Norfolk will have a public hearing on redistricting next week, according to the City’s website. An article in Sunday’s Compass gives a hint of what the council is facing. While the mayor proposed a simple fix of moving the Northside precinct, other members of council would like to see different changes.
Four plans are under consideration. One of them involves moving my precinct.
In all honesty, I’d like to see what the wards in Norfolk would look like if we started from scratch in drawing them, rather than simply moving the pieces around. But that would be asking too much, right?
The hearing is scheduled for next Tuesday, June 7, at 6pm at Granby High School. If you are unable to make the meeting, you can submit your comments by email to Ccouncil@Norfolk.gov.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
As someone who has drawn City redistricting plans before (2 of 7 for Virginia Beach in 2001), your question hits at a very real issue. You can keep tweaking the lines of the current system, but has the underlying rationale for any of the original lines changed? If so, Norfolk would be better off starting over from scratch.
With the changes Ocean View redevelopment, light rail, and Norfolk’s shifting demographics are bringing, Norfolk will certainly need a major overhaul of it’s district lines by the 2021 redistricting. However, is it warranted now?
I don’t know. I was just wondering what the lines would look like if they were drawn from scratch.
The original lines in Norfolk were drawn to protect as many incumbents as possible. From my recollection, only one incumbent – Betty Howell – lost her seat.