Redrawn County Districts Could Mean Change in Representation

Those who favor or oppose newly adopted Oakland County Commission districts might not agree on the overall map, but they do agree on one thing.

The change creates a brand-new day in county politics.

“It does appear that it will be a lot more competitive,” county clerk Bill Bullard said of the new districts, which were adopted May 20 and go into effect for the 2012 primary and general elections.

The changes mean voters from Birmingham, Rochester and Royal Oak and all points in between could find themselves with new representatives come next year.

The new 25-commissioner map also stands in contrast to decades of previous apportionment where the Republican Party had an upper hand. The new districts are seen by some as giving Democrats — and, by extension, Democratic areas such as Pontiac, Southfield and the Woodward corridor communities — an edge in county issues.

However county treasurer Andy Meisner said the goal was to make the districts as nonpartisan as possible.

“We were tasked with creating an even apportionment, respecting minority voters and following city and township boundaries as much as possible, and we did a pretty good job of that,” Meisner said.

Potential changes ahead for Birmingham representation

Under the new boundaries, Birmingham moves from the 20th district, which it shared with Bloomfield Hills, into the re-drawn 16th district, joining Bloomfield Township and parts of West Bloomfield.

This places current commissioners David Potts (R-20th District) and Shelley Goodman Taub (R-16th District) in the same district with one another, pitting them against each other in 2012. Potts, current commissioner for the 20th district, represents Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, parts of Bloomfield Township and parts of Troy. Taub represents West Bloomfield Township, Orchard Lake Village and parts of Bloomfield Township.

Potts and Taub's terms both end Dec. 31, 2012. As a Birmingham resident, Potts would have to run in the 16th District, or where he lives, if he wanted to seek re-election.

Potts said not to worry too much about the repercussions of redistricting just yet. He said he expects a lawsuit to be filed within the next 10 days, before the 30-day time period seeking to challenge the new districts in state court is up.

"It's likely this will be a hotly contested issue," Potts said at the June 13 meeting of the Birmingham City Commission. "So standby. It's not over yet."

Taub agreed, saying that both her and Potts had other options if they decided not to run against each other, including making a run for the Michigan State House of Representatives. Taub said that although she felt the competition raised could be a good thing, that the results may be unfair and that a lawsuit will be filed by the end of the week.

"I don't think that anyone should be guaranteed re-election. We should be required to earn our way back," Taub said. "I’ve been around for many redistrictings and I don’t ever recall Republicans doing it and putting two Democrats together. I may be wrong, so it is what it is. The two of us are running together unless one of us backs out."

Worrying about incumbants and who stays and goes, though, isn't part of the process of re-districting and wasn't a factor for the five-member apportionment committee, Meisner said.

“Protecting incumbents is something that wasn’t part of our job,” Meisner said.

Other communities also face changes include:

• Rochester Hills and Rochester will be split into the 13th and 12th district. The newly redrawn 12th district with Rochester Hills currently has no incumbant.
• Oakland Township will be divided between two districts, with the southern half remaining in the 3rd District with Lake Orion and the northern half moving into the 1st District with Brandon, Oxford and Addison townships.
• Woodward corridor communities will be shuffled between that area’s two commission districts, the 18th and 25th.
• The 18th District retains a good portion of Royal Oak but also picks up Berkley and Pleasant Ridge.
• The 25th District retains Ferndale, loses Hazel Park and moves northward into Royal Oak neighborhoods east of Main Street.
• Much of West Bloomfield remains divided between the 16th and 17th Districts, but a northeast portion of the township now in the 5th District moves to the 16th District, and a one-mile deep southern strip moves to the 15th District with Farmington Hills.
• Farmington moves from the 14th to the 15th District, while a portion of southeast Farmington Hills moves to the 23rd District with a part of Southfield.

Map reflects diversity, political influences

The new map creates at least four disticts where minorities make up the majority of the population, including districts in Pontiac and Southfield.

“It reflects Oakland County’s growing diversity, not just in terms of African-Americans but in terms of our Asian-American population and the growing number of people coming here from other places, such as India,” Meisner  said.

Meisner and Bullard served on the county’s five-member apportionment committee alongside county prosecutor Jessica Cooper, county Democratic Party chairman Frank Houston and county Republican Party chairman Jim Thienel. With Meisner and Cooper both replacing Republication predecessors in their elected offices, 2011 also marked the first time Democrats had an advantage on the panel.

The new districts were approved on a 3-2 vote with Meisner, Cooper and Houston in voting yes and Bullard joining his fellow Republican Thienel in voting no.

Reapportionment is completed following every U.S. Census.

However, Republicans currently hold a 15-10 advantage on the county commission and that advantage could continue even with the new districts, Bullard said.

“It depends upon what kind of election 2012 will be,” he said, noting GOP success in the county in local and national elections in 2010.

While Bullard said he wasn’t aware of anyone contemplating challenging the new districts in court, but “it wouldn’t surprise me if someone did.”

Tim Rath and Laura Houser contributed to this report.