Video: County Commission Sets New Districts, Reduces Seats
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Jan. 2, 2022)
Oakland County, MI – Every ten years public bodies like the Oakland County Commission must be redistricted to take into account the latest US Census. At their Nov. 9, 2021 meeting, the Board of Commissioners approved the new boundaries which take the number of Commissioners from 21 to 19. The vote was 14-7 in favor of the new districts, with three Republicans joining all 11 Democrats in approving it.
Commissioners Charlie Cavell and Bob Hoffman joined Oakland County Times for an interview about the process and the impacts on their districts.
Cavell is a Democrat who currently represents the 18th District including Ferndale, Hazel Park, Huntington Woods and Royal Oak Township, as well as a portion of the City of Oak Park. In the 2022 election, for the 2023-24 term, he will be running for the 19th District which includes Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, Huntington Woods, Berkley, part of Royal Oak, and most of Birmingham. Also living in the future 19th District is Commissioner Chuck Moss, a Republican from Birmingham.
For Hoffman the boundary change is not as drastic, but it could have been with another proposed map. Hoffman, who lives in Highland, is currently representing District 2, which includes Groveland, Highland, Holly (including the Village of Holly), Rose and Springfield townships. In the forthcoming District 7 all communities remain except for three precincts in Highland that have been removed, and three in White Lake that have been added, as well as the addition of Brandon Township. The changes also mean that he’ll likely be running against Commissioner Eileen Kowall, a fellow Republican who lives in White Lake.
Each of the new districts has approximately 67,000 residents, making the districts more equal in size than in previous decades.
Oakland County Times asked Commissioners Hoffman and Cavell to join us for an interview where they talked more about the process, including their critiques and the benefits, as well as what they think could happen in the next election. Click here to view on YouTube.
And here is the new map. Click to download full size version.
