Redistricting Testimony
I have lived in Mt. AIry (19119) for over 27 years. I was upset to see that our active community-minded neighborhood will be split between two districts in the draft plan. As a person who would now live in the new 200th which includes the neighborhoods of Roxborough, Manayunk, and Andorra, but no longer Chestnut Hill/Mt. Airy, this seems like a mistake. The new districts not only force two excellent incumbents to face off against each other, which means losing one of them, but since each represent distinct locales and interests, this is a loss. These draft distict (the proposed changes) are not actually connected - as they are separated by the Wissahickon Creek and the park function as a major barrier, and access would be by driving over bridges that are many miles apart.. We are not one community and should be represented separately. This new map literally splits our community in half. 19119/19118- Mt. AIry/Chestnut Hill citizens share a newspaper, food coops, and interconnected community organizations, none of which interface with their parallel Roxborough institutions. Please leave our Chestnut Hill/Mt. AIry Community of Interest intact! Thank you for your consideration.