Detroit City Council approves new district boundaries
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Photo: Detroit City Council
Detroit City Council approved new district boundaries after weeks of public meetings and concerns from residents that the process would disrupt the fabric of their neighborhoods.
Why it matters: Some residents will get new council members and have services altered, while others fear their neighborhood groups may have to be broken up.
Driving the news: Council voted 8-1 at last week's formal session for the sixth and final map option it had requested from the planning commission.
- That option resulted in the least amount of changes, but was opposed by residents of District 2, primarily from Grixdale Farms, who said they didn't want to lose council member Angela Whitfield-Calloway, the lone "no" vote.
Of note: Under the new maps, Wayne State moves from District 6 to District 5; District 4 gets expanded; and the east-side communities within the Villages are broken apart.
- District 7 council member Fred Durhal III expressed sadness over losing Desoto Ellsworth, Nardin Park and Russell Woods, where he grew up.
Between the lines: Under the city charter, redistricting occurs every decade based on the latest census results, with each district holding around 90,000 people this time around — a decrease of roughly 10,000 from the last process.
- A number of public commenters suggested the city change the charter and go back to electing the entire City Council as at-large seats instead of by district.
What to watch: Whitfield-Calloway is still fighting to keep her constituents. She's requesting an amendment to the approved map to include the Grixdale Farms, Penrose and State Fair neighborhoods in District 2.