On Monday night, the Burlington City Council will consider a complicated compromise on redistricting that as of Sunday was just one vote shy of having majority support.
This proposed reconfiguration of the city’s political boundaries already has the expressed backing of seven of the council’s 14 members. Three Democrats, three Progressives and the council’s lone Republican are behind the plan, giving it the gloss of tripartisan appeal.
Geographically, however, support for the scheme is so far confined to the Old North End and the New North End. It remains to be seen whether councilors representing other parts of the city will go along with the proposal to establish eight wards and four “precincts” to be represented by a total of 12 councilors — two fewer than today. The council’s Monday agenda also includes five alternative plans, each of which has the listed support of at most a single council member.
One of the virtues of the “hybrid” proposal is that it keeps the four current Old North End and New North End wards intact and distinct, notes Progressive Councilor Max Tracy. Residents in those two sections of Burlington have indicated they do not want their neighborhoods to be combined as a result of the redistricting process, Tracy says.
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