Senate Districts 37 and 38
To the Legislative Reapportionment Commission, First, I want to thank you for all the hard work you've been doing during the redistricting period. I know it isn't an easy task, so I want you to know that your efforts to provide fair maps are greatly appreciated. I just wanted to highlight a couple of things that I believe could be improved in the Allegheny County Senate map: the inclusion of Pittsburgh wards into the mostly suburban 38th district and the division of school districts. The first and biggest issue is the large portion of Pittsburgh that is included in District 38. The city and suburbs have very little in common, and it's unfair to the residents of Pittsburgh to be drawn in to a district that is dominated by suburbs. A suburban representative wouldn't understand the issues that face city residents, nor would they have much incentive to advocate for them in Harrisburg if they represent such a small part of the district. If the city were divided into two Senate districts instead of three, every resident could have a representative that fights for their interests. With this in mind, the best thing that could be done is to put the Pittsburgh section of District 38 into District 42 and then compensate for it by including the Avonworth and Northgate School Districts in District 38. Regarding schools, Coraopolis and Neville Island should remain together in a district as they together comprise Cornell School District and are closely related culturally and demographically. Similarly, Millvale and Reserve shouldn't be separated from the rest of Shaler Area School District. McCandless should also stay with the rest of the North Allegheny School District. School districts should always be given a high priority in redistricting because representatives will have a harder time advocating for their schools if they are representing too many districts. School districts that are separated will also likely receive less attention from their representatives than districts that remain whole because they have fewer voters in them. I hope you take these concerns into consideration. Thank you!