Re-districting the U-District

In the upcoming election, Seattle voters face a difficult choice. Should we switch from an at-large voting system for Seattle City Council members to a district voting system, in which each member of the city council represents a specific "neighborhood district?" While neighborhood districts are certainly not a cure-all for our city's problems, they would be a step in the right direction, especially given the poor response to the recent riot north of campus.

With nine council members who are responsible for the entire city, it is easy to perpetually pass the buck to one another. In the aftermath of the riot, there was no council member to whom residents could address their concerns.

Instead, we had nine council members who collectively diluted responsibility for addressing these concerns. If we had one council member who was well versed in the issues facing the U-District, we would have a greater chance of crafting an effective solution to the concerns specific to our neighborhood.

Creating neighborhood districts would also help bring down the costs of City Council elections, which can be more than $200,000. A smaller constituency for each council member would allow candidates to go door-to-door and give grassroots campaigns a fighting chance.

Neighborhood districts are not without their faults; there are concerns about mapping the districts and the possibility that special interests will gain more power. But those special interests will be the interests of the neighborhood residents and they should have more power.

The U-District has many unique issues facing us, and we deserve a City Council member who understands those issues.