Battle lines have been drawn over a proposed redistricting plan that would split Pender County’s five districts into seven, purportedly to give the black minority, which makes up 24 percent of the population, a chance to have representation on the County Board of Commissioners.
While Democrats and Republicans alike agree that a new map needs to be drawn, members of both parties are upset over how the map was pushed through the process. Some observers say district lines were drawn up behind closed doors, without the knowledge of the two Republican commissioners or the public, then passed quickly as a non-agenda item on a 3-2 vote along party lines to adopt the new map.
Mary Jordan, a black resident of Maple Hill and one of the few people privy to the non-agenda item at the meeting Jan. 16, has pushed for a redistricting plan. “Taxation without representation is a rough go,” Jordan told the commissioners before their impromptu vote. “We’re not going away.”
James Faison Jr., chairman of the county’s Democratic Party, was also at the meeting. Wilmington Star News writer Tyra M. Vaughn reported that Faison also is pushing the map in the hopes of electing a minority to the board.
“We feel it’s possible for a minority to be elected because it’s been done before, but it’s almost impossible with the way the current lines are drawn,” Faison said. “It’s been done in other counties and helped minorities, so I know it can be done in little Pender County.”
Rep. Thomas Wright, D-Pender, filed a bill in the General Assembly to put the new map in place.
In the meantime, more than 250 residents from the area attended the Feb. 5 commissioners meeting, where the commissioners rescinded their decision in a 4-1 vote.
“We came there to defeat it,” resident Burt Millette said. “The mood and tone of the meeting was very civil. There was no ruckus. About a dozen people got up and spoke at the meeting. Two of those were blacks who got up and spoke against the proposed maps.”
The commissioners immediately wrote a letter to Wright asking him to remove the bill from the legislative floor. Repeated phone calls to Wright’s office were not returned. However, Rep. Carolyn Justice confirmed the bill is still active and has moved forward to the Election Laws and Campaign Finance Committee.
Justice said that the way the redistricting map was handled was a “travesty” and that she was going to try to defeat the current bill.
“I was upset myself when I heard what was going on,” she said. “The issue isn’t the map, it’s how they did it, without public notice or putting it on the agenda. The public needs to have a voice in this.”
The battle is far from over. Justice said the current redistricting plan provides false hope and promises to the black community because blacks will still be in the minority in the proposed districts.
“I’ve talked to a lot of minorities in our county and not many of them are happy with the present plan,” she said. “We can talk about better ways to accomplish what our citizens want.”
Millette said the race issue is a coverup for the Democrats trying to gain and keep the power within the community.
“The numbers behind the map are quite revealing,” he said. “The redistricting map doesn’t help the minorities in the district. It was a subterfuge. Of the seven proposed districts, none has a black majority. However, five have a distinct Democratic majority, one has a Republican majority, and one is a tossup.”
Karen Welsh is a contributing editor of Carolina Journal.