Mayor Scott vetoes City Council president's competing Baltimore redistricting plan
BALTIMORE - Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott vetoed City Council President Nick Mosby's competing plan to rewrite Baltimore's district lines.
The move means that the mayor's version of the map will likely take effect.
Under the mayor's plan, the first and 11th districts, where populations have grown, will lose of their territory.
"As I outlined in my letter to the Council President, after numerous conversations with the Council, I remained unsatisfied that the Council's proposed map addressed the needs of Baltimoreans," Mayor Scott said. "Their proposal did not equalize population nearly enough, align with our vision that each district would significantly benefit from the presence of an anchor institution, or anticipate our city's future needs. For these reasons, and due to an unwillingness to collaborate on a compromise map as suggested by my team, my administration was left with no choice but to make the difficult decision to reject this proposal."
According to the Mayor's Office, other significant changes include: The precinct that includes Johns Hopkins Bayview returned from District 1 to District 2 after being removed from District 2 following the 2010 census.
This change both assisted with the reduction in population needed in District 1, and added an anchor institution to District 2. Additionally, District 10, which prior to 2010 census redistricting included all of the South Baltimore peninsula, added back a portion of the peninsula to assist the reduction in population needed in District 11.
"The proposed map will rebalance our City Council Districts to ensure equal representation for city residents," Mayor Scott said. "Our team worked diligently for months to craft a reasonable and well-executed redistricting plan in accordance with the expectations of the law, and I commend the dedication and hard work of the Department of Law and Department of Planning that went into this effort. These changes are a reflection of our changing city, taking into account new population centers and communities experiencing growth. It is my hope that the new map serves our city well for years to come."
For a look at the plan, here's the link.
