Overwhelming Support for Coalition Maps as Redistricting Commission Considers
SEATTLE—On Saturday, October 8, the Seattle Redistricting Commission held its final public forum for Seattleites to give feedback on their Seattle City Council draft map proposals. Over the course of the two-hour forum, over three-quarters of testifiers urged the Commission to adopt Redistricting Justice for Seattle (RJS) coalition’s map proposal.
“After overwhelming citywide interest and support for the RJS map throughout this whole process, the Seattle Redistricting Commission should live up to their commitment to a public-informed and -led process by adopting the RJS map.”
RJS reported over 175 Seattleites have signed their RJS map support pledge form, with supporters across all seven council districts.
Following the October 8 forum, the Seattle Redistricting Commission reconvened Wednesday to discuss final amendments to the map proposals. On October 12, the Fremont Community Council urged the Commission to not split Fremont between three districts, and keep Fremont within Districts 4 and 6, north of the Ship Canal, to comply with City Charter waterway guidelines and to keep Fremont connected to neighborhoods with similar interests.
Both Commissioners Patience Malaba and Eliseo Juarez proposed amendments responding to the vast majority of October 8 testifiers’ call for a map that doesn’t split Fremont between three districts and follows City Charter waterway guidelines. Malaba’s amendment seeks to keep Fremont within only Districts 4 and 6 and fully comply with Charter language around waterways. Juarez’s amendment responds directly to public comment to pass the RJS map.
Commissioners Rory O’Sullivan and Neelima Shah, in contrast, proposed an amendment that contradicts testimony from the Fremont Community Council, RJS, and language from the City Charter. The two commissioners’ amendments aim to preserve Fremont within two districts, but keeps Fremont primarily in a district on the opposite side of the Ship Canal, splitting Queen Anne between two districts. This amendment violates City Charter language around waterways and splits Queen Anne and Fremont in order to prioritize comments from Magnolia business and neighborhood groups.
“This redistricting season is the first time Seattle has allowed public input when drawing our council districts. If the Commission wants to represent the whole city and not just a wealthy few, their path forward is clear: they should pass the Juarez-RJS Amendment”
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RJS is made up of local, community-based organizations, advocacy groups, community members and non-profits interested in calling for an equitable and transparent Seattle redistricting process. They include Washington Community Alliance, WinWin Network, Fix Democracy First, Asian Counseling & Referral Service, Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, League of Women Voters Seattle-King County, Asian Pacific Islander Americans for Civic Empowerment,. Washington Bus, Pacific Islander Health Board, Rainier Beach High School community, Planned Parenthood NW, Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation Development Authority (SCIDpda), UW Greek Pride, FEEST Seattle, and Seattle BEST.
