Newlin Township residents who packed the board of supervisors meeting Monday night expressed their displeasure when two-thirds of the supervisors failed to support a motion that would put an anti-gerrymandering resolution to a vote.
“Isn’t it important the township support this?” asked Newlin resident Marilyn Tully asked after board Chairwoman Janie Baird made a motion that was not seconded.
Gerrymandering is a term used to describe how voting districts are redrawn to benefit those in a particular political party.
The motion would have supported an effort by Fair Districts PA and the League of Women Voters to amend the constitution of Pennsylvania so an independent commission could work on future redistricting reform, according to Fair Districts PA, which is a statewide group dedicated to reforming the redistricting process.
Monday was the third time that Lucy Oblonsky and Pamela Reischauer, local representatives of Fair Districts PA, had appeared before Newlin’s supervisors.
Supervisor Bob Pearson said he didn’t second Baird’s motion because he didn’t feel that it was a township matter.
“It’s a congressional matter,” he said.
When resident Lou Sears questioned why Oblonsky and Reischauer had to appear three times before a resolution, Baird explained that she and Pearson had both separately attended Fair District PA’s meeting in May to learn more about the subject.
Newlin resident Fred Roberts suggested the independent commission idea might best be put to a statewide referendum, something that Supervisors’ Vice Chairman William Kelsall said he would support.
“I do believe it’s a state matter,” Kelsall said. “If you bring it back (as a referendum), I’d support it.”
After the meeting ended, the supervisors met in executive session over a personnel matter, and the residents and Fair Districts PA representatives gathered outside to talk more at length about the anti-gerrymandering efforts.
Newlin is part of the 7th U.S. Congressional District. During the meeting, Oblonsky described the district as having 26 split townships.
“Newlin was moved from District 16 because of gerrymandering,” she said. “It wasn’t done for the benefit of Newlin. We’ve been packed and cracked.”
We’ve gotten 336 signatures in Newlin Township, including some tonight,” Oblonsky added. “That’s more than 27 percent of your residents. People are asking you to speak up for your community. Last month some people in the room expressed concerns that it’s a partisan issue. It’s not.”
Reischauer held up a map of Newlin Township decorated with red, blue and white push pins representing the Republican, Democratic and Independent voters who signed the petition supporting an end to gerrymandering in the township.
Ninety-six percent of the people they talked to supported their efforts, Reischauer said. Twenty-five people said they opposed what Fair Districts PA was doing.
Municipalities supporting the resolution from Fair Districts PA
The following Chester County municipalities have passed resolutions “supporting legislative efforts for a constitutional amendment that would, among other reforms, assign the decennial task of both senatorial and representative redistricting to an independent citizens' redistricting commission”:
East Pikeland Board of Supervisors
Malvern Borough Council
Kennett Township Board of Supervisors
Kennett Square Borough Council
Downingtown Borough Council
East Marlborough Board of Supervisors (https://chaddsfordlive.com/2017/06/06/marlborough-joins-anti-gerrymandering-effort/)
Pocopson Board of Supervisors
Pennsbury Township Board of Supervisors passed a watered-down version of the resolution saying only that they support efforts to ensure compliance with Article II, Section 16 of the PA Constitution.
That section states: “The Commonwealth shall be divided into fifty senatorial and two hundred three representative districts, which shall be composed of compact and contiguous territory as nearly equal in population as practicable….Unless absolutely necessary no county, city, incorporated town, borough, township or ward shall be divided in forming either a senatorial or representative district.”
* Rich Schwartzman added content to this story.
About Monica Fragale
Monica Thompson Fragale is a freelance reporter who spent her life dreaming of being in the newspaper business. That dream came true after college when she started working at The Kennett Paper and, years later The Reporter newspaper in Lansdale and other dailies. She turned to non-profit work after her first daughter was born and spent the next 13 years in that field. But while you can take the girl out of journalism, you can’t take journalism out of the girl. Offers to freelance sparked the writing bug again started her fingers happily tapping away on the keyboard. Monica lives with her husband and two children in Kennett Square.
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