Redistrict proposal picks up support

Single-member plan one vote shy of OK

Shelby County Commissioner Melvin Burgess cast a preliminary vote Wednesday in favor of a single - member commission redistricting plan, the latest sign that the single -member redistricting plan is gaining momentum and that a months- old dispute may be nearing its end.

As recently as Feb. 6, Burgess had voted against a single - district plan. He had been aligned with a commission faction that supports a plan much like the current one: four districts with three members each and one district with a single member.

Burgess said he has concluded that a single -member district plan would allow him to continue work in neighborhoods that he’s particularly interested in, such as Klondike -Smokey City in North Memphis, where he’s cooperating with a community development center.

“I’ll take a good look at it , I’ll put it that way,” he said of the single -member district plan.

The measure must still pass two more votes before the full commission to win final approval.

Since October, commissioners have been debating the district lines that would be used in commission elections in 2014 and beyond. The commissioners missed a Dec. 31 deadline to use new census data to redraw maps. The matter is now in court, though a judge has said he wants to send it back to commissioners to work out.

Seven commissioners voted for a single -member district plan on Feb. 6. If Burgess joins the seven at the next full commission meeting on Monday, the number would rise to eight, one vote short of the nine needed for final passage.

The single -member district plan got a boost Jan. 23, when Commissioner Henri E. Brooks switched sides and voted in favor of it. The same day, representatives of the NAACP and the local Democratic Party spoke in favor of the plan.

Proponents of single - member districts argue that small districts make it easier for newcomers to enter politics through low- cost campaign methods such as knocking on doors and lead to greater accountability, since there’s only one representative for a given territory.

Proponents of multimember districts say that they ensure that if one representative isn’t available to help constituents, another can step in. They also say the multi-member plan before the commission leads to fair representation on racial and political lines.

Commissioners voted Wednesday with minimal discussion.

Voting in favor of single - member districts were Burgess, Sidney Chism, Steve Mulroy, Mike Ritz and Terry Roland.

Voting against were Brent Taylor and Chris Thomas. — Daniel Connolly:

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