[Peace-discuss] reduction in size of the Champaign County Board?

[Jenifer Cartwright]

I'm still confused -- If more districts are added, can we be sure those won't be gerrymandered to advantage the advantaged? And if there are fewer reps from ea district, it again seems that the advantaged will be advantaged. On the other hand, 22 vs 27 members would be more efficient when it comes to making decisions and getting things done, all things being equal. But ARE they equal?? Bambi's pro and Carol's anti, if those are still their stands, makes it a no for me. --Jenifer
--- On Tue, 11/2/10, Robert Naiman <naiman at justforeignpolicy.org> wrote:

From: Robert Naiman <naiman at justforeignpolicy.org>
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] reduction in size of the Champaign County Board?
To: "Karen Medina" <kmedina67 at gmail.com>
Cc: "Peace-discuss List" <Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>
Date: Tuesday, November 2, 2010, 12:08 PM

Here is the exact question which appears on the ballot:

http://champaigncountyclerk.com/elections/docs/2010/11_02_2010_Full_Specimen.pdf

"Size of Champaign County Board

Shall the CHAMPAIGN COUNTY BOARD SIZE BE REDUCED from 27 MEMBERS
elected from nine multi-member districts with 3 members elected from
each district, to 22 MEMBERS elected from eleven multi-member
districts with 2 members elected from each district?"

So, assuming that what we are voting on is the question that actually
appears on the ballot, the argument for not diluting poor and minority
representation would appear to support the proposal. If you increase
the number of districts, the resulting districts will be smaller, and
all other things being equal, poor and minority voters will be less
diluted in their representation.

I'm not familiar with the recent history that led to this proposal,
but I can tell you that based on my experience as a County Board
member from 1992-6, I definitely thought that the size of the County
Board should be reduced, because my experience was that the size of
the Board made it hard to organize other County Board members, with
the result that most of the time the Board was a rubber stamp for the
staff and the Board Chair.



On Tue, Nov 2, 2010 at 10:42 AM, Karen Medina <kmedina67 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Can someone comment on the issue of the reduction in size of the
> Champaign County Board?
> The following is what I understand of the situation.
>
>> why would certain groups get no representation?
>
> Diluted representation. i.e. the poor and minorities would be diluted
> by being mixed with rich white people and having fewer seats to fill.
> Right now the poor have enough of a say that a representative can get
> on the board. With fewer seats to fill, there is an easier chance that
> one of the removed chairs would be the voice of the poor.
>
>> they're moving from 9 districts to 11, right?
> Not necessarily. I think there are 3 proposals on the table of how
> they would move from 27 to 17 board members.
>
> The current situation is 9 districts with 3 reps from each.
>
> In May, 2010, there were 3 proposals:
> 17 members, 17 single-member districts
> 18 members, from 9 multi-member districts
> 22 members, from 11 multi-member districts
>
> I'm still looking for more information on this.
> John Bambanic is for the reduction of county board members.
> Carol Ammons is against (I think). and I think Jan Anderson was
> against (I think).
> But I have not talked to either of these women recently on the issue.
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-- 
Robert Naiman
Policy Director
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman at justforeignpolicy.org

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