JCC Redistricting Committee Hears First Option To Cut Supes From Districts

Friday, April 01, 2011

James City County’s redistricting committee had its inaugural meeting Thursday, and already one option has been presented and a few lines have been drawn in the sand between appointees of the Board’s two political parties.

Jeff Ryer, who was on the county’s last committee 10 years ago and was appointed by Republican Supervisor Bruce Goodson, quickly beat out David Jarman to lead the group with a 6-4 vote split along supervisors’ party lines (see the list of the committee members in the breakout).

County Attorney Leo Rogers gave the group a brief overview of the process, supplemented by further information from Ryer. Based on information given at the meeting, the group will not work together to create a joint map, but rather they will be able to meet separately with staff and use county software or work on their own (with whatever software they can find) to create maps. They’ll also get a chance to discuss any maps that are presented.

Debbie Kratter brought up the idea of changing the number of districts from five to seven. This is an idea championed by the citizen group the J4Cs, who have circulated a petition for considering the idea, as well as Planning Commissioner Reese Peck.

Ryer pointed out that the resolution unanimously approved by the Board specifically says “five election districts shall be maintained,” and this is what the Board expected.

Supervisor John McGlennon told WYDaily that the board did not discuss the number of districts specifically, "and I think that any legal option should be available to the Board in determining the best redistricting plan for the citizens."

Kratter argued it was premature to rule out adding more districts, and that she’d like to see at least one additional majority minority district created in the county.

Ryer jumped right into the process by sharing his own map of new districts with the committee (view the current county map here). Ryer’s maps move Mary Jones’ Berkeley District south and west so it takes up the area along the James River currently covered by much of John McGlennon’s Jamestown District.

Jamestown shifts northeast, effectively drawing McGlennon out of his district and putting him in Goodson’s Roberts District.

Jarman and Kratter didn’t like that Jamestown was changed so dramatically, but Ryer said the Board of Supervisors wasn’t prohibited from renaming the districts if they so chose (implying the Board could rename Berkeley, Jamestown to make it closer to its current form).

Ryer’s map also splits Ford’s Colony again along Powhatan Creek, as it was in the 1990s. This places Powhatan Supervisor Jim Icenhour in a newly-relocated Jamestown District.

Powhatan, in the proposed map, snakes up into the Stonehouse District in the north, up to Route 60, but only goes east into the current Stonehouse area as far as Forge Road.

Members appointed by the Democrats took issue with Ryer’s suggestion to split Ford’s Colony (where Kratter and Jarman live), pointing out that redistricting criteria aim to ensure “communities of interest” (such as neighborhoods) stay together.

Ryer said the districts he created are very compact and contiguous (also redistricting criteria), unlike many of the county’s current districts, and that Ford’s Colony had been divided before.

His maps would also change the districts of school board members Ruth Larson, Joe Fuentes and Jim Kelly. Jarman didn’t like that so many people – half of the combined total of school board and supervisors, he pointed out – would be displaced.

Ryer’s suggestion is only the first the group has seen. The public is welcome to create other map options and drop them off at the county administrator's office for consideration by the committee, a topic that sparked another debate as members wrestled with when and how any future maps should be shared with the public.

Jennifer Tierney, Kratter and Jarman wanted the county to put any submitted maps on the county website for the public to view as soon as they’re received. Rogers and staff said this would be possible.

Ryer said the committee should review the maps first to ensure they fit with the criteria before putting them on the website, and he and several other members pointed out that the public can view the maps at any time by requesting them from staff. Ryer suggested the group review any submitted maps at their next meeting before posting them.

Kratter made a motion to put all maps on the county’s website as soon as they’re received, but was voted down 6-4.

The committee will meet two more times, on April 7 and April 12 at 4:30 p.m. in the board room in building F of the county government complex on Mounts Bay Road. Their meetings are open to the public.

Below is Jeff Ryer's proposed redistricting map.