Senate Maps Lehigh Valley
Dear Legislative Redistricting Commission: I’m writing to express my dissatisfaction and displeasure with the current Senate maps for the Lehigh Valley. There are serious errors that must be corrected in order for Lehigh County residents to have fair, equitable and effective representation. First, West Bethlehem while a part of Lehigh County should remain a part of the 18th Senate District currently led by Senator Lisa Boscola. This has historically been the norm for the 18th Senate District. Furthermore, the Lehigh County portion of Bethlehem is better represented by a Northampton County senator, because the majority of the City of Bethlehem is in Northampton County. West Bethlehem should be removed from the 14th Senate District and returned to the 18th Senate District. Second, I recognize that incumbency has an impact on the redistricting process, whether we like it or not. I ask the commission to minimize the districts that are split from Allentown. Currently, Allentown is losing almost a third of its residents to the 18th Senate District with 14 total precincts being removed from the City of Allentown. This is entirely unacceptable and will dilute not only Allentown voter’s influence, but deny many residents real and effective representation. The current redistricting plan is not the most responsible way to deal with incumbency and minimize Allentown splits. I strongly encourage the Legislative Redistricting Commission to carve a path through the South Side of Allentown. This would reduce the total number of Allentown precincts lost. Third, Lehigh County deserves a more Lehigh County-centric map. At present, too much of Lehigh County is omitted from the 14th Senate District. Lehigh County is the 10th largest county in the state of Pennsylvania. Yet the vast majority of it would be drawn into Berks County to create the 18th Senate District. This an injustice to Lehigh County voters. I demand that more Lehigh County municipalities be added to the 14th Senate District. Lehigh County residents will not tolerate or stand for the current treatment of the county or the Lehigh Valley. We deserve better. The Legislative Redistricting Commission must immediately correct this mistake. The current maps further undermine trust in the democratic process and threaten to further degrade optimism about the importance of public input. The 14th Senate District and 18th Senate District must be fixed in order to ensure that democracy will thrive in the Lehigh Valley and the voices of Lehigh County residents will be respected. Sincerely, Richard Williams