Letter: Redistricting is for Full RTM to Decide, Not Subcommittee

As the June 1 deadline approaches to bring Fairfield’s town voting districts in compliance with state population rebalancing rules and more closely in line with state voting districts, much has been said and written about efforts to move this matter out of the RTM’s redistricting committee where it has languished in deadlock for more than a year.

Some have characterized this move as an effort to bypass the redistricting committee, in effect to usurp the authority which they argue this committee has under the Town Charter. It has been stated that under the town charter a new plan for redistricting can not be brought before the full RTM for a vote unless it first has a majority approval by the redistricting committee. They have also argued that once the committee’s plan is brought before the full RTM it can not be amended, neither of which is true. The charter only directs the RTM to consider “a” plan proposed a committee, which does in fact leave the RTM with a good deal of latitude on this point.

The six member committee is in disagreement as to a proposed alternative to the current 10 district 50 member RTM, and that disagreement falls along party lines. This ought to have been an opportunity to look for “alternate currencies” and find a compromise solution in which both sides win. Unfortunately in this case there has been no effort by one side to compromise. 

One committee member stated that because he believes that anything other than the current 10 district/50 member plan in his view “unfairly” benefits the Republicans, there would be no way he could ever agree to it. The end game for some Democrats in this case has been to maintain the status quo, and by leaving this matter in committee they feel that they can achieve that end.

Let’s take a step back. The only purpose for forming subcommittees is to allow a small group within the RTM to study a matter more deeply than would otherwise be possible for a 50-member body. Subcommittees are charged with making recommendations to the full body, but not making decisions on the body’s behalf.

The drawing of districts lines and the future composition of the RTM is for its 50 members to decide. It is not for a committee of six to decide by default. The simple fact is that this matter must come before the full RTM for a decision, and the truth is that for the past year some members of the redistricting committee have either sought to prevent that from happening, or have placed conditions under which they would allow that to happen. Unfortunately that strategy has a shelf life and its time has now run out.

Tom McCarthy

RTM, District 8