Would Electing Councilpersons by Districts be a Good Idea?  

 
By Virginia Korte
I believe the City Council does an exceptional job of representing citizens, no matter where you live. I feel I can speak for everyone on the Council when I say we work hard to treat everyone and every issue the same: thoughtfully and thoroughly.
But as I have conversations with people throughout our community, some ask what I think about creating districts from which we would elect the six councilpersons. That topic comes up particularly in some of the southern areas of our city.
While I believe our current system of electing councilpersons “at large” is working pretty darn well, I am open to considering a district representation system if enough people feel we should move in that direction.
I am aware of and respect what some citizens say are the benefits of establishing a district system.

A case can be made that such a system would eliminate the need for candidates to campaign from one end of the city to the other, so the costs of campaigns would be significantly reduced. As a result, more people would be encouraged to run for the City Council. That, I believe, would be a good thing. And, if the system were instituted, each councilperson would technically represent fewer constituents. So the six councilpersons may be even more responsive to citizens than those of us now on the Council already are.
I would appreciate hearing your thoughts about a district representation system.
Sincerely,
Virginia L. Korte