nothin How About You Give Me Orchard Place? | New Haven Independent

How About You Give Me Orchard Place?

Thomas MacMIllan Photo

West side aldermen play real-life Monopoly.

Frank Douglass won the war of Winter Street but lost the battle for another prized piece of real estate as politicians swapped blocks of voters, leaving some oddly shaped districts behind.

I need Orchard Place!” he told a colleague from another neighborhood at one point in a brain-splitting night of negotiations.

You can’t take all my people!” the colleague shot back, during the night’s longest-running stand-off.

Two thirds of the Board of Aldermen were gathered in an auditorium at the Davis Street School Thursday night to continue the once-a-decade process of redistricting. Spread out in groups over tables of maps and charts, they worked block-by-block to devise a new map of the city’s 30 wards.

We need to take a little bit from Frank, and Frank, you need to go eastbound,” Westville Alderman Marchand said of Douglass, Dwight’s alderman, at one table of the ante-raising, Monopoly-style street-swapping activities, punctuated later by a tension-breaking round of the Cheers theme song. If we don’t take from Frank we won’t have enough.”

At another point, Marchand pointed out that his colleagues almost snipped one particularly exotically shaped district, Ward 27, into two unconnected parts, like the state of Michigan.”

Douglass and another colleague battled over three streets that fall in a no-man’s land between their two districts in different parts of town, while another alderman, Brian Wingate, was able to play Santa Claus.” One alderwoman delayed a decision until she could make sure she wasn’t drawing her own ward chair out of her district.

The aldermen have the challenge of redrawing the boundaries of their wards so that each holds roughly the same number of people. The task must be completed once a decade following statewide redistricting under Connecticut law.

Thursday night’s two-hour meeting of the Board of Aldermen’s special redistricting committee ended with some progress made toward the creation of a new map. Much work remains to be done.

Several requirements make the task particularly challenging. Not only does each ward’s population have to fall within 5 percent above or below an average of 4,326 people. The wards should also avoid straddling state representative districts. A single ward represented by several state representatives can create a confusing and expensive election day, since separate polling places may have to be set up in each district’s portion of the ward.

Also, aldermen have to keep their own homes within their wards, and they have to look out for the homes of their ward’s Democratic Committee Co-Chairs.

All of which adds up to an exercise that’s equal parts logic puzzle, political calculation, careful negotiation, and creative cartography — a bit like the game of Risk mixed with a corporate team-building exercise, with real-world ramifications.

Since the city has seen an increase in population in the east side, redistricting this year is — very generally speaking — a process of shrinking eastern ward boundaries while expanding those in the west.

This dynamic put Douglass in a tight spot Thursday night, as his western colleagues turned to him to bring more voters their way. He found a nearby neighbor willing to hand over only portion of the territory he said he needs — territory that belonged to his ward 10 years ago.

An Exotic Panhandle

Holmes and Smart make East Rock whole.

Committee Chair Alderwoman Dolores Colon called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. Following a short presentation by city Corporation Counsel Victor Bolden, aldermen broke into groups bunched around five different tables, according to the state representative district to which their wards belong.

East Rock Alderwoman Jessica Holmes immediately set to work with Wooster Square Alderman Mike Smart to address a plea raised by some East Rockers at the last redistricting committee meeting: Make us part of East Rock, not Wooster Square.

Douglass joined Aldermen Marchand, Sergio Rodriguez, Tyisha Walker, and Evette Hamilton at the table for the 92nd state General Assembly District.

The district, represented by state Rep. Pat Dillon, comprises Wards 26, 25, 24, 23, and parts of Wards 2 and 3. That’s Westville and Upper Westville, West Hills, Edgewood, and parts of Dwight and the Hill.

Most of those wards need to add people to get closer to their target number. They can’t expand their borders to the west, unless they annex parts of West Haven. Northward or southward expansion would mean crossing into other state representative districts — a no-no. That leaves the east and Dwight, the eastern gateway to the 92 District.

