Heard in the Hall

Redistricting update

Council gets two competing proposals for new district boundaries

3 comments

Redistricting update

POSTED: Thursday, September 8, 2011, 1:49 PM

BOB WARNER

Redistricting update:

Two different bills to redraw City Council districts were introduced at today’s session – one from the Council leadership and the other from Councilmen Frank DiCicco and Jim Kenney. Both have been scheduled for a public hearing next Thursday at 11 AM – in the middle of next week’s Council session.

The main difference between the leadership bill and the DiCicco-Kenney proposal is the handling of the 56^th ward, the Rhawnhurst section of Northeast Philadelphia.

The leadership bill – developed by Council President Anna C. Verna and four colleagues – would divide the heavily-Democratic area between the 10^th and 6^th Council districts, now represented by Brian O’Neill and Joan Krajewski.

The DiCicco-Kenney proposal would put the 56^th ward entirely in the 10^th district – making it even harder for O’Neill, Council’s lone Republican district Councilman, to win re-election in 2015, assuming he manages to hold on this year against the Democratic candidate, Bill Rubin.

O'Neill sat on the five-member committee that developed the leadership proposal. He told reporters he agreed to take part of the 56th ward to help reach a consensus on redistricting. The DiCicco proposal would be "going from bad to worse," he said.

Could O'Neill win his new district when the new lines take effect with the 2015 election cycle? "It's a challenge but I've had challenges before," he said.

--Bob Warner and Troy Graham

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Comments (3)

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 2:42 PM, 09/08/2011

Please post the maps of the proposed districts so that we can see how gerrymander some of these districts are.

— jcc1960

Comment removed.

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 3:43 PM, 09/08/2011

So if they don't vote until next Thursday, and the deadline was tomorrow ... how much do they lose in pay per day? Maid Marian probably would lose about $2000 - if, in fact, anyone had the guts to withhold funds from this pack of wild dogs.

— citylumberjack