El Paso City Council votes on redistricting

Monday evening El Paso City Council voted on redistricting options in order to even out a population and housing boom in certain parts of town and losses in others.

All of council, with the exception of District 6 RepresentativeEddie Holguin Jr., voted in favor map ‘F’, the map put forth by District 1 Representative Ann Morgan Lilly’ during the meeting.

The redistricting meeting expected to focus on evening-out the city’s lopsided East El Paso growth, instead, inspired heated public comment surrounding Segundo Barrio representation.

“The reason I voted against map ‘F’ was because the community had a point, I do feel that District 1 and 8 probably should be separated,” said Holguin. “That way the Segundo Barrio would have the opportunity to elect someone rather than the west side always picking someone for that particular district.”

“Map ‘F’ really does what I think it should,” said Morgan Lily. “District 1 runs all the way from Kern, Rim, clear down to the river. I’m really comfortable with that area and I think it should be representative of the Barrios and everything else.”

Despite the concerns surrounding the Segundo Barrio, the city’s lead planner David Coronado said the main boundary shifts with winning map ‘F’ will focus east.

“There are minor changes on the westside. Between districts 1 and 8 there are really small changes. There are small changes in central and really small changes in the northeast. It’s really the east side that will be effected by this redistricting process,” said Coronado.

The redistricting will ensure that 81,140 residents are living within each district, because the Voting Rights Act requires each of the eight city council districts to have an equal number of people living within its boundaries.

The city redrew the lines based 2010 Census population figures. The city must submit the proposed maps to the U.S. Department of Justice for approval.