Oakland County issued the following announcement on Oct. 1.
Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter testified before the Independent Redistricting Commission Thursday at Oakland University and shared his concerns about preliminary maps that have been drawn for state and federal legislative districts. Below is a transcript of his testimony:
Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter prepares his testimony before appearing on behalf of residents at the Independent Redistricting Commission hearing at Oakland University on Thursday.
________________________________________
“The voters spoke loudly and clearly in 2018, saying they wanted fair and representative legislative and congressional districts drawn by a bipartisan and Independent Redistricting Commission. And I applaud you all for taking on this enormous and difficult task.
“As Oakland County Executive, I want to tell you a little bit about the county I represent. With more than 1.2 million people, we’re bigger than nine states, our population grew by 6 percent in the 2020 Census and we remain the second largest county in Michigan.
“Oakland County is an economic force and collectively contributes 20 percent to the state’s GDP. We’re home to universities, hospital systems, corporate headquarters and manufacturing plants. And as a county government, our health department, Intermediate School District and this university are core to the Oakland County community.
“And it is vital that we have full and fair representation. That means that we need to have state and federal legislative districts rooted right here in Oakland County. We need our representatives to understand the needs of our communities, of our residents and businesses.
“I am concerned that the latest maps that I’ve seen appear to be diluting Oakland County’s voice with several state legislative districts split between multiple surrounding counties. I’m not saying that we can’t be combined with residents from other counties, but those district lines need to be drawn carefully, creating districts that are rooted here.
“Oakland County’s representation in Lansing could conceivably go from the 14 members of the House and five Senators we have serving us in Lansing now to 10 House and two Senators with the proposed maps.
“The proposed Congressional map, which I know is still a work in progress, dissects Oakland even further, without a single district that is solely rooted in the county. There is a very real possibility that the current count of four Oakland County residents representing us in Washington, could be whittled to zero under the new maps.
“That represents the potential for dramatic loss of Oakland County’s representation, a loss for the second largest county in the state. If state and federal districts are not drafted carefully and rooted with intent, we will not have the voice we need – as a community of interest, as an economic powerhouse, as one of the most diverse counties in Michigan.
“I certainly understand what a challenging task redrawing the map is, especially in southeast Michigan. But I would strongly urge the Commission to amend the current drafts of maps for Oakland County, because we all deserve districts that will result in fair representation for our residents.”
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up