July 3, 2012

Caption:            Councilman     Michael Nowakowski

“Today in a 6 to 3 vote, the Phoenix City Council approved a final Redistricting map to submit to the Department of Justice for review.  I believe city staff conducted a thorough, transparent and inclusive process that allowed for maximum citizen input.  While three of my colleagues did not approve the map, I believe the approved map will serve the best interests of the residents of Phoenix while ensuring minority voting strength.  I represent District 7 which was impacted the most by this process.  District 7 lost 30 percent of its population, a total of 80,000 residents – 41,000 of those were added to District 8, Vice Mayor Johnson’s district.  The area of Laveen, an important community of interest, was cut in half. 

This process requires sacrifices from all involved, including the residents of my district.  And when it comes to representing minorities, I would like to assure the residents of Phoenix and my council colleagues, specifically Vice Mayor Michael Johnson, that I will continue to represent the interests of all minority communities as I have since the moment I took office.

I will continue to work with my colleague Vice Mayor Johnson to serve the residents of Phoenix.  This redistricting process is not a ‘black and brown’ issue.  The goal was to redraw the council boundaries to reflect 2010 U.S. Census data, while protecting minority voting strength and communities of interest.  I know in my heart that this map will serve the entire city of Phoenix well during the next 10 years.”
 

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