Douglass needs to take some blocks from Newhallville’s Brenda Foskey-Cyrus in Ward 21, Adam Marchand concluded.

This right here used to be part of Ward 2,” Douglass said, pointing out Charles Street, Winter Street and Orchard Place in the Dixwell neighborhood. He moved to the next table, the 93rd District, to talk to Foskey-Cyrus. He needed her to give him those streets.

Meanwhile, aldermen still at the table worked on divvying up Westville Ward 26’s exotic panhandle, which incredibly connects Upper Westville to West River, by way of the Yale Bowl.

You’re giving away people like it’s Christmas,” Marchand said to Upper Westville’s Alderman Rodriguez. He pointed out that Rodriguez couldn’t afford to give away as many people as he thought. The panhandle was trimmed slightly, but remained largely in place at the end of the night.

The table’s calculations again came back to Douglass’ Ward 2 as the answer to the voter shortage. Frank’s got to get something here so he can give us something there,” Marchand said.

Douglass returned with bad news: Foskey-Cyrus wasn’t budging. After the 92nd District aldermen explained to him there was no other way, he said he’d give it another try.

All right, I’m going back over there again.”

Second Attempt

Chairwoman Colon interrupted the proceedings to call upon everyone to cooperate.

If we don’t get it done, the mayor will do it for us,” she warned the roomful of bargaining aldermen.

Douglass lobbied Foskey-Cyrus again, showing her an old map indicating that his Ward 2 once included part of what is now her ward. Upper Westville Aldermen Rodriguez started negotiating his Ward 26 border with Beaver Hills/West Hills/Westville/Amity Alderwoman Angela Russell, who represents the particularly creatively drawn multi-neighborhood ward, 27, to the north. That ward is over-populated, so she could afford to give up some blocks to Rodriguez.

Russell made a phone call to check on one change. Then she made sure to retain the block where her ward Democratic committee co-chair lives.

As the aldermen worked, the already oddly elongated Ward 27 developed a jagged southern edge, like a comb. At one point aldermen took a little too much off, snipping the ward’s midsection and bisecting the territory.

It’s not like the state of Michigan,” Marchand warned. A ward can’t be in two sections, he said. They backtracked and rejoined the ward’s halves.

Douglass returned again. I ain’t getting nowhere with them.”

Then who’s going to give you more people? asked Yale Alderwoman Sarah Eidelson, stopping by the table.

Nobody,” replied a dejected Douglass.

The other aldermen at the 92nd District table continued to re-work their borders, pulling from Russel’s Ward 27. Westville Village went to Marchand.

That side of the ward probably drove you crazy anyway,” Rodriguez joked to Russsell.

Things were shaping up. But Marchand’s Ward 25 still needed more people. He could take some from Hamilton’s Edgewood neighborhood, if she could pull in people from another side.

Where am I going to get folks from, Adam?” Hamilton asked. She objected to giving up part of her ward. Seth Poole lives on Sherman Avenue! I need him. He’s my co-chair.”

After more work, Marchand was still coming up short. Maybe I should just have a very small ward,” he said. They’re very demanding people. They should count double,” he joked.

He made it clear he was only kidding. I love my ward,” he said.

Again it came back to Douglass’ Ward 2 and the need to take some territory from Foskey-Cyrus.

Frank, why don’t you go over with Dolores?” Rodriguez suggested when committee Chair Colon stopped by to check on the progress. Maybe she could help sort things out between Douglass and Foskey-Cyrus.

But Colon (at center in photo) had another idea. Take a little from Jackie for now,” she said. Hill Alderwoman Jackie James wasn’t at the meeting.

Don’t include Jackie,” said Hill Alderwoman Andrea Jackson-Brooks, who happened to be passing by the table.

Rodriguez returned to the inevitable conclusion: All we’ve got is Frank.”

