Neighborhood Council: City Council Redistricting Should Not Divide JP

JP, which under recent U.S. House redistricting, should be kept intact as City Council undertakes its own redistricting.

That's the message out of Tuesday's meeting of the . The volunteer, elected advisory board voted unanimously to send a letter urging that JP be left in one district. The letter also urges a more open process than in the one that left JP divided between two Congressional districts and that as many majority-minority districts as possible be drawn.

Boston has nine City Council districts. JP and West Roxbury make up District 6. A redistricting is underway. Under one proposal put foward in the fall and winter by Councilor Bill Linehan, JP would no longer all be under one district councilor.

Not surprisingly, the current occupant of that district seat, Councilor Matt O'Malley, opposes any division of JP. Among the precincts that might no longer be in the "JP District" would be Ward 19, Precinct 7 and Ward 19, Precinct 12 (Woodbourne). Those might go the Hyde Park district councilor under one plan floated by Linehan.

Both of the City Councilors who live in JP, O'Malley and At-Large Councilor Felix Arroyo, spoke at Tuesday's meeting.

"My district stays the same," said Arroyo (since he is city-wide), "so I try to take myself out of it. I'm looking for a map that keeps neighborhoods whole."

Arroyo said that no one has been able to create a map that increases "majority-minority" districts beyond four.

Both councilors said they were happy they were able to help stall City Council redistricting being rammed through in December, when voters' attention was elsewhere. They say the process now starts over for proposals being put on the table.

Tuesday's meeting was held in the Senior Center of amid noise from the basketball games being played just overhead in the refurbished gym.