Just in at 1 pm today is the release of the official proposed new districting map for Whatcom County council elections. The Districting Master, Tjalling Ypma, has submitted this as his official proposal to the Districting Committee, which will meet this evening to discuss and possibly do more.
Ralph Schwartz will be reporting on the meeting in an article here later this evening. The meeting will be at 6 pm in the county council chamber. After this meeting, the plan is to have a public hearing next Wednesday, April 13 at 6:00 pm (corrected from 6:30) in the council chamber. Then will be perhaps the last Districting Committee meeting a week later on Wednesday, April 20, at 6 pm in the council chamber. If the committee approves the districting map on April 20, then they will transmit this map and plan to the county Auditor and it will be law. It does not go to the county council.
Ralph will provide much more information on the process and future possible developments. And we have linked to his previous articles below.
For now, our purpose is to present the proposed map to the public for all to examine. There are pdf files for easy printing linked from the bottom of this article.
Update: 7 pm
Have added pdf file of the precinct data the Districting Master, Tjalling Ypma, used to create the five districts. See link below. If someone out there wants to adjust the map, here is all the data needed. Have also posted pdf of Tjalling's final notes to the committee.
The time of the public hearing next Wednesday is 6 pm in the county council chambers of the courthouse. Earlier today I had wrongly posted above that it was 6:30.
Comments by Readers
Marian Beddill
Apr 06, 2016Am I correct in seeing only a few precincts (maybe 6 or 8)which have been split - thus going part into one district and part into a different district?
Also, a similar generic item, have special-purpose Districts (School, fire, etc) also been split?
Mike Estes
Apr 06, 2016Looks like 8 splits. Once a map is approved, the Auditor may have a few decisions to make if any other political districts are affected by the splits.
Here are the split details from Dr Ypma:
1. Precinct 112
Split west / east along the north-south line of Valleyview Rd: 325 / 280
2. Precinct 113
Split west / east by the line parallel to I-5 from the southeast corner of 112 to 114: 41 / 922
3. Precinct 134
Split west / east by a north-south line running parallel to and immediately east of Wynn Rd., so
that all homes on both sides of Wynn Rd. are included in the western portion but all homes in
the Cliffside community are included in the eastern portion: 820 / 580
4. Precinct 135
Split west / east by a north-south line running parallel to and immediately east of Wynn Rd., so
that all homes on both sides of Wynn Rd. are included in the western portion: 223 / 1437
5. Precinct 140
Split northwest / southeast by the corridor consisting of Lindsay and Gillies: 1704 / 116
6. Precinct 145
Split north / south by Pole Rd: 390 / 859
7. Precinct 146
Split north / south by Pole Rd: 1052 / 706
8. Precinct 227
Split northwest / southeast by C St: 194 / 1240
Sam Crawford
Apr 06, 2016Carl Weimer
Barbara Brenner
Satpal Sidhu
All currently living in the light green district
John Servais
Apr 07, 2016Sam, interesting fact, but could you shed light on what it means? What might result from these three living in the same district? And are you suggesting this was done purposely or is simply chance?
It first suggests that in the next council elections in Nov 2017 that Carl may not be able to run for office again as that Farmland District will have two sitting representatives. But please provide more perspective.
Sam Crawford
Apr 07, 2016Yes, it appears to me if a known (or self-identified) conservative ran against them in that district, with district-only voting as it will now be, they won’t have much of a chance.
I suppose any of them could choose to run “at large” (to be voted by all county voters, not just that district) instead.