WHO representsme?
CHANGE in population
Council district boundaries must be redrawn to ensure the population is more evenly distributed. The di erence between the smallest and largest district may not exceed 10% of the ideal population.
66 diluted to deprive minority voters of an equal opportunity to elect a candidate of their choice. PARAMETERS FOR REDISTRICTING The guidelines state the revised districts should be: Fairly equal in population Geographically compact Contiguous in their territory In addition, districts cannot be
City Council members are elected to two- year terms and may serve a maximum of four consecutive terms. Elections are held every odd year in May. The new district boundaries will be in place for the May 2023 City Council election. The following council members represent a portion of the Lake Highlands-Lakewood coverage area for Community Impact Newspaper .
Percent deviation in 2020 from ideal population of 93,170: +5.68%
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District 2: 2010: 87,114 | 2020: 95,419 District 9: 2010: 86,350 | 2020: 90,023 District 10: 2010: 87,504 | 2020: 98,464 District 14: 2010: 83,670 | 2020: 106,927
District 2 Council Member Jesse Moreno, rst elected in 2021
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Percent deviation in 2020 from ideal population of 93,170: -3.38%
District 9 Council Member Paula Blackmon, rst elected in 2019
HIGHLAND PARK & UNIVERSITY PARK Percent deviation in 2020 from ideal population of 93,170: +14.77%
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District 10 Council Member Adam McGough*, rst elected in 2015
Percent deviation in 2020 from ideal population of 93,170: +2.41%
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635
14
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SOURCE: CITY OF DALLAS COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER MAP NOT TO SCALE N
District 14 Council Member Paul Ridley, rst elected in 2021
meetings, o ering feedback, and sub- mitting their own district maps for consideration. “The whole purpose of redistricting is to create districts that are representa- tive of the neighborhoods and commu- nities within the city so that we aren’t fracturing communities between mul- tiple council districts,” Ridley said. While Ridley and other City Council members strongly advocated for resi- dents to participate in the redistricting process, a 2014 amendment to the city charter limits their ability to discuss the process in detail. By thenumbers Dallas’ population grewby nearly 9% from 2010-20, from roughly 1.2 million to 1.3 million. Back in 2010, the ideal size for a single district was 85,558 resi- dents. Today, that number is 93,170. The Lake Highlands and Lakewood areas are mostly represented by Dis- tricts 9 and 10, though they are also partially represented by Districts 2 and 14. Collectively, these four districts have 390,833 residents. Based on the 2020 census, District 14 saw the most growth, increasing from 83,670 residents in 2010 to 106,927. Represented by Ridley, District 14 will shrink through the redistricting
process. Exactly how its lines will be redrawn, however, will in part be a result of community input, some- thing Ridley urged his constituents to provide. District 10, wheremost of Lake High- lands is located, had about 98,464 people, which was also above the ideal population size. District 10 City Council Member AdamMcGough also urged his constituents to help shape the district for the next decade. “This in uences your representa- tion, so now is the time to really pay attention and make sure that neigh- borhoods are held together,” McGough said. District 9, on the other hand, which includes Lakewood and beyond, had 90,023 people, meaning the district could possibly expand. District 9 City Council Member Paula Blackmon said she believed that beyond increasing voter turnout, council districts that keep communities whole can also make allocating city funds a smoother process. “When we get bond dollars or when we get any kind of budgetary items, it’s easier to allocate if you have one per- son looking over that [district],” she said. “When you have two people or
it’s divided, it waters it down and [becomes more di cult].” Keepingcommunities together One of the key priorities of the com- mission is keeping neighborhoods, communities and other organizations intact and within the same council district. Where exactly those lines are drawn, however, is often a challenge given the arbitrary nature of deciding where one community ends and a new one begins. That ambiguity, Ridley said, is pre- cisely why he urged residents to have their voice heard in the redistricting process. “What’smost important tome is that we have a district that has complete communities of interest in it without fracturing communities of interest and neighborhoods with adjoining dis- tricts,” Ridley said. Beyond neighborhoods, a litany of other factors are considered when drawing district lines, including school attendance zones, homeowners associ- ations and more. “We like to maintain our boundar- ies to follow major thoroughfares and not necessarily cut through neigh- borhoods,” said Jesse Oliver, chair of the redistricting commission. He
*MCGOUGH REACHES TERM LIMIT IN MAY 2023
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it’s not as glamorous as the state Leg- islature or federal government, it prob- ably has more of an impact on quality of life than those [elected o cials] in Austin or Washington, D.C.” It is through the redistricting pro- cess, according to Paul Ridley, the City Council member representing District 14, that residents can have a say in how their communities are represented in city government. As Dallas’ population grows, so, too, does the population of individ- ual council districts. To ensure that residents are represented equally, the commission must follow several guidelines. Among them are not splitting up neighborhoods when possible, mak- ing council districts geographically compact and not depriving minority voters of fair representation by way of gerrymandering. Residents are not only able, but are also encouraged to participate in the process through attending public
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COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER • COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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