VIRGINIA BEACH
The information was e-mailed out yesterday: the Thursday evening (June 16) Virginia Beach City Redistricting Meeting will be 6 P.M. at Meyera Oberndorf Central Library.
Some plans have already been submitted, and I saw a copy of one this past Thursday night.
NORFOLK
This past Tuesday night I was over in Norfolk to see if I could learn anything from their Redistricting process. What I got was a great seat for when Rodney Jordan dropped his bombshell.
For those who haven't heard, he offered a plan which would convert Norfolk's Ward 1 (now represented by Andy Protogyrou) to a minority-majority ward. Not African-American majority, but total minority. It does so by pushing Ward 1 south, and drawing Ward 5 (Tommy Smigiel) all the way west in Ocean View through Willoughby Spit.
Obviously it would shift power in Norfolk, but it would also have notable effects at the regional level, too. Virginia Beach inclusionists should support the efforts of Jordan & friends, as having an amiable government in Norfolk City Hall would obviously help the cause for inclusion here.
If the Norfolk City Council rejects Jordan's proposal, he can then file it with the U.S. Department of Justice for consideration during Norfolk's preclearance review. The Obama Administration could then reject the official Norfolk plan on the grounds that a fourth minority-majority ward is possible, and instruct Norfolk to proceed along those lines. (That may be where Virginia Beach's Redistricting ends up, too.)
2 comments:
I can't find anything about the Virginia Beach meeting. Do you know where I can find more information?
Those of us who had previously expressed interest were sent an e-mail from the City Attorney's Office on Friday to inform us of Thursday evening's meeting.
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