Agenda - 05-05-2005-1b - Laserfiche WebLink

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M The second set of facia is contained in the 1990 U-S. Census statistics released this year, which categorize our county population as Go% Cuban and 40% rural. Free of possible inaccuracies of the voter rolls, and incursive of child and adult residents of the county who dunand services whether or not they are registered to vote, these data indicate the division of county lifestyles morn accurately than could township boundaries since they describe the availability of city services such as water and sewerage at the place of residence. Thcse statistical facts dramatize the remsrruation issue in a way the voter rolls do not, by showing that the underrepresentod' rural population is much larger than the 28% counted by voter registrations, and by suggesting further that long-term undemeprescntation may result in lowmed participation in the democratic process. in summary, ccosus statistics prove that a substantial and important rural population in our county does not sit at your tabla, either now or most of the Lima, By limiting rural representation, our county government has logt the rural perspective, the perspective of our native orange cotmtians, and of many of our local traditions; but I amt not oiltimistic that a district system providing one w two Couruy C,onunissioner's seats for rural areas can begin to restore the balance, ? xing the; system will not be accomplished by guarantceiT4 anwne a scat at the table merely on the basis of one's address. To create an entidemertt to representation based on where one owns or rents is a superficial, quota - oriented solution which will further, divide our txxtnty by casting cumn population patterns in stone, and limiting voters' choices in every part CptniVV. For example It is conceivable that a candidate living in downtown ChaPcl Hill could support the of the needs and positions of rural residents in an eloctiorr, and lose because a district plan mould mahe her hreligtble joy voter from raral Orange cound=. Similarly, an orange county balkanized into electoral districts of varying sizes nwnber of will, in the long ruA UMU 68 ce=as, pujods bchvtxa mandatory redisttictir'tg after' each federal. electable Worse Wan�ir possibilin during is the virtually 1 scenario that some CpmmiSSiorers under' a district system will feel no obligation to represent more than their own nelghborboods, and will lose sight of the needs of the cotutty as a whole and of their constant responsibility as political leaders to educate tvEns in this broader perspective. Unless Our eloctoml system Dan responsibility a n become more Sensitive to the variety and richy" of our county's culture and demographics, a noel sear ra the Commission might be »othing more than a perxa=t mtnortry, ultimately adding to the alienation and frustration rsrd possibly limiting tbo TWmsentation of minority residents within any particular district, of rural residents, t3 What rural votes and other undctreprtscnted €GPs in ° counts electoral m vas a is no more or ices than what err Coasdtution encourages: not an automatic entitlement to direct rcproscmation as a spee[a1 privilege, but rather the rfgW not to be acludsd a genuine, meaningful chance to compete and win elections unencunsbere3 by arbitrary Hiles and stmciurai barriers It is clear that tamers do cp stin �h °a�ction,icand the overwh"lrr ng ab'tl tyro£ the arbi� the limited number of vacant oomrrsissionerships Chapel Bill geographic bloc to Pt= its states of candidates inl� se v i�aU� both offtthese Problems musty candidates. In ord"r w fairly represent the variety of our Urartea Y quot eated district acheases, be edchcsscd I am convinced that both can be solved without resort to quota on There is txatainiy nothing sacred about the five- person membershlP of Your board. Indeed there have been few defenses oficmd for the present Commission's Size. For example, I recast Shirt Iviarshail describing five as "the p feet oumlxr", superlatively easy to work with during her last term as a Commissioner. Ftowever, I also recall of the board al for beginning of that tarn Ms, Marshall regularly 06mplained how hard that Prim to the malignmcnt representatives— of decisions declines for lack of Buff dem input, the savings cannot count for much. it was to hold a solid majority of three votes• It is even asserted, that it is cheaper to have fewer score but if the quality of govemm quo are arbitrary at bat• A more rational standard for seeing the siu of the These defenses for the status 4 mernbersbp can adequately n prescnt the variety of major cultural, racial Commis is whether the numbK r of your as we should that rural residents are such a group, and economic groups which comprise ow eourn} • Assumin(r for example, a Commission requiring a minimum of 33VO vote for cicCaon is e..Mern and to cl commission i when rural minority represents Only 28% of voters• Finally, the arbitrar nets of the embaembec Commission is des in off- with d simpiieitY which improvcmentS could be made; merely add riaro rntxnbsu o;t if four vacancies s will y the three in ptrsidentlat years, and rural candidates enjoying the solid support of their constituents will rugttiarly moot the 25% threshold for election But, sad to say, the simplest solution in this rasa is only part of the answer needed. The problem of fair