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City Council joins county in support of redistricting

Warren City Council has joined Warren County in supporting resolutions that call for an independent citizen’s commission to re-draw legislative district maps.

Presented by the group Indivisible Warren, member Karen Davis told council that “many Pennsylvania politicians in gerrymandered districts feel safe” to act on their own self-interest or the interest of campaign supporters rather than issues.

She alleged that gerrymandered districts have paved the way for political partisan gridlock which results in people feeling disenfranchised which, in turn, drive down voter turnout.

Davis said that an impartial citizen’s commission will result in the county being accurately represented in its’ best interest rather than political expediency.

“Districts will result in leaders more willing to do the will of the people,” and more fairly distribute taxpayer funds.

Mayor Maurice Cashman said he heard from a professor at Carnegie Mellon on the maps at the last mayor’s conference that he addended.

“Certainly it’s a worthwhile project to put it into an independent commission,” Cashman said. “(It) would take out a lot of gerrymandering that goes on” and “more fairly represent” the people of Pennsylvania.

“Whether it cracks the gridlock, I tend to doubt very seriously,” he added. “This is a nice step from getting away from political gerrymandering which I think this country now sorely needs.”

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