Fulton County commissioners have started redrawing their district maps to account for the latest census, and already some of the same issues are cropping up that put the decision in front of a federal judge a decade ago.
Calls have been made, both by a Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce lobbyist and a Buckhead-based taxpayer advocate, to restructure the panel to give north Fulton more power, seeing as how it now represents one-third of the county population.
Meanwhile, Commission Vice Chairwoman Emma Darnell, whose urban district shrunk by nearly 11,500 residents, wants the county to hire an outside attorney to make sure a plan isn’t produced with a “discriminatory purpose,” leading to a repeat of the last redistricting process.
State Sen. Vincent Fort, D-Atlanta, said he would strongly oppose giving north Fulton another commissioner.
“Creating a new district so that white north Fulton could have an extra district would probably violate the Voting Rights Act,” he said.
Though north Fulton is entirely incorporated into six cities, the county government taxes its residents to operate libraries, health services, the courts system, the county jail and senior centers, among other things.
“The county still can raise taxes,” said Brandon Beach, president and CEO of the north Fulton chamber. “We want proper representation. We should care about having a representative closer to the people.”
The clashing viewpoints show how the county faces the same dilemma as before: how to adhere to the “one person, one vote” rule, which favors more clout for the ever-growing northern suburbs, without diluting minority voting strength in violation of federal law.
The difficulty of reaching such a balance gets to the root of why Fulton has become so geographically polarized.
The Fulton commission has seven seats, two of which are countywide. Of the five districts, 1 ½ take in north Fulton. District 3, held by Liz Hausmann, covers most of the area, and District 4, held by Tom Lowe, includes Buckhead, Sandy Springs and part of Roswell.
A decade ago, adjusting districts for the 2000 census became so contentious that both commissioners and state lawmakers deadlocked on the issue. After a north Fulton voter — future Johns Creek Mayor Mike Bodker — filed suit, U.S. District Judge Orinda Evans wound up dictating the maps.
Bodker said he doesn’t believe it’s possible to shift power toward the north without running up against the U.S. Justice Department. It’s one reason many Northside residents have given up on Fulton and want to re-form Milton County, he said.
The latest census figures don’t bode well for the urban area. Darnell’s district saw the largest population loss, and District 6, also in Atlanta and represented by Joan Garner, has been nearly stagnant, adding just 466 residents.
Hausmann’s district has seen a spike, growing by 47,232 residents, but the most growth was in south Fulton’s District 7, represented by Bill Edwards, which increased by 49,187.
Still, the overall figures put the six north Fulton cities’ combined population at nearly 350,000, more than a third of the county’s total population of 920,581.
Other jurisdictions are having their own challenges adhering to the Voting Rights Act, which state Attorney General Sam Olens is trying to get Georgia out from under. Marietta is struggling over what to do about its only minority-dominated ward becoming majority white, since federal law requires that at least one of the seven wards be majority black.
The Atlanta City Council has been considering three possible new district maps and is likely to vote on a final version Dec. 5.
While the goal of Fulton’s redistricting is to create five districts at about 184,000 each (the population split five ways), Northside advocates say it’s an opportunity to bring disgruntled north Fultoners back into the fold.
Whatever maps the commission draws up must be sent to the county’s legislative delegation, then to the full General Assembly, for approval. At that level, changes can be made such as increasing or decreasing the number of commissioners or beefing up the chairman’s powers.
Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce lobbyist Bernie Tokarz asked the commission during a redistricting meeting earlier this month to support doing away with the second at-large seat, now held by Robb Pitts, to give the county six districts and one at-large chairman.
Fulton County Taxpayers Foundation President John Sherman also has called on the board to give north Fulton another commissioner in order to deflate the Milton County movement.
Edwards, the south Fulton commissioner, said he doubts the board will take the request seriously.
“You could give north Fulton 300 commissioners,” he said, “and it’d still be the same, they’d still want Milton County.”
House Majority Whip Edward Lindsey, R-Atlanta, represents Buckhead and, like Sherman, doesn’t want to see the brunt of the tax burden shifted onto north Atlanta if Milton County re-forms.
He said an extra commissioner for north Fulton is a strong possibility, given the growth there.
Secessionists say it’s too late to appease them.
“North Fulton County, for so long, has paid more than its fair share for what it gets back in return,” said Roswell resident Dianne DeVore, a member of the North Fulton and Friends Tea Party.
But Tom Christner of Sandy Springs said another voice for the north would make a difference. He said he senses the Milton County push is losing steam because residents have a voice now through their city governments.
“I just don’t like the whole north-vs.-south thing,” he said. “I wish we could be united.”
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