Presentation, Presentation, Presentation

The 2020 census indicated changes in population that made Hudson's equipopulous wards no longer equipopulous. In March, the matter of altering the ward boundaries was taken up by the Common Council Legal Committee, and it was determined achieving equal population in the wards with the least amount of change to ward boundaries was the way to go. 

At the end of May, there was a special meeting of the Common Council to consider the proposed amendments to the ward boundaries. Gossips reported on that meeting and a subsequent meeting of the Legal Committee in this post: "Nothing Is Ever Easy." Council president Tom DePietro, other members of the Council, and representatives of the Hudson City Democratic Committee complained that the information provided was inadequate. People needed to see how and why the proposed boundary changes had been arrived at and be able to verify it by replicating it for themselves. A map showing the boundaries was inadequate; specific addresses affected had to be provided.

At last night's Common Council meeting, Councilmember Ryan Wallace (Third Ward), who is a member of the Legal Committee and had complained that the discussion on the topic at the June 1 meeting of the committee had wasted his time, presented the information in a PowerPoint presentation that explains the rationale, lays out the process, and provides both detailed maps and addresses for the small areas that are shifting from the First Ward to the Third Ward and from the Third Ward to the Fourth Ward. The entire presentation can be found here. 

The Council will have to act on the ward boundary amendments soon. The changes are subject to a mandatory referendum, and the deadline for getting a referendum on the ballot for November is August 6.

COPYRIGHT 2022 CAROLE OSTERINK