The Common Council president said the decision will allow more time to review and consider the details associated with the proposed maps and public input.
BUFFALO, NY — The Buffalo Common Council has postponed a vote on new redistricting maps after public outcry regarding the proposed boundaries.
The criticism started online but reached a climax during a fiery public hearing Tuesday and continued for days after that. The vote was scheduled for Friday, July 1 at 10 am, but it was canceled eight hours after being announced Thursday morning.
In a statement released on Thursday, Buffalo Common Council President Darius Pridgen said:
“The Council has decided to delay this meeting in order to provide more time to review and consider the details associated with the proposed maps and public input.”
During a press conference outside City Hall Thursday, Harper Bishop, the interim director for Our City Action Buffalo, said the council did not take public input into account, neighborhoods, or racial equity; hence the outcry Tuesday, which continued later in the week.
Harper discussed an alternative community-based district map, which he said had the endorsement of over 700 Buffalo residents. Harper said he intended to file it with the city clerk’s office.
About 45 minutes after that discussion with Our City Action Buffalo, the Common Council announced it would be delaying its vote.
“There is an inscription in council chambers that says ‘the people’s councilors reflect the people’s will,’ and today that is true, and we hope that continues to be true. We hope the councilors call on organizations like Our City Action Buffalo and city residents to be engaged in the process moving forward,” Harper said.
He called for a more robust and inclusive process. A new date for the vote has not been announced.
With regards to public engagement, the Common Council did advertise the Tuesday hearing a number of times on its various social media channels.
The Common Council also created a webpage for the reapportionment process and shared minutes from four meetings of the Citizens’ Commission on Reapportionment. The commission of community members was selected by the council to build a set of guidelines for redrawing the maps and offer their opinion.
They met on April 20, May 4, May 11, and May 19. A citizens’ commission public hearing was also held on May 18. Both maps can be viewed in detail here.
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