JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — This story was originally posted on the Florida Times-Union.
Jacksonville City Council members continued toward their two-pronged redistricting goal Thursday morning: redrawing voting lines in a hastened timetable while continuing to appeal the court decision requiring them.
At the first meeting of the newly regrouped special redistricting committee, City Council President Terrance Freeman assured the public the “diverse, bipartisan and experienced” members could complete the map in time – just one day after the city’s recently hired counsel filed a stay arguing not enough time existed to adequately do the job.
“We will meet today, set the charge as established by the judge’s timeline and look forward to seeing a new draft map at our next meeting for potential edit and review,” Freeman said at the beginning of the committee meeting.
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District maps are normally drawn once every 10 years to reflect the newest census data. A federal judge ruled last week that the city’s 2021 lines were racially gerrymandered after local social justice groups, including the Jacksonville branch of the NAACP, sued the city.
The city’s most recent legal motion argued at least three months would be necessary to complete the redistricting process, but unless the stay is granted, the committee has until Nov. 8 to return a new map to the judge.
With City Council elections looming next spring, the Supervisor of Elections office has said lines need to be in place by Dec. 16, especially as candidates in several open elections have already filed in the established districts.
The committee, consisting of six Republican and one Democratic City Council members, did not discuss potential parameters of the new map at its first meeting and instead focused on how the process of continuing its court appeal of the judge’s ruling will coincide with drawing new lines.
"There is nothing inconsistent about preserving our appellate rights and proceeding on with the appeal while also making every effort to comply with the court's order," Mary Margaret Giannini, assistant general counsel, told the committee.
The committee is scheduled to meet again Nov. 1, Nov. 2 and Nov. 3 before the entire council votes on the new map at a special full City Council meeting Nov. 4.
How will the shortened redistricting process work?
The 2021 lines came from multiple rounds of redistricting dating back to 1991. The plaintiffs argued Black voters were historically compacted into Districts 7, 8, 9 and 10, thereby limiting the impact of their votes in other parts of the city as time passed.
In order to comply with the judge’s order, Jacksonville legal counsel told the committee major changes would be necessary.
“What you can't do in this process is start with the premise that the 2011 lines are OK and merely tinker around the edges,” Giannini said. “Rather you need to be engaged in a wholesale review of the new districts and particularly those that were challenged in the ongoing litigation."
The districts have to be geographically logical and compact, as well as be in near equal population. Giannini said the city has brought in Douglas Johnson of the National Demographics Corporation to assist with drawing the new map.
Johnson will work with Director of Planning and Development William Killingsworth, who predominantly worked on the 2021 lines, and present various options for the committee to review at the Nov. 1 meeting.
In the meantime, a “placeholder” bill will be presented during the Oct. 25 council meeting without a map attached. This will become the bill later voted on during the Nov. 4 special meeting – the next regularly scheduled City Council meeting is after the court’s deadline.
City Council members, both on and off the committee, expressed concerns over the process. Reggie Gaffney, who is ineligible to run for council in the spring and is not on the committee, told Giannini he thought individual meetings with council members and Johnson would be necessary to pass on “institutional knowledge.”
Committee member Aaron Bowman echoed Gaffney’s concerns, saying the maps “belonged to City Council…not to attorneys.”
Jacksonville city councilman places emphasis on public involvement
Two of U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard’s most prominent criticisms in her ruling were the council’s emphasis on protecting incumbents in the redistricting process and the lack of response to public feedback.
Council member Matt Carlucci, who is not on the redistricting committee, attended the meeting and expressed his concern over the council continuing to draw a partisan map that protected “safe” seats. He openly disagreed with the city’s decision to appeal and said they should “embrace accountability.”
“Just today, doing the right thing, regardless of court ruling,” Carlucci said. “I believe in my opinion, we should strive to make these districts more compact, taking care of communities within those districts.”
The committee will be making a strong effort to incorporate public feedback into the new process, Freeman told the group, by ensuring public comment was available at each special meeting. For people who cannot attend meetings – which are scheduled during weekday afternoons – the city will monitor and communicate responses sent to 2022redistricting@coj.net.
Additionally, there will be a “map chat” town hall on Nov. 3, the night before the full council makes the final vote on the new map.