Testimony of Jeffrey Duncan, 9th Ward Leader
Testimony of Jeffrey S. Duncan Philadelphia 9th Ward Democratic Leader Before the Legislative Reapportionment Commission January 7, 2022 Chair Nordenberg and Members of the Commission, I am pleased to submit testimony on the redistricting plan proposed by the Commission, and to share my recommendations for one small change to the plan which I believe would better ensure that it better serves the needs and interests of voters in Northwest Philadelphia By way of background, since February of last year I have served as the 9th Ward Democratic Leader, and I have been a Ward Committee Member since 2016. The views I express in my testimony here today are my own. I have urged all of our Ward Committee Members to each submit their own testimony to the Commission, and I urge the Commission to consider their views and recommendations. The 9th Ward is comprised of 17 Divisions that include all of Chestnut Hill and most of Mount Airy. My wife and I are residents of Chestnut Hill and we are both active Democratic voters. As the 9th Ward Democratic Leader, I am very concerned about the Commission’s proposed treatment of the existing 200th General Assembly District, which is currently represented by Rep. Chris Rabb. The Commission’s proposed remapping would take the 9th Ward out of the existing 200th District and put it into a substantially redrawn 194th District comprised of the 9th and 21st Wards. While I appreciate that the Commission has chosen in this instance to craft a district following Ward border lines, in the case of the 9th Ward, this decision has the effect of coupling the communities of Chestnut Hill and Mount Airy to communities on the other side of the Wissahickon Gorge that are quite different in demography and not easily accessible. I would note that there are only two roads that directly connect the 9th and the 21st Wards – Bells Mill Road and the Walnut Lane Bridge – both of which pass through Wissahickon Valley Park. In addition, there is no direct connection between the 9th and the 21st Wards via SEPTA’s Regional Rail System (one would have to take a train all the way down to Center City and change onto another train to get to Manayunk). As a result, those who live in Chestnut Hill and Mount Airy are not that closely connected to Roxborough and Manayunk. In contrast, Chestnut Hill and Mount Airy are connected to other parts of Northwest Philadelphia though both the Chestnut Hill East and West SEPTA Regional Rail Lines, the major commuter traffic arteries of Germantown Avenue, Stenton Avenue, and Lincoln Drive. Because of this geography, the Commission’s proposal would break up an existing community of interest, coupling the 9th with a Ward with which it has very little in common. I would further note that the existing 200th General Assembly District is ethnically quite diverse, with a population that is 64% Black, 26% percent White, 3.6% Asian, nearly 4% Mixed Race, and 1% Other. In contrast, the proposed new 194th District would be 72% White, 14% Black, 5.38% Hispanic, 4% Asian, 4.23% Mixed race, and .74% Other. Our Chestnut Hill and Mount Airy Communities have valued the diversity of the area in which we live, and we do not favor being in a General Assembly District that is demographically much less diverse. The good news is that is a better alternative readily available to the Commission in the People’s Map created by Fair Districts PA, as it relates to the proposed boundaries of the current 200th legislative district. While I am not competent to comment on other aspects of the People’s Map, with respect to the 9th Ward in Philadelphia I believe that the People’s Map represents a better solution in its proposed lines for a 192 General Assembly District. This District largely retains the diversity of our current legislative District. I therefore respectfully request that the Commission adjust the boundaries of northwest Philadelphia district along the lines set forth the Fair Districts PA’s People’s Map. Thank you for your consideration of this request.