County Redistricting Could Mean Changes for Galloway Township, District 4

At a public meeting on changes to the Atlantic County legislative map held Thursday, Nov. 17, the Democratic Party spoke of making changes to the system in order to hold more competitive elections, while the Republicans spoke of the need to maintain the status quo for purposes of familiarity and common interests among townships.

Every Census cycle brings with it talk of legislative redistricting, and less than a year after Galloway Township was moved from District 2 to District 9 at the state level, the township may face more redistricting, this time at the county level.

Galloway Township is currently in District 4 along with Absecon, Port Republic and Brigantine. District 4 and District 5 have no population changes, according to the 2010 Census, but there has been a change in population in Districts 1, 2, and 3.

Both political parties submitted maps detailing proposed changes for the voting districts. The Republican plan would leave District 4 unchanged, but the plan put forth by the Democrats would move Brigantine out of the district and replace it with Egg Harbor City, which is currently in District 5. Brigantine would be moved into District 1, with Atlantic City, and Pleasantville would be moved out of District 1 and placed in a district with Egg Harbor Township.

“In my lifetime, I have not seen much competition in elections,” Galloway Township Democratic Chairman Mike Suleiman said at Thursday’s public meeting. “In District 3, Frank Sutton won by over 30 percentage points, and in District 4, Rich Dase beat Jim Gorman by about 15 points. It’s not because these are bad candidates. No matter how good the (Democratic) candidates are, the Republicans will always come out on top because of the districts.”

“Galloway has been competitive,” said Freeholder Rich Dase, who currently represents District 4. “Most of my life, the Democrats have dominated Galloway. Now we’re hearing we have to fix the map a certain way to be more competitive so a certain group can win? If a group is having trouble winning, they just need to work harder and find a way to succeed.”

The meeting was held at the old courthouse in Mays Landing before a five-member commission that will decide what the new map will ultimately look like. The commission is made up of Republicans Keith Davis and Jorge Coombs; Democrats Doug Browne and Paula Dunn; and Judge Dennis Braithwaite, appointed by Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner, serving as the tiebreaker.

Dunn was unable to attend Thursday’s meeting, however, because of medical problems.

Thursday’s session was held in order to gauge public opinion on each map, and an official vote will be held on Nov. 29, 4 p.m., back at the courthouse.

“Brigantine was carved out of Galloway, and the northern islands are still a part of Galloway,” former Assemblyman and Absecon resident Kurt Conover said. “Brigantine and Galloway share a huge common border.”

He also publicly discussed the similarities between Galloway and Brigantine, which includes a focus on small business, as opposed to Atlantic City’s focus on the casino industry.

“Brigantine would become submerged under the major interests of Atlantic City,” Conover said. “Keeping Brigantine in District 4 makes more sense.”

Suleiman acknowledged the similarities between Galloway and Egg Harbor City, including the mistake many people make of assuming South Egg Harbor is part of Egg Harbor City when it is a part of Galloway Township, and Browne agreed.

“Egg Harbor City in every way shape or form is more closely related to Galloway than Mullica Township,” Browne said, referencing the current district which Egg Harbor City is a part of. “The postal service for Egg Harbor City is in Galloway. There is more mail for Galloway residents in Egg Harbor City than there is for Egg Harbor City residents.”

The overwhelmingly popular opinion in the room on Thursday among members of the public was to keep the map unchanged. This included residents who labeled themselves Republicans as well as those who called themselves Democrats.

“I am dismayed that my party would separate Atlantic City and Pleasantville to least afford Atlantic City,” Democratic Third Ward Councilman Steven Moore said. “ … If Atlantic City and Pleasantville are separated, the minority voting population would drop below 30 percent, and if you introduce Brigantine, the population of non-minorities would go up above 45 percent.”

His comment was echoed by those who felt minorities would suffer with the Democrats’ proposed changes. The District 1 seat held by Charles T. Garrett is the  only one occupied by a minority on the Atlantic County Board of Chosen Freeholders, and the feeling was that separating Atlantic City from Pleasantville would put that seat in jeopardy.

Garrett is opposed to splitting up Atlantic City and Pleasantville, but Suleiman and Browne both stated they felt that separating the two would increase the chances of picking up a minority seat. Garrett was not in attendance at Thursday’s meeting.

“I am confident that if you put Atlantic City and Brigantine together, Charlie Garrett would still do well,” Suleiman said.

“You can sit back and win with 90 percent of the vote, or you can win with 65 percent of the vote and possibly pick up another seat,” Browne said.

Ultimately, one resident stood up and said, “This isn’t about Charlie Garrett. This is about the people.”

It’s a point that was made by both sides, with the Republicans stating the status quo would benefit the people and the Democrats calling the current districting unfair and saying a change needs to be made in order to benefit the people.

Statistics will be gathered concerning voting population, what effect the disruption would have on voting and how each district is broken down by race. The judge will study this data before rendering his final decision on Nov. 29.