Should the Great Lakes Bay Region have its own political district?
The Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission (MICRC) and Michigan 211 are partnering to make public comments more accessible for Michiganders trying to submit proposals on redistricting political lines. The partnership will expand multi-language access for the commissions ongoing effort to collect statewide public feedback until July 1. Goal to make it easier to provide feedback    Communications and Outreach Director Edward Woods III said the goal is to eliminate barriers that could potentially make it difficult for residents to submit feedback. These barriers include lack of internet access and language differences. People without internet access can dial 211 or 844-875-9211 to submit a public comment. Woods said Michigan 211 has access to more than 160 languages; people can call the hotline to register for a translator to assist people interested in providing feedback in their native language at the remaining public hearing events. According to the commission, more than 130 people attended the May 25 public hearing in Midland. Out of the total attendees, more than 75 people provided feedback on how theyd like to see Michigans Congressional, House and Senate districts divided in the next election cycle. Calls to give Great Lakes Bay Region its own district    A majority of the people providing public comments on May 25 supported the current political district boundaries. Theres no reason to change it, said Amanda Oster of Sanford. All it would be doing is making things harder on pretty much everybody, Oster said. Midland resident Erica Pia said her family moved back to the Midland area from Washington, D.C., to raise her kids. She relayed to the commission that she supports grouping rural mid-Michigan and northern Michigan communities in the same district. However, while not in the majority at the Midland hearing, there were a number of individuals who voiced their preference to redraw the district lines. These comments included grouping the Great Lakes Bay region in its own district. The Great Lakes Bay Region covers Midland, Saginaw, Bay and Isabella counties. According to the Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance, this region is home to more than 500,000 residents. Retired professor at Delta College, Barb Miller is from Bay City. She told the redistricting commission that her community of interest aligns Bay County with Saginaw, Midland and Genesee counties in a Congressional District. Miller said students who transfer from Delta College are most likely to go to four-year universities that are in proximity to the community college. The strengths of our higher education system and the Michigan economy would be helped by representation in a consolidated urban Congressional District, she said to the commission at the Midland County public hearing. Please consider the effectiveness of aligning Midland Bay and Saginaw and Genesee Counties in Congressional District.    Karen Tighe is a retired probate Judge from Bay County. She said two decades ago, Bay County was gerrymandered away from Saginaw. Tighe told the commission that she supports the political lines to be redrawn to reflect the relationship between the tri-counties. She said Bay County identifies itself as the tri-counties, Midland, Bay and Saginaw counties by sharing an international airport run by the three local governments and by sharing Delta College board members from each county. We were placed with a rural State Senate District with Tuscola and Lapeer Counties, Tighe said. Our most recent two State Senators have both been family farmers whose interests are understandably centered on agriculture (while) the needs of an urban (and) suburban on the industrial corridor have not been their main focus.    Angela Madarang, president of the Associated Builders and Contractors Greater Michigan chapter, said she supports the political lines to be redrawn to reflect the Great Lakes Bay Region. I'm here to emphasize that the Great Lakes Bay Region is a thriving economic force on its own and that the representation and leadership of our local, state and federal levels of government are partially responsible for our vision success, she said. We do not believe that our region and the communities that makeup the Fourth Congressional District should be sliced and diced.  Local Democratic party to help community members submit public comments    Midland County Democratic Party Chair Jennifer Austin said people have reached out to the local party seeking assistance in providing feedback after the Midland public hearing event that took place May 25. To help, Austin said the local party will host a Zoom meeting Wednesday, June 9, to offer training to community members who are trying to submit testimonies to The Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission by next month. Midland resident Molly Morrissey said she plans on attending the local partys Zoom meeting to have assistance with writing a testimony in support of redrawing new political district boundaries. I think its easy for Republicans to say we want things to say the same and thats a central message that they can give to everybody, Morrissey said. But, when youre looking for a change and more equity, then you have to give reasons for that.    Morrissey said her goal is to make sure the political lines are redrawn to reflect a balance in the two-party system. She doesn't want one party to have more power than the other.    Thats why we voted as a state to have this nonpartisan, citizen-run commission which I think is super important, she said. Austin said while the local Democratic party supports changing the district lines, the group will not propose a testimony to the commission in charge of redistricting. They (the current districts) very much go against some of the very basic principles of how to draw district lines, which are to make compact districts, Austin said. Also, to make districts that have communities of interest. The current lines are very much not reflecting that.  One idea for what new lines should like    Austin said the political districts should not be drawn to benefit any party, including the Democratic party. She said the lines are meant to reflect the people of the state, not the parties of the state. "We haven't chosen to dictate what we think they should be," Austin said. "Our citizens (and) our members are intelligent and can come up with ideas of their own. We are giving some ideas, like they should be compact (and) they should reflect some communities of interest, like the tri-cities area." People interested in attending the workshop hosted by the Midland County Democratic Party can email Austin at MidlandCountyDemChair@gmail.com. Public comments are being collected, to submit a testimony visit https://www.michigan-mapping.org/#submit. Eight out of 16 public hearing events have been completed. The commission will provide an update on the redistricting process on Wednesday. See Thursdays Midland Daily News for coverage from that update.