Politics & Government

Redistrict Plan: Half of Upper Dublin to Get New U.S. Reps

11 of Upper Dublin's 20 districts will have a new U.S. Representative, should a state redistricting bill clear its final two hurdles.

Find out which Upper Dublin ward and district you live in here.

See current PA congressional districts here.

[Update 12/20/11: The Pennsylvania House passed the redistricting bill today. The bill is expected to be signed by Governor Corbett by the end of the week.]

 

Find out what's happening in Upper Dublinwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Over half of Upper Dublin's 20 municipal districts will have a new U.S. congressperson next year, should a state redistricting bill clear Pennsylvania's lower house this week and get the signature of Governor Corbett.

Maps of the proposed bill were first released to the public last Tuesday, just over a day before the state senate approved it on Wednesday by a 26-24 vote. As currently proposed, Representative Mike Fitzpatrick (R-8), who represents all of Bucks County, but also reaches a portion of Upper Dublin via a Blair Mill Road corridor, would no longer have representation in the township. Instead, his constituents in UD 3-2, 5-2, 5-3, and parts of 3-1 and 6-3 would be represented by Allyson Schwartz (D-13).

Find out what's happening in Upper Dublinwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Additionally, Schwartz would still represent her constituents in UD 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 2-2, 2-3, 4-2, 4-3, 6-1, 7-3, and a part of 5-1.

The newcomer to the township is representative Pat Meehan (R-7), who would now represent residents in UD 2-1, 4-1, 6-2, 7-1, 7-2 and the other part of 5-1.

Meehan's seventh district is one of the most widely criticized in the state, as the upside-down-octopus shaped district would snake into Lancaster and Berks, also cutting its way through Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties. The northeast tract of the district starbursts through central Montgomery County in the proposed plan.

As reported by PhillyBurbs.com, congressman Mike Fitzpatrick's 8th district would still maintain a presence in Montgomery County, with his representation moving north to the county's Indian Valley region, previously held by Charlie Dent (R-15).

In total, Montgomery county would now be represented by five US congresspersons: Fitzpatrick, Schwartz, Meehan, Bob Brady (D-2) and Jim Gerlach (R-6).

Democrats have cried foul over the bill, claiming the districts have been blatantly gerrymandered and railing against a lack of transparency.

“The Republicans have proposed a map far more partisan and gerrymandered than anyone would have guessed, a map that they will now force into law without any public input,” Pennsylvania Democratic Chairman Jim Burn stated in a press release.

According to Phillyburbs.com, State Senator Chuck McIlhinney (R-Bucks) defended the map.

“There are 18 districts and the 17 other ones look pretty good. It’s a lot better than the current map, which had a lot of crazy districts," the article quoted McIlhinney as saying. "[The 7th district] looks crazy, but it’s all in the southeast. Weighing the pros and cons, the proposal makes most of the state happy. We tried to accommodate as best we could.”

The state redistricting came after the 2010 census, in which Pennsylvania lost a congressional seat, forcing the state to mold 19 districts into 18. Each district now represents roughly 700,000 Pennsylvanians.

It is expected that the state house will vote on the bill sometime Monday or Tuesday, and if passed, it could land on the governor's desk for signing by the end of the week.

UD District Previous District New District Previous Rep New Rep 1-1 13 13 Allyson Schwartz(D) Allyson Schwartz(D) 1-2 13 13 Allyson Schwartz(D) Allyson Schwartz(D) 1-3 13 13 Allyson Schwartz(D) Allyson Schwartz(D) 2-1 13 7 Allyson Schwartz(D) Pat Meehan(R) 2-2 13 13 Allyson Schwartz(D) Allyson Schwartz(D) 2-3 13 13 Allyson Schwartz(D) Allyson Schwartz(D) 3-1 8/13 13 Fitzpatrick/Schwartz Allyson Schwartz(D) 3-2 8 13 Mike Fitzpatrick(R) Allyson Schwartz(D) 4-1 13 7 Allyson Schwartz(D) Pat Meehan(R) 4-2 13 13 Allyson Schwartz(D) Allyson Schwartz(D) 4-3 13 13 Allyson Schwartz(D) Allyson Schwartz(D) 5-1 13 13/7 Allyson Schwartz(D) Schwartz/Meehan 5-2 8 13 Mike Fitzpatrick(R) Allyson Schwartz(D) 5-3 8 13 Mike Fitzpatrick(R) Allyson Schwartz(D) 6-1 13 13 Allyson Schwartz(D) Allyson Schwartz(D) 6-2 13 7 Allyson Schwartz(D) Pat Meehan(R) 6-3 8/13 13 Fitzpatrick/Schwartz Allyson Schwartz(D) 7-1 13 7 Allyson Schwartz(D) Pat Meehan(R) 7-2 13 7 Allyson Schwartz(D) Pat Meehan(R) 7-3 13 13 Allyson Schwartz(D) Allyson Schwartz(D)


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