The two major City Council districts in Buckhead – District 8 and District 7 – will likely shrink as Atlanta begins its redistricting process.
In order to account for 2010 census data, each of the city’s 12 districts must have a population of 35,000. Buckhead representatives Yolanda Adrean, District 8, and Howard Shook, District 7, each have more than 35,000 people. District 7 has 43,772 people, according to information released by the city. District 8 has 38,063.
Adrean said it would likely mean the districts would shift on the southern lines of the district boundaries.
“My preference would be I lose no one,” Adrean said. “It’s a process that’s driven largely by law. You just have to see what makes the most sense in terms of community interest and constituents being served by another one of your colleagues.”
Shook called it “an unhappy discussion.”
“Because two of my four borders are the city limits I don’t have a whole lot of options and it looks like the least complicated option would be to have some territory drop from the southern end of the district into District 6,” Shook said.
The Buckhead Council of Neighborhoods reported via email, “Similarly, Council Districts 2, 6 and 8, which are adjacent to Council District 7, also have more than 35,000 people and will also have to fit into smaller boundaries. On the other hand, most of the other council districts in the city have lost population and will need to grow in land area to include more people.”
According to the city, new district boundaries must be in place by Aug. 2012 in order for candidates to qualify for the one-year residency required to run for City Council in 2013.
