2020 Census and the Wards

In the past, with the weighted vote in the Common Council, the decennial census meant that the weight of the aldermen's votes changed. Now, since the Fair and Equal law was adopted in 2016, the decennial census will mean the redrawing of ward boundaries. Now that the 2020 census figures are available, it is possible to see the changes in population in the individual wards and determine if the ward boundaries will need to be redrawn as a consequence.

Steve Dunn, who played a major role in drawing the boundaries that created wards of equal population in 2016, has provided Gossips with the following information. The wards that have experienced the most significant deviations, according to the 2020 census, are the First Ward with +64 and the Fifth Ward with -82. The Second and Third wards have seen positive deviations, of +15 and +18 respectively. The Fourth Ward has seen a deviation of -15. 

The number that represents equal population (i.e. total population divided by 5) is now 1,162, whereas in the past it was 1,281. A deviation in population of more than 10 percent requires the ward boundaries to be redrawn. This must be done no later than July 1, 2022. The Common Council can redraw the ward boundaries in any way they please, but here are possible new boundaries being suggested by Dunn. 

According to the proposed map, the Second Ward is expanded to include Hudson Terrace south of Warren Street, now part of the First Ward; the Fourth Ward picks up the area between Rope Alley and State Street, now part of the Second Ward; and some homes on the east side of Harry Howard Avenue shift from the Fourth Ward to the Fifth Ward. For comparison, the map below shows the ward boundaries as they currently exist.

The following chart shows the population of each ward should the changes suggested by Dunn be implemented.

According to these numbers, the First and Fifth wards would both be under 1,162, the number that represents equal population--the First Ward by 66, the Fifth Ward by 7--and the other three wards would all be over 1,162, by different numbers ranging from 18 to 31. It remains to be seen how the Common Council, in the next ten months, will decide how to divide up the city into wards.  

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