More REDISTRICTING-prompted by violation of Voters Act

Good Morning Everyone:

 

Councilman Cimperman called me this morning to inform me of some very disturbing and catastrophic news. Joe had said Council President Sweeney, and Consultant Bob Dykes walked into a meeting that Joe was having with a constituent group, and asked the group to leave. They had new ward maps in hand that now for the most part dices up Tremont into Three wards.

 

Five new maps were shown to Councilman Cimperman yesterday.

 

The answer is yes per Joe. The initial plan was voted on prior to the April 1st deadline, but council can vote again to amend the maps. Sweeney will get the same votes, Council at large gets to screw Tremont.

 

The Board of Elections has issued in writing over 20 concerns citywide that will have to amend ward boundaries by streets here or there. But Ward 14 is back into play and the areas surrounding Ward 14 on its eastern boarders. Apparently per Councilman Cimperman City Council Leadership was contacting in writing again from Attorney Jose Feliciano representing the Hispanic Roundtable Leadership and the Hispanic Community as a whole.

 

Martin Sweeney is now scrambling along with Bob Dykes because the claim is now that the projected numbers by Council and Dykes are even less than projected for the "Hispanic Ward". Council Leadership and the Administration see a disaster on the horizon with a Federal Law Suit against the City tying which could tie up the redistricting in courts for years.

 

Per Joe all five maps show Tremont, and Brooklyn Center completely back into play and changing dramatically than the maps approved prior to April 1st. Some areas on the northern boarder of Ward 14 and Ward 3 change in Clark Fulton SCFBC area too.

 

What Joe said.

 

All five proposals show Tremont with three Councilmen with Scranton Rd. being the east west dividing line between Ward 3 and Ward 14. Brian Cummins is brought back into the complete eastside area of Scranton Rd. to pick up the majority of Hispanic population. Joe Cimperman would have the westside of Scranton Rd. but the differences in the maps have him going south to different points. So for example depending on what map is now voted to be amended Councilman Cimperman may only go up to I-490 going south only leaving him with a portion of the westerly side of Scranton Rd. For instance Joe said I would have Cm. Cummins and the Tap House would have CM Cimperman. Potentially Joe Cimperman will only have Duck Island and the western portion of the Lincoln Heights Block Club area as Tremont.

 

Depending on what map is moved forward and how far Councilman Cimperman goes south I-490, Walton, Clark the tradeoff is re-dividing Brooklyn Center potentially into three Councilman. Three of the five maps shown even drawing Councilman Cummins House out of Ward 14 giving that area and its surrounding streets to Councilman Cimperman along with a portion of east Brooklyn center.

 

Dividing these neighborhoods based on race is the wrong perspective, Targeting Tremont and especially the Scranton Corridor shows the shortsided side of how bad decisions can effect development and property values. It erodes the public trust, especially from the Hispanic Community.

 

Councilman Cimperman warned Council President Sweeney to possibly expect a taxpayers law suit from stakeholders in Tremont. I would help on this but I do not have the resources any more to fight City Hall with such levels of political corruption. I would hope someone would. This split further erodes funding capacity to organizations like TWDC. How to Council reps fund slivers and gerrymandered swaths of land in Tremont. They can't.

 

This does not even change the western areas and a good chunk of territory redistricted in the SCFBC area will still remain with Councilman Cimperman. This should also raise funding concerns for SCFBC.

 

Please get this word out and forward or copy this email or post to blogs and facebook.

 

Thank you for your time.

 

Henry P. Senyak

Tremont Resident