Cleveland wants resident input on new ward maps
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo: Sam Allard/Axios
Cleveland residents will give input on new City Council ward maps and even have the chance to draw their own, President Blaine Griffin told constituents at the Glenville Recreation Center Wednesday evening.
Why it matters: New maps will be in place for next year's elections and Griffin wants a more transparent process for redrawing them than in the past.
Flashback: Griffin said his predecessors worked behind closed doors to draw maps that prioritized the interests of incumbent members.
- This resulted in gerrymandered wards that didn't always follow natural boundaries or preserve historic neighborhoods.
- Look no further than the "Scorpion's Tail" of Ward 11, drawn to accommodate the home address of former Councilwoman Dona Brady.
What they're saying: "This is not about preserving our seats," he said. "It's about getting feedback from you."
How it works: Cleveland voters supported a charter amendment in 2008 that tied the number of wards to the city's population.
- Per that amendment, the total number of wards must be odd-numbered, with a minimum of 11 wards and a maximum of 25.
- Each must be made up of approximately 25,000 people.
- The population has fallen in every decennial census since 1960, and the council size has shrunk correspondingly.
State of play: Cleveland is losing two council seats, dropping from 17 to 15 in next year's elections.
- At community meetings across town this week, demographer Mark Salling, a member of the consulting team hired by the council to lead the $100,000 redistricting work, gave residents a tutorial on the online map-making tool Dave's Redistricting App.
- He invited residents to draw their own ward maps and submit them for consideration through Nov. 3.
Inside the room: The response in Glenville was a mix of confusion and disappointment.
- Attendees said they had neither the time, nor expertise, nor even internet access, to draw maps for the whole city.
- Others worried about representation on the predominantly Black east side, which has lost population while parts of the west side have grown, and which may have been undercounted due to less than full participation in the 2020 census.
Between the lines: Others said that while they appreciated the opportunity to weigh in, more valuable would be the opportunity to offer feedback down the line, when new maps are up for consideration by the council.
The intrigue: Though Griffin criticized the redistricting process under past council presidents, he turned to the same consultant — Bob Dykes, of Triad Research Group — who led the work in 2013, 2009 and 1981.
What's next: The official deadline for new maps is April 1, 2025, but Griffin said he'd prefer to have them formalized earlier — ideally by January — as a consideration to potential candidates.
The last word: "There's no perfect process, no perfect person and no perfect map," Griffin said. "We're just trying to be open."