East Lawrence will remain in the county commission's 1st District after a neighborhood association president said that seemed to be the consensus of residents.
Douglas County commissioners Wednesday evening unanimously agreed on a redistricting plan to satisfy state and federal laws that districts be adjusted once a decade to ensure they are approximately equal in population.
Commissioners had narrowed their choices to two maps, but the main difference in the two was the placement of East Lawrence the area east of Massachusetts Street, south of the Kansas River and roughly north of 15th Street.
In one map, East Lawrence would remain in the 1st District, currently represented by Democrat Charles Jones. In the second map, the neighborhood would be moved into the 2nd District, which is currently represented by Republican Bob Johnson. The 1st District is entirely within the Lawrence city limits, while the 2nd District is more rural, including the towns of Baldwin, Eudora and all of rural eastern Douglas County.
Ed Tato, president of the East Lawrence Neighborhood Assn., said his group met Monday and voted 24-1 to remain in the 1st District.
"Our thinking is that you keep us with a larger part of the city that we have more in common with," Tato said.
That was enough to sway commissioners. All said they thought either map was acceptable but were happy to accommodate East Lawrence residents because they had a strong preference.
The new districts will take effect with the county commission election later this year.
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