My OperaWe'll Always Have Redistricting
Monday, May 30, 2011 2:12:52 PM
Mari over at InShaw had a nice pullout of the interesting parts of the current redistricting plan. The editor has copied it out and resized below
The original is here.
The editor's guess of Ward 2 going north along Seventh until P or so and then going west is wrong. The left turn is at N. Since so much of the discussion so far seems to be that DC east of Ward 2 is on the wrong side of the river Styx and is in need of sympathy and help, what DC is doing to the Immaculate Conception Church seems unkind. Since the O Street project will someday have (a guess) one to two thousand residents, that may satisfy some redistricting need. The editor doesn't know. But the project itself guarantees that a major developer spends time in the Ward 6 Councilmember's office as opposed to Ward 2's office. That probably has some value.
Some folks are hyperventilating. They should reach for a brown paper bag. What the editor finds interesting is "A few residents think Mr Evans should give the Convention Center back to the Shaw community...". He is unaware that the Convention Center ever belonged to a community. Or, in fact, that Shaw is a "community". He's well aware that a number of efforts have been made to treat is as a neighborhood, but it's too darned big for that. Well, OK, greater Shaw is apparently smaller than he thought. Apparently the Convention Center west isn't part of historical Shaw in the quoted statement.
The editor can understand intense dislike of new boundaries. He had severe problems with the last round. That said, he handled it. He understood that many of his problems would be resolved by population gain to the west of the Convention Center.
There is another. perhaps unmentionable, problem: Not all councilmembers are equally competent. Some have not just a local view, but also a city wide view. Several don't. The Ward 5 councilmember has always been very locally focused. If nothing else, sitting in or testifying at at Council hearing on a downtown project brings it out. Some ask questions having to do with general benefit to DC as well as their ward. Others seems to have no idea or concern beyond their ward. Such councilmembers shouldn't get their hands on assets with city-wide import. Such assets aren't play toys.
The original is here.
The editor's guess of Ward 2 going north along Seventh until P or so and then going west is wrong. The left turn is at N. Since so much of the discussion so far seems to be that DC east of Ward 2 is on the wrong side of the river Styx and is in need of sympathy and help, what DC is doing to the Immaculate Conception Church seems unkind. Since the O Street project will someday have (a guess) one to two thousand residents, that may satisfy some redistricting need. The editor doesn't know. But the project itself guarantees that a major developer spends time in the Ward 6 Councilmember's office as opposed to Ward 2's office. That probably has some value.
Some folks are hyperventilating. They should reach for a brown paper bag. What the editor finds interesting is "A few residents think Mr Evans should give the Convention Center back to the Shaw community...". He is unaware that the Convention Center ever belonged to a community. Or, in fact, that Shaw is a "community". He's well aware that a number of efforts have been made to treat is as a neighborhood, but it's too darned big for that. Well, OK, greater Shaw is apparently smaller than he thought. Apparently the Convention Center west isn't part of historical Shaw in the quoted statement.
The editor can understand intense dislike of new boundaries. He had severe problems with the last round. That said, he handled it. He understood that many of his problems would be resolved by population gain to the west of the Convention Center.
There is another. perhaps unmentionable, problem: Not all councilmembers are equally competent. Some have not just a local view, but also a city wide view. Several don't. The Ward 5 councilmember has always been very locally focused. If nothing else, sitting in or testifying at at Council hearing on a downtown project brings it out. Some ask questions having to do with general benefit to DC as well as their ward. Others seems to have no idea or concern beyond their ward. Such councilmembers shouldn't get their hands on assets with city-wide import. Such assets aren't play toys.
