The Baltimore County Council found itself in a political squeeze play Tuesday night, as residents on the west and east side of the county and in rural areas told the council they oppose a proposed council district map.
When Baltimore County voters agreed to expand the county council from seven to nine seats, it sparked a heated debate over how to divide up those districts. At the heart of the debate is how to spread around the county’s residents of color, who make up nearly 50% of its population. That’s so the council, which currently comprises six white men and one African American, better reflects the county’s demographics.
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news but everybody in this room is not going to get what they want,” warned Democratic councilman Julian Jones.
But that did not keep the nearly three dozen speakers to ask for changes. They complained the map proposed by a redistricting commission splits up communities.
Linda Dorsey-Walker pushed for a different plan that would keep Woodlawn in one district, zeroing in on three council members who are running to be county executive.
Dorsey-Walker asked, “How does anyone who expects to be county executive expect that we’re going to give them their vote from Woodlawn if they don’t want to give us a district?”
Karen Williams, who also advocated for a map that puts Woodlawn in a single district, drove home that point as well.
“To those who are counting on the Black vote or the community vote at large, we are listening, we are watching,” Williams said.
The Woodlawn plan would create two districts with huge Black majorities. The county currently has one Black majority district.
The redistricting commission recommended to the county council a political map that also creates two majority Black districts on Baltimore County’s west side. But the Black majorities are smaller than the Woodlawn plan. It also creates two districts in which a majority of residents are people of color, one on the west side and one on the east.
On the east side, there were complaints that the map proposed by the commission divided up Essex.
“When maps are drawn to serve political interests instead of communities, the result is districts that fracture neighborhoods, ignore local priorities, and leave residents disconnected from their elected officials,” said Essex resident Mary Taylor.
Katherine Fanning, who lives in Boring, said the redistricting commission’s map shoves her rural community into a more urban council district, making it an “orphaned rural pocket.”
Fanning said, “The final map gives the impression that we were an afterthought, a convenient hunk of population that could be stuck anywhere, somewhere to make the numbers work. Boring isn’t just a hiccup at the edge of Reisterstown.”
The three Republicans on the seven member council say they won’t vote for the redistricting commission’s map, which they believe is partisan. Since it will take five votes to pass a map, the Republicans have enough votes to kill it.
“It’s very clear that the intent was to pack members of a certain political persuasion into certain districts,” Republican Councilman David Marks said in a recent interview.
Nick Stewart, the cofounder of the good governance group We the People-Baltimore County and a candidate for county executive, called on the council to formally introduce the commission’s map as a bill so it can be debated and amended publicly.
“I believe this is far better than starting with another compromise bill that reflects more behind the scenes discussions,” Stewart said.
Stewart was referring to a nine-district map that the county council drew itself last year behind closed doors. It was part of a deal brokered with Republicans by then Council Chairman Izzy Patoka to get their support to put the council expansion on the ballot.
That map will become THE map if at least five council members can’t agree on a different plan. But if that happens, the council will most likely be sued. The American Civil Liberties Union and others, don’t like the way that map was drawn up or the final result.
At the end of Tuesday’s public hearing, council members were optimistic they could draw up an acceptable map.
“Everybody has a little piece of the puzzle,” said Council Chair Mike Ertel, a Democrat. “We have our work cut out for us and we will figure it out.”
The council has until October 1 to adopt a map that will be used in the 2026 election.
