Haverford commissioners oppose redistricting

Toward the end of the two-and-a-half hour Board of Commissioners meeting, Sixth Ward Commissioner Larry Holmes echoed a statement he's made since Haverford Township first learned of the preliminary legislative redistricting plans.

"This isn't a ward one or ward nine issue," Holmes said at the Nov. 14 meeting. "This is a Haverford Township issue."

Holmes's remarks followed Board of Commissioners President William Wechsler's proposal of a resolution stating that the Board of Commissioners take exception to preliminary plans made by Pennsylvania's Legislative Reapportionment Commission to redistrict Wards One and Nine from Democratic Rep. Greg Vitali's 166th legislative district – where the township as a whole gets legislative representation – to Republican Rep. Nick Micozzie's 163rd legislative district.

At a public meeting on Nov. 9, Vitali dicusssed the redistricting issue with residents, and said this was part of a plan to secure Micozzie's district as Republican territory. Before the Nov. 9 meeting's close, Wechsler and Holmes said they were going to address the issue with a resolution.

The board of commissioners voted unanimously Monday to approve the resolution, which will be read at the Friday, Nov. 18 public hearing in Harrisburg, but not before minor deliberation.

Fifth Ward Commissioner Jeff Heilmann said a scheduling conflict prevented him from attending last week's public meeting, but he didn't want that to prevent him from weighing in on the topic.

"I'm kind of both ways on this one," he said.

Heilmann explained that he talked to Vitali aobut the preliminary redistricting plans, and that he applauded the state representative for his efforts against redistricting, since the plan would actually strengthen his legislative district.

Heilmann added that he wasn't so sure having two representatives for the township would be all that bad, but that he would support this resolution nonetheless.

"I will support it because of the two commissioners whose wards it's affecting," he continued.

Jim McGarrity, the commissioner from Ward Seven, shared similar sentiments, and he explained that his main concern was that Wechsler and Steven D'Emilio, who serve the Wards Nine and One respectively, expressed their desire for unanimous support.

"They've asked us to support this resolution, and I intend on doing it, for these two commissioners of Haverford Township," McGarrity said at the meeting.

Wechsler explained that he made the resolution because he spoke to numerous residents and received hundreds of e-mails over the last week about the topic. All of those who contacted him are opposed to the preliminary plan, he said, and many voluntarily went door-to-door to get signatures for a petition taking exception with it.

"I personally don't feel, and my residents do not feel, that it benefits our township as a whole," Wechsler said. "Our people want to be represented as a township entity."

D'Emilio said he agreed.

"First ward residents know I never play party politics." D'Emilio said. "I think that's why they elected me again."

D'Emilio added that in the event that the plans get approved despite opposition, he wanted to meet with Micozzie, and even invite him to a board meeting to work logistics for the township residents. McGarrity thought this was a great idea.

Before the resolution's approval, Holmes said redistricting was the wrong thing to do, and that the right thing to do was to unanimously approve the resolution to send a message to Harrisburg expressing disapproval as an indivisible unit, not as separate commissioners from different wards.

"It's important message be read aloud on Friday to the people making this decision," Holmes concluded.