum: NCC Council Redistricting Maps Due By July 26th
[Click above for graph and Jim Park's story]

"The two largest County Council districts stand to lose fairly large chunks of turf when the 13-member legislative body is reapportioned this summer. They will be divided among the other 10 districts. The Council president is chosen at-large."

Dist. - Council member - Commission member
At Large: Thomas Kovach - David Tise
1. Joseph Reda - Kenneth Woods
2. Robert Weiner - Thomas Schrandt
3. Janet Kilpatrick - Joseph Amon
4. Penrose Hollins - Theodore Blunt
5. Lisa Diller - Michael Gritz
6. William Powers - Robert Workman
7. George Smiley - James Holladay
8. John Cartier - Terrance Wright
9. Timothy Sheldon - Stuart Swinger
10. Jea Street - Cynthia Turner
11. David Tackett - Jennifer Thompson
12. Bill Bell - Mark North

More from the article:
Southernmost districts, which together cover all the area south of U.S. Route 40, added a total of 13,718 residents since Council was expanded from seven to 13 members and the former Council districts were cut in half in 2003.

As a result, the sixth district deviates by +50.5% from the average population and the 12th district by +24.6%. State law permits up to a 15% deviation, plus or minus, but the state General Assembly is limiting itself to a 5% variance and it's believed county government is inclined to follow suit. If so, Council members would each represent between 42,630 and 47,116 residents

....At its first meeting, on May 16, the commission elected Ted Blunt, former president of Wilmington City Council, to be its chairman. He is the only commissioner with prior experience at redistricting.

Ask Your Senate And House Members To Resolve To Mandate An Open, Public Redistricting Process To Shape Senate And House Districts

If you read Chad Livengood's article this morning [Redistricting to shift political power ] and thought that the redrawing of legislative districts should be a process open to public view, you weren't alone. Be an empowered citizen and ask your state officials to take the lead on an open and transparent redistricting!

Mandate An Open, Public Redistricting Process To Shape Senate And House Districts - As noted in a January DelCOG-CLNCC press release:
Equal population is required in legislative districts by the U.S. Constitution. Equal elections are also required by the Delaware Constitution. "When such fundamental fairness is the goal of a legislative act, it is important that the citizens feel included." said Frank Sims of the Civic League. "This promotes greater participation in democracy and less alienation in society in general".

[A]s population centers have shifted to the South, many northern voters will be really distressed if they find two members who are very popular winding up in the same district. Being able to participate in the process will give them confidence that it was done fairly.....Districts have to be balanced also by race, political party and ethnicity as much as possible.

This presents a real challenge for the Democratic Party the first time they have controlled the entire process to do it openly.....but it will benefit them to show the public they are committed to good government. Fortunately, the New Castle County Council tried it last time and found no problems in doing so.

Tell your representation that you want to be included. Ask if they will resolve to support an open, public redistricting process!

Click here to find your Legislator (must be registered to vote)

COMPLETE LISTING OF DELAWARE ELECTED OFFICIALS.

The Redistricting Working Group of The Civic League for New Castle County and DelCOG Draft Resolutions for the House and for the Senate:
A RESOLUTION TO MANDATE AN OPEN AND TRANSPARENT REDISTRICTING PROCESS WITH PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.

WHEREAS, the citizens of Delaware are entitled to comment on the redrawing of Legislative district lines as the process unfolds; and

WHEREAS, the migration of more people to the south compared to older residential patterns in this State will require the shifting of more than a few Census Tracts from within their current Representative and Senatorial districts lines to others; and

WHEREAS, not only Legislators, but their constituents, also have strong feelings about the geographic cohesiveness and the partisan balance of districts; and

WHEREAS, citizens should be able to recommend Redistricting Plans for the House and Senate they feel will represent the public interest;

NOW, THEREFORE: BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE/HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES THAT the 2010 Redistricting process for the Delaware SENATE/House of Representatives shall be open and transparent;

THAT all drawing of lines or grouping of Census Tracts to produce new Representative Districts shall take place in a public forum with the public being notified no less than 8 days in advance;

THAT Census data for Delaware and the computer program used by the General Assembly shall be available for a reasonable fee to any member of the public who wishes to purchase a copy from the Legislative Council;

THAT opportunities shall be provided for proponents of plans to present them in public to the House and/or the committees or persons charged with the task of Redistricting the House; and

THAT the final plan or plans to be voted on by the House shall be a product of this public process.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislators believe the public can fairly weigh all information that should go into considering how Census Tracts should be grouped and while they may be likely to favor people from their area, they will also be motivated to preserve fundamental fairness for all future candidates.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the objective of redistricting, as established by the United States and Delaware Constitutions, is to make elections equal, and this shall be the goal that drives the process--numerical equality in persons represented per district, along with equality of opportunity for anyone to be elected in districts balanced by party, race and ethnicity.

