In a split vote, the Monroe City Council approved a redistricting plan for the city for the next ten years.
The plan was approved by a 3-2 vote. Voting for the plan were: Council President Kema Dawson, Doug Harvey, and Gretchen Ezernak. Voting against the plan were: Juanita Woods and Corday Marshall.
The plan will make it possible for three guaranteed black districts, one guaranteed white district, and one evenly divided between whites and blacks.
In three community meetings in the Black community, citizens, civic leaders, and political leaders asked for the district map to reflect the massive migration of Blacks from South Monroe into District 2, which Gretchen Ezernak now represents.
Wednesday night, Ezernack said about 1,500 minorities have moved into the district. Demographers report that more than 600 whites have moved out.
The Black community, led by the Ouachita NAACP, pushed for districts that reflected the growing majority of blacks moving into the district. It asked for a map that accurately represents the district’s racial makeup.
Before the council meeting, representatives of the NAACP, the Black Chamber of Commerce, Clergy, and other organizations were upset that Dawson…
