Paraphrasing our Councilmember Charles Allen, we're not happy about it, but as a result of the 2020 census, Ward 6 had to shrink.
Today, the DC Council voted 11-1 to approve the revised redistricting map that was submitted to the Committee on the Whole by Chairman Phil Mendelson yesterday, Monday, December 6, 2021. While no map is perfect, the revised map advances the core principle of equal representation and incorporates the thoughts and concerns many of our neighbors expressed throughout the process.
(Note: on the revised map, the colored Ward boundaries are what was submitted by the Subcommittee on Redistricting on November 18; the lined Ward boundaries are the revised map submitted on December 6.)
Due to the significant growth Ward 6 experienced in the past ten years, we knew from the start that this was going to be a challenging process, and we thank the members of the Subcommittee on Redistricting, Councilmember Elissa Silverman, Councilmember Anita Bonds, and Councilmember Christina Henderson; our own Councilmember Charles Allen; the ANCs, civic associations, and community groups that highlighted how political boundaries affect us all; and the many dedicated community members who submitted maps through the online tool and participated in online or in-person forums for their hard work.
Although the Ward 6 Democrats are going to be losing a significant number of our most active and involved members (three of our four state committee people; key members of our events committee, our fundraising committee, and our Young Dems of Ward 6 committee; several of our most active DC Statehood advocates) to our sister Wards (2, 7, and 8), we know that our loss will be their gain. We look forward to the opportunity these shifts will provide to continue to build and strengthen relationships between the Wards.
As has been stressed by Councilmembers throughout this process, we also remember that, although Ward boundaries may have shifted, we all remain neighbors and friends, committed to working together to improve our community, our Ward, and our city.
Elizabeth Engel
President, Ward 6 Democrats