South Austin represented

ICRC members said in early June they wanted to appoint residents who are knowledgeable of and respected in their communities in order to draw the fairest boundaries.

"People I talk to are very excited because [the new voting districts] will mean more representation," said Francis McIntyre, former chairwoman of the League of Women Voters-Austin Area.

Commissioners and public speakers at ICRC meetings stressed the importance of having South Austin in particular represented when discussing whom to appoint from the area.

"South Austin is basically 40 percent of this city and has been for my lifetime," Austinites for Geographic Representation adviser Peck Young said on June 13. He went on to claim that South Austin has produced only one mayor and 18 council members in roughly 40 years.

Background

In November, voters approved Proposition 3, an amendment to the city charter that changes how the City Council represents citizens. Once the districts are approved, Austin will be represented by 10 council members elected from single-member districts and one mayor elected at-large.

Because Austin has never had voting districts, the city formed an independent commission to draw the map of the boundaries.

The new districts must have roughly equal populations and comply with the federal Voting Rights Act, among other criteria, according to the city charter. The U.S. Department of Justice must approve the map before it can be used in future elections.

The commissioners

The ICRC was staffed in two stages.

An Applicant Review Panel randomly selected the first eight names out of a 60-person pool of qualified applicants May 22.

The first eight were: Magdalena Blanco, Rachel Farris, Hewitt, Arthur Lopez, Diaz-Miranda, Carmen Llanes Pulido, Saenz and Solis.

"They all care, they all want to be a part of the process and they're all residents of our city," Councilman Mike Martinez said. "From that perspective, I think it's a great group."

The eight's first order of business was to appoint six more members from the applicant pool to reflect the city's diversity.

The charter states that, to the extent possible, three commissioners must come from each Travis County Commissioners Court precinct. The charter also states that one commissioner must be a student at an Austin community college or university.

The ICRC appointed Catherine Cocco and Ryan Rafols on June 7 and TJ Costello, Haag, Harriett Harrow and Henry Johnson on June 13.

The ICRC can hire staff, legal counsel and consultants as needed, and shall establish clear hiring criteria, communication protocol and a code of conduct, the charter states.

Once staffers are hired, the ICRC can begin researching the new districts.

Additional reporting by Peter McCrady