Black Rose Bush

Reapportionment public hearings underway

ALBANY, Ga. — The first public hearing for the proposed redrawn Dougherty County Commission and School Board districts yielded the first bump in what had been a rather smooth one-month process.

The joint commission/school board committee presented a new district map put together by redistricting consultant Linda Meggers Monday evening at the Albany Police Precinct on Dawson Road.

The commission and school board share district lines and are sharing the cost of the redistricting study.

The new map is not radically redrawn, but accounts for population shifts that were revealed in the 2010 U.S. Census. New lines were drawn to get the six districts as close as possible to the ideal district population of 15,761.

On the proposed new map, District 1 would lose a chunk of population to District 5, which would then lose a geographic slice to District 2. District 3 would pick up a population block from District 4. District 6’s lines would remain relatively intact.

After Meggers presented the proposed map to a group of around 20 residents, the floor was open for questions and discussion.

Longtime community activist William Wright rose and blasted the proposal.

"We think there is simply too much of a rush to get a plan approved without reasonable time for citizens to participate," Wright said. "I think we need to start from scratch and ask for the opportunity to prepare a seven, nine and eleven member respective bodies for both local governments.

"We can easily discern that the present rush to adopt the proposed redistricting plan that will further disenfranchise black citizens. For instance, all three of our local governments have chosen to dismantle any meaningful language in contracting opportunities. So, it goes without saying that the same will be done with this hastily constructed redistricting plan absent any real or meaningful participation by our local black citizens."

Wright's group wants to add at least a seventh district to the map, eliminate the at-large seats and have the county commission select a commission chair.

The DCSS board already selects its chairperson.

"The county commission and school board have already constructed their plans encompassed by a cloud of separation," Wright said. "Obviously this is one of the many reasons as to why it would have been fair to consider other models prior to agreeing with a plan, and then pretending to ask for public participation.

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