Stratford Redistricting Plan Passes Amid Protest

Stratford officials at Town Hall are accusing each other of playing politics as Council members Tuesday reportedly approved, by a 6-to-4 vote, a redistricting plan that swaps the names of Districts 2 and 3.

“Redistricting is mandatory by law when the U.S. Census Data tells us the current Council districts are not in compliance with State Statute,” Louis DeCilio, the author of the plan, said in a statement.

According to the Stratford Star, the redrawing is required by Connecticut law “in order to have the town’s 10 districts all within 5 percent of the mathematical average district size of 5,138.”

DeCilio, who is chairman of the Republican Town Committee, says the plan “saves taxpayers money, eliminates alternate year voting locations (and) ensures voters know where to go on primary and Election Day (by having one poll location per district).”

He adds that the redistricting will help with “remediation and redevelopment of current existing contaminated or vacant properties” by aligning districts that have more in common with each other as it relates to land use issues.

Those who protested the plan before its approval Tuesday do not agree with that last part.

A petition signed by 246 people and addressed to Council member Stephanie Philips urged the Second District Democrat to reject the proposal, which the undersigned contended, “would effectively isolate the current 2nd and 4th Districts together, making the town land use boards and commissions safer for the majority party (Republicans).”

The petition continued, “The effect of this proposed renaming would isolate the largely minority – both racially and politically – districts into one entity.”

Sara Bigley was one of the undersigned.

“Honestly, I never thought I would see this kind of political finagling around here,” she wrote on the petition. “It’s dishonest and misleading. Don’t allow this to happen.”

DeCilio says the process by which the plan was formulated was “open and fully transparent” and involved public input.

"It’s unfortunate and questionable as to why people would disseminate false information or sign a petition against the proposed changes without educating themselves on the concept to better our town unless the information they were receiving was intentionally misleading or their opposition was purely motivated by politics,” says DeCilio.

The redistricting changes will go into effect 30 days after the Town Council approved them Tuesday, according to the Star.