According To The Cape Gazette, So Far, CLNCC Working Group Gets Some Press, Some Supporters But No Sponsors For Their Redistricting Bill

Updated Feb. 2011: Good to report that there is currently a lineup of support and interested sponsors of this bill. Stay tuned!
~~~~~
(Cape Gazette) Kara Nuzback reports ~ Activist calls for transparency in redistricting - Senate leader expects change to come slowly

[Frank] Sims said legislators on both sides of the aisle have already pledged support for the resolution, including Rep. Earl Jaques, D-Glasgow, Rep. Deborah Hudson, R-Fairthorne, Sen. Bethany Hall-Long, D-Glasgow and Sen. Gary Simpson, R-Milford, but no one has volunteered to sponsor it. “We’ve got to open the process, or for the next 10 years, people will not be represented,” said Sims, who serves on the civic league’s board of directors.

“People are nervous about this kind of change,” said Senate Majority Leader Patricia Blevins, D-Elsmere. Blevins said in the past two legislative sessions, she has attempted to introduce a bill to establish an independent redistricting commission. The bill was never put on the agenda.“The districts are intended to be for the benefit of the voters, not for the benefit of people in office,” Blevins said. She said it is important future redistricting take place more openly than in the past. Blevins said she knows there will not be time to pass the bill, fund and establish a commission before redistricting this year, but she wants the law on the books for the 2020 census.“It’s a change you don’t shove down people’s throats,” Blevins said.

...Sims said he is concerned Democrats will use redistricting to secure their incumbency by redrawing electoral lines in their favor, a process known as gerrymandering. “It makes our votes null and void,” Sims said. The former chairman of Delaware’s Independent Party filed a lawsuit against the Legislature in Superior Court in 2002, when the General Assembly failed to redraw district lines. Ultimately, electoral lines had to be redrawn, but Sims said, it was done behind closed doors.“Most people don’t have any idea this is going on,” Sims said. “The people need to be involved.”Sims’ resolution emphasizes an open and transparent process for redistricting involving public participation.

See: DE Way ~ Sims Finds Sponsorless Support For 146th General Assembly Redistricting Bill for more from the CLNCC working group and the draft of the bill.

Delawareans Weigh In On The Most Underreported Stories Of 2010: Economy, Development, Redistricting, Government Spending And Dredging - States Rights

(DelawareFirstMedia News) Year in Review commentary: Stories you may have missed in 2010

“The condition of Delaware’s economy was the most underrated political story of the year. While the national/global economy tanked in 2008, Delaware’s economy actually went into recession (experiencing a reduction in economic output) in 2007. While nationwide, the political discussion was of jobs & economic growth, in Delaware the discussion was of witches and marxists.
—Charlie Copeland, former state senator and 2008 GOP candidate for Lt. Governor


“The pressures on Delaware’s fragile environment, infrastructure and open space have only increased. The Great Recession may have left investors with less capital and borrowing capacity, but it also scares policy-makers into welcoming poorly-considered development, because of a vague hope that more permissive zoning will bring jobs even after the bulldozers are packed away.”
—Chuck Durante, Attorney; Fmr. Parliamentarian, Delaware State Democratic Committee


Last year Senate Bill 20 was introduced to open up the redistricting process by creating an open and transparent Redistricting Commission to reapportion the State Senate and House of Representatives. Senate Bill 20 died in committee without a vote being taken.A secret redistricting process does not provide the foundation for competitive elections and ultimately leads public policies being adopted that favor the special interests.”
—John Flaherty, Delaware Coalition for Open Government president


government spending on personnel costs must be tackled. And beyond just tinkering around the edges, this really will require the kind of top-to-bottom review of government services and agencies at every level, and a genuine attempt to consolidate and combine and reduce them – that we’ve been promised for years.”
—Michael Fleming, New Castle County Republican Party chair


the dredging of the Delaware River...Against the preferences of the states of Delaware and New Jersey and contrary to the objections of environmentalists, a federal judge ruled in favor of Pennsylvania and the Army Corps of Engineers who want to deepen the river. This is a classic case of federal v. states rights, with much at stake for the future.”
—Sam Hoff,Delaware State University political science professor

Gerrymandering 2010, Movie to show in Wilmington.

A huge issue for the Civic League for New Castle County this year will be advocating for  independent and fair redistricting.   With the 2010 census, redistricting will be required, and we have a long history of impropriety in the way districts are drawn in Delaware.  Gerrymandering clearly disenfranchises Delaware votes, and needs to be stopped.  We have been involved in legal fights for this in the past (see CLNCC Oct. 2004 newsletter), and should prepare for another potential legal battle if an independent redistricting law is not passed. 

This movie may give some insights and ideas about how bad the problem is across the country as well.  More importantly, it may give us all a better understanding of what is at stake, and why we need to step up our efforts to stop combat it.

 

 

Movie, Gerrymandering 2010

Theater N at Nemours

1007 Orange St.

Wilmington, De.

0ctober 12, 2010

7;30 P.M.

One time showing

81 minutes

$7.00, $5.00 seniors

 

 

A wake-up-call documentary that exposes the hidden history of our country's redistricting wars, mapping battles that take place out of public scrutiny but that shape the electoral landscape of American politics for decades at time, posing a threat not just to democrats and republicans, but democracy as a whole.

 

Documentary filmmaker Jeff Reichert ponders the troubling prospect that elections in America are decided before the first vote is ever cast by examining how the framework of democracy provides politicians with an entirely legal means of controlling electoral outcomes. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of "Gerrymandering" reads: "to divide a territorial unit into election districts to give one political party an electoral majority in a large number of districts while concentrating the voting strength of the opposition in as few districts as possible." As the debate surrounding the reliability of the electoral system rages, the question of how to ensure that the system is more accurate and accountable comes up time and again. Can that broken system ever be fixed? By posing that question, among many others, to governors, state representatives, Supreme Court justices, political strategists, party chairmen, scholars, and journalists, Reichert proposes that the fundamental democratic premise that voters actually choose their elected representative may be a falsehood implemented to create the illusion of democracy.

 

Followed by a question and answer session by the Director and Producer previously filmed.

Your thoughts on Legislative Redistricting & Gerrymandering?

How can gerrymandering be eliminated and will the promised reapportionment cures be enacted, with process open to the voting public.