Proposed Redistricting
I am writing to express my concern for the 16th District under the proposed plan. The proposed district would carve out 20% of the Allentown School District which includes the ASD High School which is 91.5% minority enrollment and include it in the rural Daniel Boone SD (Berks County) which is over 80% white and Schuylkill County which is also over 80% white. These two areas have little in cultural commonality to the urban core of Allentown. This is clearly a gerrymander that is a violation of the VRA. The goal should be to make a district in the Lehigh Valley that reduces municipal, county and school district splits, the City of Allentown and the Allentown School District must stay in one district. Additionally, the goal should be to create a district with the strongest VRA argument, the City of Allentown and its diverse population should remain in one district. Finally, the goal is for districts to have a diverse urban core with surrounding suburbs that area becoming increasingly diverse, one district must be centered in the City of Allentown with its regional suburbs, and one must be centered in the City of Bethlehem with its regional suburbs. Thank you for reconsidering the proposed 16th District and instead include the entire Allentown School District in District 14. The VRA as well as the contiguous areas must be considered in the redrawing of the district lines.