CLEVELAND — Next Monday, Cleveland City Council is expected to vote on the city’s new redistricting plan.
But one coalition that’s against the new ward boundaries told News 5 that it isn't going down without a fight.
“The most important thing in redistricting should’ve been keeping neighborhoods whole instead of targeting political rivals,” said Nikki Hudson, a resident with Coalition for a Better Cleveland.
As a resident of Ward 15, Hudson said she’s upset her neighborhood will be split up based on the new ward boundaries Council President Blaine Griffin revealed earlier this month.
RELATED: New Cleveland ward boundaries are revealed
Now, she said she fears what these changes could mean if the plan is approved at their meeting on Jan. 6.
“We would be split up and have different councilmembers even though we live in the same neighborhood,” said Hudson.
During the Dec. 10 press conference, Griffin said residents mandated the city’s redistricting plan when voters supported a charter change in 2008 to tie council size to census results.
As a result, Cleveland City Council will be reduced from 17 to 15 wards.
Griffin even explained how all wards, including where Hudson lives in Ward 15, are impacted due to the city’s declining population.
Still, Hudson and others representing Coalition for a Better Cleveland said they believe their communities have been marginalized and divided.
“We believe that these are examples of gerrymandering, and that council leadership drew these maps in a way to target certain councilmembers,” said Hudson.
One of those councilmembers, who is against the proposed ward lines and spoke during Monday’s Fix the Map Citizen Rally, is Councilwoman Rebecca Maurer, who said she wants fair treatment for the neighborhoods she represents.
“When it comes to these ward lines, all of a sudden, it doesn’t matter that we keep Slavic Village together, we can carve off this part and we can carve off that part,” said Maurer. “We need these little fixes to the map.”
In a statement to News 5, Griffin said:
“We’ve worked tirelessly to craft a redistricting plan that reflects the values and priorities of Cleveland’s communities. This map not only meets the legal requirements for redistricting but goes beyond to ensure that our neighborhoods remain intact as much as possible, and our residents are equitably served. For the first time, we actively sought and incorporated public input, and we are proud to deliver a plan that prioritizes fairness, equity, and transparency.”
“Neighborhoods were split into pieces and parts for political reasons and that’s not okay,” said Hudson.
Although Griffin said changes would be minimal so council can vote on the map, the window to submit public comment is still available.
