‘They look squirrelly’: Doraville explores redistricting options

City leaders will have to redraw their districts to more evenly balance their constituents’ numbers to comply with federal law before the next local election in 2023. The City Council is considering a few state-generated options, but no one seemed pleased by the current prospects.

“They took two stabs at it,” City Manager Chris Eldridge said during a Dec. 13 meeting. “They look squirrelly, but they were taking into account where (the city’s six) council members currently live and trying to make it work. That’s why it’s not a neat, symmetrical drawing.”

The Legislative and Congressional Reappointment Office created two maps, which each include at least one odd-looking borderline. Some neighborhoods would be split between districts in order to evenly divide the city’s 10,623 residents.

“With the way our city has been bisected by so many major highways over the years, there’s going to be no clean way to do three districts as it currently stands,” Councilman Chris Henshaw said.

*Brookhaven and Stonecrest, both founded after 2010, do not have Census data to compare. Despite being founded in 2015, the Census does have a 2010 population number for Tucker, allowing for the comparison.

Henshaw and several other councilmembers said they’d like to see how a two-district map would look. Mayor Joseph Geierman said the reappointment office gave the city a third map, which included only two districts, after the Dec. 13 meeting.

That option would reshape how local elections would play out in Doraville, which currently has two councilmembers elected from each district. A two-district system would likely include at-large council seats and potentially one less councilmember.

Matching the city’s overall demographics, the current three districts are all majority Hispanic. The proposed maps would not radically change the racial makeup of any district.

Councilwomen Stephe Koontz said a silver lining to reducing the number of people on council, since a five-person council would avoid tie votes. (Doraville’s mayor currently only votes in the event of a tie.)

Eldridge said it’s unlikely they’ll be given more map options from the reappointment office before the next legislative session. Geierman said the city aims to redraw its maps into federal compliance by February 2022.

Doraville does not have any municipal elections in 2022, so Geierman said the council could adopt one of the three-district maps as a stop-gap measure. Then city leaders could spend more time rethinking the city’s districts, which could include hiring a third party to generate more options.

Doraville residents are encouraged to reach out to their councilmember to provide feedback. Redistricting will be discussed during the city’s Jan. 10 work session.