Mt. Airy and the 200th legislative district
I am pleased that the redistricting process has become a more open and transparent process thanks to the LRC and Chairman Nordenberg. The inclusion of comments from the citizens of PA is a big improvement over past redistricting completed by the legislature behind closed doors. I am concerned by the changes made in the proposed map to my district, the 200th House of Representatives which splits my community, Mt. Airy, into two legislative districts. I have been an active member of my neighborhood group, East Mt. Airy Neighbors (EMAN) for 40 years. We, along with West Mt Airy Neighbors (WMAN) have worked to maintain and improve this vibrant part of Philadelphia. We have collaborated on many projects seeking to bring together the residents who belong to diverse ethnic, racial and income groups. We strive to maintain this diversity and take pride in doing so. The current 200th legislative district includes almost all of both East and West Mt. Airy. Residents of Mt. Airy have worked closely with our current State Representative on many of the issues facing our neighborhoods. Mt. Airy comprises a community of interest which should be kept together. The proposed maps arbitrarily split the Mt. Airy community based on political wards not neighborhoods. This split will cause harm to what we have been trying to do.