Moving Crofton May Leave District 7 Seat Open

County Councilman Jerry Walker probably wanted to hear that moving Crofton from District 7 to District 4 would mean he could still serve as District 7’s representative. But the only assurance he got was that everyone was being treated equally.

Shifting Crofton west into District 4 is among the options on the table for the Anne Arundel County Charter Revision Commission, charged with correcting an imbalance in the districts due to population growth over the last 10 years.  They’re currently reviewing the borders between all seven council districts to ensure they’re as even as possible, but Districts 1 and 4 are the most out of tune.

On Monday, Commission Chairman Jana Carey laid out the options they’ve discussed thus far, including simply expanding District 1 into District 4 to sort out the imbalance, or trading territory between Districts 4 and 7, including Crofton. It’s a request that’s been made by several residents of south county who have said that Crofton hogs the political spotlight and doesn’t reflect their rural views.

District 7 Councilman Walker, a resident of Gambrills, asked Carey what would happen if they moved his property out of the district.

“I live just outside of Crofton, but if we change that line and it no longer included Crofton, and the state decided to move a precinct line, I could be no longer in the seventh district,” he said.

The council’s legal counsel Amy Tate responded, saying that “everyone’s residency is being considered,” along with the changes.

Carey said moving Crofton west is just one of several options being discussed, but it is a particularly difficult balancing act.

“We’re looking very hard at how to accomplish that, but it’s a very difficult issue, and it can create a bit of a domino effect,” Carey said.

Moving Crofton, a densely populated area, out of District 7 would lower the remaining rural population. The solution to that would involve moving the district’s line further north, encroaching into the central county region of District 6.

Carey reiterated to the council that they were still more than a month away from issuing a formal recommendation on how the council should proceed, but laid out these options as discussion points for the future.

“Right now this is what we’re working with,” she said.

Council members also asked Carey if the commission was considering adding any additional districts to the overall council makeup. Carey said not at this time, but that would require an amendment to the charter, and right now they were focusing on providing a recommendation for redrawing the council’s lines. Additional topics will be taken up afterward.

The commission’s final presentation to the county council, which will include their recommendation for redistricting, is due on September 6.

Carey called for more public attendance to the commission’s meetings, saying there was a need to gather more ideas from residents before they assembled their final recommendation. The commission’s next public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. July 25 in the county council’s chambers.

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