Aurora ready to present redrawn ward boundaries

If casual viewers think Aurora’s proposed new ward map looks pretty similar to the current map, city officials say they would understand.

The proposed new ward boundaries reflect an “incremental” change, not a “radical” shift from previous borders, said Ed Sieben, Aurora’s zoning administrator.

The map is the third draft developed by planning and zoning staff and a committee of five aldermen and four residents. A remap is necessary after each census to ensure equal representation.

“The underlying thing we had to look at was getting equal population wards,” Sieben said.

Developing wards that are contiguous, compact and follow natural boundaries such as railroad lines, streams and major streets also is important in the redistricting process, said Blanca Dominguez, city attorney.

The proposed map been presented at redistricting committee meetings, but because those meetings were sparsely attended by the public, it also will be presented at three public meetings next month, scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, April 16 in the community room at Fire Station 8, 3770 McCoy Drive; 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 18 at the Fred Rodgers Community Center, 501 College Ave.; and 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 25 at the Aurora Public Library west branch, 233 S. Constitution Drive.

The proposed map creates five wards with majority Hispanic populations, although Ward 6 has the smallest Hispanic majority population, at 50.5 percent, according to demographics posted on the city’s website.

The ward with the largest Hispanic population would be Ward 2 at a proposed 88.4 percent. Juany Garza, the only Hispanic alderman on the Aurora City Council, currently represents that area. Other wards with Hispanic majorities would have 69, 53 and 52 percent Hispanic residents.

Garza, who sits on the committee that has been reviewing the draft ward maps, said wards that are more diverse instead of heavily dominated by one ethnic group would be preferable. But, she said, no matter which direction the boundaries of her ward are expanded, lots of Hispanic Aurorans live there.

The city has no control over which residents live where, so the redistricting process has focused on equal representation for all voters instead of balancing proportions of different ethnic groups.

“The process was to just ensure that everyone, regardless of their ethnicity, had an equal chance — to respect their vote, and that’s what redistricting is meant to do,” Dominguez said.

Community members were added to the redistricting committee for the first time this year because they have the best understanding of the borders, culture and quirks of their neighborhood, said Alderman Bob O’Connor, who leads the committee.

The fact they haven’t had too many questions or objections shows the process has been straightforward and the map is successful at dividing Aurora’s 197,899 residents into 10 wards of about 19,790 people, O’Connor said.

All wards are within five percent of the 19,790 target population, with Ward 4’s 18,900 residents deviating the most — 4.5 percent.

“The purpose of the committee was to focus on factors that were neutral, and it just worked out that way,” Dominguez said.