The Greensboro City Council voted unanimously to ignore the recommendation of the Citizens’ Redistricting Committee and approved the Moderate Change Version 2 Draft Map.
District 5 Councilmember Tammi Thurm actually made the motion to approve the Moderate Change map, perhaps to send a subtle message to the redistricting committee.
If the Pie-Shaped Map that the redistricting committee recommended had been approved, Thurm would have lost her seat on the City Council. The Pie-Shaped map moved Thurm from District 5 to District 4. Thurm could not have run for reelection in District 5 and would have had no chance of winning against District 4 City Councilmember Nancy Hoffmann.
Councilmembers in their speeches about the problems with the Pie-Shaped Map failed to mention the biggest problem the City Council had with the map, that it would result in Thurm losing her seat.
What was equally incredible was that Mayor Nancy Vaughan congratulated the City Council for being perhaps the only city in the state to use a citizens’ redistricting committee. No doubt more cities would have used the subterfuge of a citizens’ redistricting committee if they had realized that they didn’t have to follow the recommendation of the committee.
Thurm said that one reason she was against the Pie-Shaped map is, “I have a real concern that when everybody represents the downtown in effect nobody represents the downtown businesses.”
In the Moderate Change Map that Thurm supported, four of the five districts come into the downtown area. In the Pie-Shaped Map all five districts, including District 5 which she represents, come into the downtown area.
The other big concern mentioned by Thurm, Vaughan and Councilmember Marikay Abuzuaiter was voter confusion.
Councilmember Sharon Hightower went so far as to say that moving district lines “disenfranchised” voters.
Vaughan, in stating her support for the Moderate Change map – which only redistricting committee member Marlene Sanford, who drew the map, supported – and ignoring the recommendation of the committee, which six of the seven members supported, said, “I think the committee did a great job.”
The Moderate Change Version 2 Draft Map will now be sent to the state for approval as the official City Council district map for the City of Greensboro until after the 2030 Census.
Nothing to see here, no politics in play. Just go back home, we’ll tell you when to vote and who we decide to represent you.
Wow, what a bunch of double-speak. The fact that a committee was formed to deal with this issue was just a ploy to be able to state that the process was acceptable. If you cannot take recommendations from a committee whose members who you selected, then just tell all the citizens that you are the only ones capable of making such decisions and stop wasting the time of volunteers. What hogwash.
Does this action really surprise anyone? Does any voter in Greensboro belive there will be a large turn over on this current Council after the next election? Based on the actions taken on this issue alone, there should be a total and complete turn over. Use your vote wisely.
This story must be fake news because liberals love independent redistricting and would never overrule the independent redistricting committee to protect incumbents.
So the County will have to live with Skip’s map because it doesn’t matter which map the citizen’s preferred either. It’s which map the politician’s preferred to keep the votes. We knew this all along. This is why we feel frustrated as voters.
More taxpayers money wasted, again. We the people are at fault! Why- because the majority voted these clowns into office.
Solution- we the people need to vote them out of office.
“voter confusion”? Most of the confusion is on the Council.
Keep voting for them folks.
Another “duh” moment. The only way to fixit, is at the ballot box.
It appears that Virginia has fixed the Govenor problem. It will be tough fixing the schools, because the left and the NEA run them.
Give it your best shot, Gov.