PORT TOWNSEND — A new redistricting plan would move Port of Port Townsend Commissioner Dave Thompson out of his district.
All three alternatives of the plan would move Thompson, who lives on Jacob Miller Road, from District 2 into District 1.
“With this plan, I will no longer live in the district I now represent,” Thompson said.
The three Jefferson County commissioner districts — which also are used for the port and can be used for the Jefferson County Public Utility District — will be redrawn slightly to accommodate new census numbers and equalize the population in the districts.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Jefferson County’s population increased 15.1 percent from 2000 to 2010, from 25,953 to 29,872.
None of the proposed plans for changing boundaries of the districts would affect representation for the county board or the PUD commission.
Thompson, whose present term expires in 2013, cannot run for another term unless he changes his residence.
“The commissioners did an extraordinary job,” Thompson said.
“This was not a gerrymander.
“It was their responsibility to redistrict. It is not my purview to diddle with this.”
On Monday, the commissioners were presented with the three possible redistricting plans.
They scheduled a public hearing to discuss them at 10 a.m. Nov. 28 in commissioners chambers at the Jefferson County Courthouse, 1820 Jefferson St., Port Townsend.
County Administrator Philip Morley said the hearing will be only for those with a preference for one of the three plans.
No modifications will be discussed.
“The purpose of the hearing is to discuss the existing plans and not develop a new one,” he said.
Jefferson County Republican Party Chairman Ron Gregory said that none of the plans “make a difference politically” as to which party has an advantage.
Democratic Party representative Ray Hunter doesn’t like the plans, calling them a “land grab.
“They didn’t have to go so far south,” he said.
“They could have expanded District 1 to include Glen Cove or Kala Point and that would have been a more equal division.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Jefferson County’s population increased 15.1 percent from 2000 to 2010, from 25,953 to 29,872.
District 1, which includes Port Townsend, now has 9,250 people compared to 9,987 in District 2— which includes Port Hadlock, Marrowstone Island, Cape George, Chimacum, Kala Point and Glen Cove — and 10,365 in District 3, which includes Port Ludlow, Quilcene and the western part of the county .
Morley said District 1 grew the least, while District 3 grew the most.
The realignment of districts is expected to be in effect for the 2012 primary elections.
The three proposals were developed with input from the commissioners, the auditor, staff members and the county Central Services Geographic Information System team in the hope of getting the population in each district as close to 9,957 as possible, Morley said.
In the redistricting proposals, District 1, which is represented by Commissioner Phil Johnson, came the closest to that goal with 9,958.
Currently District 1 is 437 votes smaller than the recommendation, while District 3, represented by Commissioner John Austin, is 408 votes over.
The new proposals equalize District 1 but create discrepancies for the other districts from 18 votes to 51 votes, depending on the plan.
In all three proposals, District 1 is expanded slightly to include the area south of Hastings Ave. and north of Cape George Road.
In all three proposals, a “peninsula” of land west of Central Valley Road, east of a census block and north of state Highway 104 will be moved from District 3 into District 2.
The difference between option 1 and option 2 is subtle, with a small area north of Anderson Lake Road shifted from one to the other.
Option 3 moves a corner of land bordering Discovery Bay from District 3 to District 2.
The boundary change was characterized as a “minor adjustment,” by Commissioner David Sullivan, who represents District 2.
He pointed out that none of the county commissioners live in areas that could be changed.
“It should be clear that this represents a change in boundaries and not in people,” for the county commissioners, Austin said.
Morley said that the port cannot set its own districts while PUD commissioners can deviate from those used by the county, although PUD Chairman Ken McMillen said that isn’t likely.
PUD commissioners will consider a redistricting plan at 5 p.m. Tuesday when they meet at 230 Chimacum Road in Port Hadlock.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
