Ramsey: Municipal Redistricting - Balancing the Wards to satisfy one person, one vote.

First, one person, one vote is a hypothetical. Apparently Ramsey must by April 3, 2012, i.e., before the next election, have wards balanced so that populations are identical in each, plus or minus ten percent. Future growth guessing can go into adjusting lines and how the 10% margins are adjusted [jiggered], but still it is last census outcome that determines the need for change - within the 10% margin.

Here are city agenda exhibits for the Dec. 6 council work session - click each to enlarge and read:

Balancing between precincts within any ward is not required, nor needed, per one person, one vote.

My immediate reaction at the work session was to say, wow, you can draw an east-west line up at the north end of Ward 1 moved south enough to balance Wards 1 and 2, where things are out of balance and roughly 900 people in the northern segment of Ward 1 need to be shifted from Ward 1 to Ward 2.

That would have the appealing virtue of putting Elvig out of Ward 1, vacating that seat for an additional open seat in the 2012 election, and it would put Elvig and McGlone both into Ward 2 so they could have an election equivalent of a cage fight. Into the octogon, etc.

That of course did not sit well with McGlone when I mentioned it to him during a break between Council and HRA work session agendas, and I did not have an opportunity to run it by Elvig but my guess is David would have shown little enthusiasm.

So, with that possibility unfortunately off the table, politics being what it is, we do not have the enjoyment of seeing such a conflict resolution situation.

Aside from that, all else is possible, except that Gerrymandering is not to be expected, and the council seemed interested in trying to draw lines along major roads, if feasible.

The simplest thing would be to look at the southern part of Ward 1 Pecinct 1, or the southern part of Ward 1, Precinct 2, and shift it. Respectively that would be a rectangle bounded by Green Valley, 167th, Nowthen Blvd, and Hwy 47, in Precinct 2 - or the triangle bounded by Nowthen, Alpine and Ramsey Blvd., in Precinct 1; with detail depending on population numbers in each of the possible blocks.

But, remember, this IS Ramsey, and simplest may not always be what's done. Shifting the generally north-south line between the wards eastward enough to move 900 people to Ward 2, whereever the line falls, would be a third simple answer - so don't expect it either.

Seriously, it is of interest enough that watching the decision making process between now and the April 2012 deadline will be interesting. Tim Gladhill of Ramsey's Community Development staff is the lead staff person on the issue, so if you have any creative ideas, either Tim or City Clerk Thieling (responsible for election matters in general) would be the best people at City Hall to contact.