Keep 19119 + 19118 together!
After 30 years of gerrymandering, the people of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania finally have an opportunity to benefit from a fair and inclusive reapportionment process that heralds redistricting done right. That includes keeping communities of interest in tact as much as possible. To that end, I am recommending the adoption of legislative district lines in northwest Philadelphia as configured in Fair District PA’s “People’s Map” for the House. Most notably, the “People’s Map” maintains the integrity and congruity of what are currently the 200th and 194th legislative districts. While the “People’s Map” doesn’t ensure that one incumbent won’t be forced to face a fellow incumbent in the May primary, it nevertheless accomplishes two distinct, but inter-related outcomes: 1. It keeps whole Mt. Airy (19119), a vibrant, historic racially integrated neighborhood, and unifies the neighborhood of East Falls (19129); and, 2. It corrects the error of connecting neighborhoods with little material interaction, given that they are separated by the Wissahickon Gorge within the Fairmount Park system. In light of these points, I ask the LRC to tweak these districts in deference to the value of preserving communities of interest.