Council Redistricting Meeting Likely in August

Redistricting of Summit’s two Common Council wards will likely occur in August.

Union County Board of Elections Administrator Dennis Kobitz said the town’s ward commission will hold it’s first meeting next month after a consultant hired by the elections board certifies numbers. The lines of the two districts are required to be redrawn every decade following the Census.

“We’re going to be meeting sometime in August,” Kobitz said.

Summit is one of nine towns countywide that must redraw local legislative districts in the wake of the census numbers. Westfield, Clark, Roselle, Elizabeth, Linden Plainfield, Hillside and Roselle Park also have to redraw lines due to having all or partial ward representation.

Under the Census numbers released in February, Summit’s population rose from 21,131 to 21,457.

The lines will be redrawn by a commission consisting of the four commissioners of the county Board of Elections and City Clerk David Hughes. Kobitz said the board hired the firm of Remington and Vernick to review the census numbers to help the individual commissions make decisions. Kobitz will be meeting with the consulting firm on July 21 to review their report.

Kobitz said the August meeting will consist of reviewing the proposals form Remington and Vernick, along with electing a commission chair. Kobitz said in the past, commission’s have given the chairmanship to the town clerk, but it is possible to give the position to one of the election commissioners. In addition, Kobitz said the commissions will vote to hire himself and Deputy Elections Administrator Joanne Arena as the commission’s staff.

“At the first meeting, if there is no change in the town, they can vote right there that there is nothing to do and everything is within 10-percent of each other,” he said.

Under state law, the individual wards cannot have a variation of 10-percent from each other. Ward lines will remain in place for the 2011 election and any new lines would start in the 2012 election.

Kobitz said second hearings will be held in September to finalize maps that are not decided at the first meeting.

Kobitz said the commission hearings will likely be held at the election board’s Elizabeth headquarters in order to conduct multiple town hearings in one day. He said this is based on four our of five ward commissioners being election commissioners.

“What I am really trying to do is to do a whole bunch in one day since it’s the whole Board of Elections,” he said.

The elections board – split equally between Democrats and Republicans – consists of four commissioners appointed by the governor based on advice from the county political organizations. None of the commissioners reside in Summit

The board’s current president is John DeSimone, the Clark Republican chairman. The other commissioners are former Kenilworth Republican Chairwoman Mel Harris, former Democratic Springfield Mayor Clara Harelik and Hillside Democrat Marie Oakie, a county employee who is known for singing the national anthem at county freeholder events.

Hughes has been part of the last two redistrictings and this will be Kobitz’ first.

Kobitz said towns that require more work from the individual ward commissions will have hearing scheduled in town.