MIA: Absence of Republicans stalls effort to redraw Norwalk’s voting districts

The Ordinance Committee of Norwalk’s Common Council will step into a new role tonight: reviewing proposed changes to the city’s voting district boundaries.

That work is supposed to be the role of the Reapportionment Committee. But the absence of Norwalk’s Republican registrar of voters–or any other GOP participation in the process–has stalled its efforts.

The Reapportionment Committee is tasked with updating the Common Council district boundaries, which are also used by the Board of Education, to better reflect the city’s population. Right now, there’s a large deviation of 18.86% between the largest district—District A—and the smallest district—District C. That number should be less than 10% to assure residents receive proper representation. 

Both the Democratic and Republican Registrars of Voters were added to the committee as ex-officio members. But only Stuart Wells, the Democratic registrar, has been active. Because Brian Smith, the Republican registrar, has been absent, Attorney Stephen Mednick, who has been advising the city on charter-related topics, recommended that an updated proposal go before the Ordinance Committee instead.

The updates would add language that the registrar or “a designee” should serve on the committee, in the hopes that a Republican representative can be added. In addition, the updates to the ordinance would extend the committee’s work period, from 90 work days, to 120.

Ken D’Arinzo, the president of the Reapportionment Committee, said the committee can’t officially put forth a public hearing or vote on their preferred option until the updated language is approved by the Ordinance Committee, and then by the full Common Council in September. 

Committee leans toward Option 3

While the Reapportionment Committee waits for the council to act, it reviewed the three main options from ARCBridge Consulting, as well as a proposal from Wells on Thursday. 

Option 3 includes moving the areas around Marlin Drive out of District A and into District E, moving some streets north of Murray Street out of District D and into District C, and moving some streets south of Riverside Avenue out of District A and into District D. It seemed to be the committee’s preferred option. 

The “third option” for reapportioning the Norwalk council districts. (City of Norwalk)

Wells said he liked that it moved Ponus Ridge Middle School, which is a polling place for District D into the district. He also noted that it “would not force us to add a split district” for taxing district voting purposes. 

Elsa Peterson Obuchowski, the chair of the First Taxing District Board of Commissioners, also spoke as a member of the public supporting the option. 

“I’m glad to see the recommendation is option 3, when you were talking about no elected officials would be affected,” she said. “If you’d chosen I believe it is Option 2, I would be written out of my [taxing] district”. 

However, Wells said, the taxing district lines could not be changed without an act of the state, so even if the council district lines changed, the taxing district lines had to remain. 

Wells noted that he would have preferred Option 2, if not for the taxing district, because it had a clear dividing line.

“East Avenue would be a lovely dividing line if not for the taxing districts,” he said. 

D’Arinzo said he also thought Option 3 was the best choice. 

“I prefer Option 3 based on the fact that it has the least effect on changes that would affect someone like Elsa,” he said. “And it fulfills what we need to do as a committee with the least amount of changes.” 

The committee plans to meet at the end of August to review the three options and gather opinions from the rest of the members.