Merced districts may group incumbents together

The local election districts to go into effect next year in Merced have the potential to pit members of the City Council against one another as they all live on the north side of town.

Three members of the council will reach their term limits next year. But if the proposed maps are any measure, it’s likely more than one of the remaining four incumbents would have to face off for a council seat.

Seven of the 17 proposed district maps have gotten more attention than the rest from the consultant hired by the city, because they meet the standards set by City Council. In the case of all seven maps, if sitting councilmen decided to run for a second term, at least two would be in the same district.

For the most part, councilmen contacted this week said they support the move to districts despite contending the council has been representative for south Merced. They pointed to revitalization at Stephen Leonard and McNamara parks, as well as newly funded programs at the parks’ youth centers, as examples.

Councilman Tony Dossetti would be in a district with another incumbent if any of those seven maps were chosen. He said that didn’t worry him, but said districts could lead to infighting in the city as areas of town compete for development and tax dollars.

“I don’t think I’m a big supporter of going to districts,” he said.

Dossetti noted the perception of a lack of representation for the south side, saying it’s unfortunate.

“They feel that they’re not being heard,” he said. “That’s pretty important.”

Six of the seven elected officials are white, and all seven live north of Bear Creek.

The city was accused last year of being in violation of the California Voting Rights Act. Los Angeles-based nonprofit Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund threatened to sue the city if it did not go to districts, a move that is meant to make the council ethnically diverse and draw more candidates from the south side of town.

On those seven maps, Councilman Kevin Blake is the least likely to have to share a district if he runs for a second term. He said he supports the move to districts, because it could improve diversity on the council.

He said the sitting council has been responsive to the needs of south Merced, but noted the perception of a lack of representation.

“People want a representative from their community,” he said. “I completely understand that and agree with it.”

Councilman Mike Murphy could also be placed in the same district as another incumbent.

“Going to districts is the right thing to do,” Murphy said. “I’m glad we did it.”

Mayor Stan Thurston will reach the end of his term limits next year, so the districts won’t affect his seat. He said he believes districts will benefit south Merced and do away with even the perception of an imbalance.

“Even though we have at times had diverse representation on the council, it’s not consistent,” he said.

Though the north side of town is home to all of the sitting councilmen, Thurston said he believes the council has been responsive to requests from south Merced residents.

But having a representative living in the neighborhood who can see the needs with his or her own eyes could help take the burden off of those residents, he said.

“It’ll just be far more efficient,” Thurston said.

The process for picking maps continues but is winding down.

See Lee, a member of the Independent Districting Advisory Committee, said the meetings in the community have generally been productive but some residents have expressed their resistance to the change.

“What I tell people is whether you like it or not this is happening,” she said. “We need to take a proactive approach.”

This story was originally published July 31, 2015 at 4:21 PM with the headline "Merced districts may group incumbents together."