Opinion: The City Council redistricting process has become, unsurprisingly, highly politicized and contentious.
Now the future of District 1, which for more than 50 years has served as the “downtown district,” is the subject of a tug-of-war with District 5. At stake are various businesses, notably the largest downtown employer, H-E-B, and its headquarters campus at the historic Arsenal. Cultural assets, including San Pedro Creek and Market Square in Precinct 2051 also are being fought over.
But Tuesday night’s vote was not the last word. A key meeting will take place Saturday at City Hall at 2 pm. If the past is any guide, committee members will be influenced by the turnout at the public hearing. Business leaders and neighborhood residents seldom attend such meetings, which favor activists and other organized groups who sign up to speak publicly. Click here toAs noted above, I live in Precinct 1001, which also is home to H-E-B headquarters.
If Precinct 1001 remains in District 1, as now agreed by advisory committee members, there will only be a 16-person difference in the populations of 1 and 5, and the currently underpopulated 1 will be within 8% of the other nine districts. I haven’t spoken to a single person in the Arsenal Overlay District who wants to move from District 1 to District 5. No one asked us, and no one told us our precinct was targeted by District 5 representatives. It seems even crazier to me to move or bisect H-E-B, which has invested heavily in expansion of its campus in recent years, out of the central business district.
That said, I don’t have a vote. But I do feel strongly enough to spend my Saturday afternoon attending the advisory committee meeting at City Hall to make sure my voice is heard. Democracy is messy, often time-consuming, and it doesn’t stop for weekends.