LYNN — Amid anger and confusion, the City Council voted unanimously against a new city-precinct redistricting map created by a working group including City Clerk Janet L. Rowe, with technical assistance from the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office on Tuesday night.
The city will now have to spend $5,000 to $10,000 on a special master appointed by the Local Election District Review Commission. The special master will redraw city ward and precinct lines to eliminate sub-precincts caused by two overlapping maps.
This process may result in some voters being drawn into a new ward or precinct, along with location changes for polling places.
The first map was created by the working group and adopted by the City of Lynn on Oct. 26. The second map came from the State House Redistricting Committee and was adopted by Gov. Charlie Baker on Nov. 4.
Appointment of the special master may happen as early as this Thursday.
Per the Secretary’s office, city officials including Rowe, City Solicitor George Markopoulos and City Council President Darren Cyr were notified by the census division on Nov. 19 about the sub-precincts that were created by the State House lines overlapping the city map lines.
Ward 1 Councilor Wayne Lozzi said that Cyr had notified the City Council about the issues, and said he reached out to the legislature for further details and possible fixes. He said that the back and forth between them resulted in Lozzi not having enough time to review the changes, and said that the state legislature, “put a gun to the City Council’s head.”
“Each time we do this it leaves a really bad taste in my mouth,” said Lozzi. “What the state has done just amazes me.”
Council Vice President Buzzy Barton agreed with Lozzi, saying the State House gerrymandered wards and precincts through this process. He then said he could not support the new maps due to a lack of public hearing and lack of clarity from the State House and the Secretary’s office.
“How could something like this happen without a public hearing?” Barton said. “I can’t support this.”
Michael Owens, re-precinct community engagement director from the Secretary of State’s office, was at the meeting to explain the proposed map created by the working group, and how it reduced the number of sub-precincts from 11 to two.
“The city drew their precincts first but shortly the state finished their maps,” said Owens. “So because of that, it creates sub-precincts that are cut in half by the state lines. One small city precinct could have two to three representatives.”
Ward 2 Councilor Richard Starbard was confused about the working group’s map, saying he was under the impression that the Secretary’s office was the one that created it.
Owens explained that the job of the Secretary’s office was to help and offer technical assistance to the working group — a group assembled by Lynn city officials.
Starbard was shocked at this revelation, saying he felt as if he was given false information by the State House and the Secretary’s office.
“It was my understanding the map we passed before was presented by the Secretary and the State House,” said Starbard. “It feels like it was done outside with no knowledge and now, all of a sudden, all the answers I gave to my constituents about the new maps were the wrong answers.”
Owens responded to Starbard, saying there was no miscommunication and that the working group was working in its best practices.
“We are trying to reduce confusion,” Owens said to Starbard. “This has happened to multiple cities and towns as well.”
Despite Owen’s explanation, the City Council agreed they were not given enough time to look at the changes and discuss them in a public hearing.
As the vote concluded, Cyr said that even though there was tense conversation, there were no hard feelings towards Owens, Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin, or the State House.
“You did a good job,” Cyr said to Owens.