We’ve basically fixed it, except for me,” Marchand said.

Douglass stepped over to Foskey-Cyrus’ table and tried yet again.

Third Attempt

Douglass works on Foskey-Cyrus.

You can’t take all my people!” Foskey-Cyrus objected.

You can keep Charles” Street, Douglass said. How about I just take Winter Street and Orchard Place?

I don’t know about that,” Foskey-Cyrus said.

Frank, you need me?” Alderwoman Walker called over.

No, I’m straight,” he said.

I need Orchard Place,” he said to Foskey-Cyrus.

You’re greedy!” she exclaimed.

People are calling me saying they want to be back in Ward 2,” he explained. There’s a woman that works the polls in Ward 2, but she lives in your ward, he said to Foskey Cyrus.

Negotiations broke down yet again.

Because 7,8,9!

Wingate and Mathur punch in the changes.

Meanwhile, aldermen had begun to input their tentative changes into a laptop operated by Priti Mathur, one of the consultants hired by the city to help with the redistricting process.

Alderwoman Holmes of East Rock’s Ward 9 stood near the computer consulting with Aldermen Justin Elicker and Alfreda Edwards behind an upright piano. She was running into trouble with the annexation of part of Michael Smart’s Wooster Square ward, the special request she’d heard at the last meeting to have a section of her neighborhood put back in her ward.

It adds almost 800 people to my ward,” she said. That means she’d have to cut off part of the ward elsewhere. Neighbors at the southern end of the ward had already testified at the previous meeting that they didn’t want to be pushed south into Ward 7, so that option was out.

Elicker, Edwards, and Holmes.

Holmes said she was pondering the possibility of making Upper State Street part of Downtown Alderman Doug Hausladen’s Ward 7. The area already contracts with the Town Green Special Services District for street cleaning, she said. Maybe it would be a good match. She said she hadn’t talked with Hausladen about it.

I had no idea it would be this much work,” Douglass said. He said he thought Foskey-Cyrus had agreed to give up Winter Street and he was still hoping to pick up Orchard Place.

Santiago and Hausladen.

Fair Haven Alderman Ernie Santiago was beginning to question the entire process. We should have started this way and gone that way,” he said, showing a map to Hausladen. Since all the wards in the east are overpopulated, that’s where the process should begin, Santiago said. All the wards on the west side will have to change anyway, once the east side is done unloading people, he said.

It was close to 9 p.m. Aldermen were starting to get punchy after a couple hours of heavy redistricting action.

Why is six afraid of seven?” Hausladen asked. Because seven eight[/ate] nine!”

Moments later, he jumped on the piano and played a few bars of the theme song to Cheers.

Where everybody knows your name,” baritone Beaver Hills Aldermen Brian Wingate intoned into a cordless mic.

Wingate, whose ward is one of the few in the west side of town that are overpopulated, said he’d been giving away blocks all night. I’m Santa Claus tonight.”

He said it was tough to give up parts of his ward, streets that he’d walked, doors that he’d knocked, relationships he’d built. He said he was going to have to go down to Anita Street — which he’d tentatively ceded to Alderwoman Claudette Robinson-Thorpe’s Ward 28 — and say goodbye to people there personally.

A Bridge Too Far

Frank was working with Mathur to pencil changes into the master map.

Foskey-Cyrus finally said she’d give him Winter Street. OK, Frank. You OK?”

No. I need Orchard Place,” Douglass asked.

I gave him a piece, now he wants all that!” she said.

The evening ended without Douglass’ quest for Orchard Place unfulfilled.

I’m going to have to talk to Tyisha and Evette, but I’m not going to be able to take from them,” he said.

Marchand put all the proposed 92nd District changes into the computer. Ward 25 was still short 352 people.

Sam Mathur, Priti’s husband and fellow consultant, said he thought aldermen completed 30 to 40 percent of the work Thursday night. They’ll go back at it again at the next meeting, he said.

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