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Bernalillo County on Tuesday adopted a new 10-year policy map that made minor changes to the existing district boundaries despite some hefty last-minute objections from an elected official who advocated more dramatic changes.
County Commissioner Steven Michael Quezada tried to postpone the planned redistribution vote, saying he had just discovered that, as commissioner, he had the ability to move forward with a real overhaul.
“I didn’t know that I could really do anything to really bring about change,” said Quezada, who initially claimed he was “manipulated and betrayed” for not having this information, but later said it was too strong a word may be.
But other commissioners described the postponement offer as “disrespectful” and “insincere”. Quezada’s request to postpone it failed and the commission ultimately voted 4-1 to accept the new card.
Supporters propagated a transparent, month-long process that led to the vote on Tuesday. The commission’s redistribution advisor has explained the current issues and presented potential maps at public commission meetings in October and November, and the county has gone to great lengths to seek public feedback, said commission chair Charlene Pyskoty.
The district appraiser described the approved card as a “status quo” redistribution. The boroughs remain largely the same as they have been for 10 years, although there are some tweaks. The map changes some boundaries to reduce the population in Commissioner Walt Benson’s northern District 4, which, according to US census figures, has grown faster than the rest of the county. Pyskoty, who represents the eastern part of the county, saw their District pick up 5 Uptown. Meanwhile, District 3, represented by Adriann Barboa, has taken over Kirtland Addition, South Broadway and part of East San Jose from Quezada’s District 2.
On Tuesday it was about the representation of the West Side.
Quezada looked for another week to explore new lines, so there was a district that was completely west of the Rio Grande. The newly adopted map has – like the current map – three districts with quarters west of the river, but all also include areas east of the river. He said this left open the possibility that one day the five-person commission might not have members who actually live on the West Side.
“I’m the only one really interested in the West Side, and I think it’s unfair for this County Commission to make this the status quo,” said Quezada, the South Valley representative and the only commissioner currently on the West Side lives.
He denied allegations that he was following the district changes on behalf of the Santolina developers.
But Debbie O’Malley, whose borough spans both sides of the Rio Grande and Barboa, and people speaking during the public commentary, questioned Quezada’s argument that only someone living on the West Side can represent that constituency.
O’Malley also expressed frustration over trying to stop a vote on Tuesday, saying Quezada was smart and conscious enough to know he could have pushed for bigger changes.
“I think crying Foul at this point is really insincere and it’s very frustrating for me. I’m really very disappointed because there was a trial, ”she said.
She wasn’t alone.
Pyskoty said she first heard there was interest in a purely West Side neighborhood just before midnight.
“I find this step disrespectful to the process, because yes, it is taken (every) 10 years. Did people find out at 14 minutes to midnight last night that they were going to do something drastically different in the county? ”She said. “You had 10 years to think about it, and you had a solid three months to look at the cards to make a public comment.”
Pyskoty also noted that no one who spoke during Tuesday’s public comment – many of whom said they lived on the West Side – expressed the need for an entire West Side district. Indeed, the commentators overwhelmingly supported the map adopted by the Commission.
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