Redistricting

Is there anyone out there who has been more critical of this particular Board of Supervisors then I have been? However, on the subject of redistricting the Board and the people the Board has hired seem to be doing a bang up job. The Board agreed to hold the related public hearings in the evening so that more people may attend. So, on its face, everything seems to be above board. Should that change, I would be the first to talk about it.

So, here’s the deal. Last week’s paper quoted a local resident with stating: “White bloc voting in Tunica County, Mississippi is statically significant.” This is impossible. Using round numbers the U. S. Census Bureau has reported Tunica County to be 73% African American and that leaves 27% for the rest of us.

Remember in our first Public Hearing we were told that our final redistricting can’t disenfranchise anyone? At that hearing, this same person was suggesting that the Town of Tunica be moved to one beat. An explanation was offered as to why this could not be done. The Town of Tunica is divided among 4 of our 5 Beats so that the White population would have a voice in their government…at all. To do otherwise would disenfranchise the White vote.

I guess what really ticks me off about the above quoted statement is that our Transparency Committee has been very vocal about presenting to the Board of Supervisors incidents where we think Tunica County could do better by appointing an African American resident to this or that Board.

Needless to say, I hope Tunica County does not wind-up paying “court costs and attorneys’ fees” on this particular suit.