The Valparaiso City Council has finalized its new council districts. After a process that saw six proposals submitted by the public, council members unanimously approved the map drawn up by the council president and vice president with the help of attorney Brian Bosma.
Vice President Diana Reed felt the map did a good job of balancing the districts' populations while keeping changes to a minimum. "Each of our districts gave up one precinct and took on another precinct to create that balance, and the plan that we have, I think, is great for us moving forward," Reed said during Monday's meeting.
But she expects bigger changes may be coming during the next redistricting in 10 years, as the population increase may lead the city to expand the council.
While council member Robert Cotton voted in favor of city's map, he felt the other proposals raised a good point with the need for competitiveness. "Meaning that part of our problem in this country is that we are so segmented into red and blue that there is no need to be accountable to someone who doesn't necessarily have your political persuasion," Cotton said.
The new Valparaiso City Council districts take effect with the 2023 election cycle.
