Gosh, That Map Looks... Gone!

In the course of examining the questionable Faultless annexation, I had cause to re-examine the horribly gerrymandered Fishers Town Council District Map. Last Monday, I posted comments on the absurd nature of the map, likening the map to the work of drunks, or of those seeking to create political districts to suit the status quo among Counil members.

In the wake of this commentary, I have had friends and co-workers want to know more about the map. They tried the link I offered, which was to the Hamilton County Map Room. That was a mistake on my part. The link should have been to the Town's website, to the Council page. So, I went back to correct my error.

La-tee-dah. Wouldn't you know the link to the map has disappeared from the Town's webpage?

Isn't that just the most amazing coincidence? The map just vanished! Poof! Gone! The link used to be on the right-hand side of the page, above the links to Council Agenda Packets. No more.

Fortunately, I have a bit of foresight on such things, and made a screen-shot capture. Here is the map for all to see- even if the Council doesn't want you to see it.

Drunks with Crayolas, or just Councilors keeping their seats? The orange District is the one Scott Faultless represents. The purple one is Stuart Easley's.

One fact of electoral life makes the crazy, gerrymandered districts most unnecessary. From the Council Page on the Fishers website:

All councilors are considered "at large" which means all Fishers residents vote on all councilors, not just the councilor representing their particular district.

In other words, the Districts have no actual direct electoral accountability. With Republican supermajorities here -to date- the Councilors have to know that there was no real threat of being unseated by candidates from other parties. Only moving out of the District could unseat them.

With that being the case, there really is only one reason to rig the districts as they are- to be certain that the sitting Councilors can remain sitting Councilors. As much as it looks like the work of drunks, the drawing of these Districts is very deliberate.

Yet more shady ethics, on parade in Fishers.

I call on the Town of Fishers to re-draw the Council District Map with Districts that are geographically sensible.

I call for the electoral rules to be changed such that only the citizens who live within a District may vote on their Town Councilor. The at-large system must end.