Letter from O'Malley: Boston City Council Districts are Being Redrawn

District 6 City Councilor Matt O'Malley submitted the following letter to Patch.

Dear neighbors,

The Boston City Council’s Committee on Census & Redistricting is currently holding a series of public hearings to discuss redistricting in the City of Boston. I encourage the residents of District 6 to join me at these hearings because this process will affect the boundaries of our district, which includes Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury as well as parts of Roslindale and Mission Hill.

The decennial census figures released earlier this year show that the City of Boston’s population has increased nearly 5 percent since 2000. Our population grew to 617,594, an increase of 28,453 people. The City of Boston is required to redistrict every 10 years following the release of the Federal Census results. 

District 6’s population grew at a slower rate than certain other districts. This means that we need to grow by several thousand residents. Each Council district must have between 65,190 and 72,052 people. These hearings will help us figure out how the lines should be redrawn. While I recognize that changes need to be made, I believe that the district can be best served if the neighborhoods of Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury can be kept whole. I support keeping neighborhoods in tact — as much as possible — when drawing district boundary lines. 

Boston City Councilor Bill Linehan, who serves as Chair of the City Council’s Committee on Census & Redistricting, began holding hearings in September that will continue through the end of October. I encourage residents from all areas of our district to attend one of the upcoming hearings. It is important that we have an open and transparent process and hear from the community during these hearings.

The upcoming hearings will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on:

• Tuesday, October 18 at the Reggie Lewis Center, 1350 Tremont Street
• Wednesday, October 26 at the New England Carpenter’s Hall, 750 Dorchester Avenue

Please join us and make your voice heard. I look forward to seeing you.

Matt O’Malley
Boston City Council
District 6