Our View

Our View

Redistricting

: Rappahannock residents encouraged

to contact State Legislators

Sometime in March — but definitely before April

1 — Rappahannock County officials will be given

the final 2000 Census figures and the accompanying maps that they will need to balance out our county’s magisterial districts.

Preliminary studies indicate that Jackson "District, where the majority of the population growth has occurred since 1990, will shrink in size, so that the numbers will roughly equal the populations in the other districts, particularly in southern part of the county where growth has been slower, r * Our biggest concern, however, is the way in which i Rappahannock County will figure in the statewide | redistricting for the House of Delegates, which will ;be addressed by the General Assembly in April. It has [been reported that over 70 different redistricting I plans have already been plotted for the state.

Since 1991, Rappahannock has been part of the ?31st District, along with most of Fauquier County jand part of Warren. We share the same judicial district, Virginia State Police Division and planning district With Fauquier County, this has been a very com►fbrtable arrangement. - - - * But the issues run deeper than that. We also share jrauch of the same culture and many of the same Jijssues with our neighbor to the east. ^ The dynamics of growth in the Northern Virginia r&iburbs may cause Fauquier to once again be split up *£nd parceled-out to the more populous counties on its {■borders, which will result in Rappahannock being ^shifted elsewhere. Jv If this happens, both counties will lose. County JJfeaders have contacted the State Legislature, asking Ifhat Rappahannock and Fauquier remain allied. £ I We will do the same, and ask our readers to do ^likewise. #