Gwinnett invites residents to second redistricting open house

Ben Ku, District 2 Commissioner, will host a redistricting open house on Tuesday at Lucky Shoals Park. (Rebecca Wright for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Credit: Rebecca Wright for the Atlanta J

Credit: Rebecca Wright for the Atlanta J

Ben Ku, District 2 Commissioner, will host a redistricting open house on Tuesday at Lucky Shoals Park. (Rebecca Wright for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Gwinnett residents will have another opportunity on Tuesday to ask questions about redistricting, less than a week after a state senator temporarily walked back bills to change the county’s government.

County officials, planning for months to draw maps for the state Legislature to consider, will move forward in recommending their own lines for the county’s current four commission districts.

County Commissioner Ben Ku will host a redistricting open house from 6:30-8 p.m. at the Lucky Shoals Park Community Center located between Norcross and Tucker. Residents will be able to look at maps and chat with local officials about the process.

State Sen. Clint Dixon (R-Gwinnett) surprised county officials and Democrats with a bill earlier this month that would have added five additional districts to the Board of Commissioners and neutered the voting power of the county’s chairperson.

Another bill would have made the Board of Education members run in nonpartisan elections in new districts. Dixon tabled both of the bills for now but plans to bring them back up in January.

The county held its first of several town halls in Duluth last week, with others still to be announced. Local leaders will use the feedback gathered from residents while drawing up their maps.