Politics & Government

VaHi and Druid Hills Districts, Lawmakers At Center Of Debate

The Georgia General Assembly convenes Monday to begin debate on new legislative maps.

Virginia Highland's and Druid Hills' representation in the state legislature - as well as the political fortunes of two veteran local lawmakers - could be decided this week, as the Georgia General Assembly convenes on Monday to consider newly redrawn legislative maps.

States are required to redraw and adjust their political boundaries every 10 years, after each U.S. Census is completed, to reflect population changes. The state legislature's majority party is in charge of redrawing the maps, and the Georgia Republican Party has a solid majority in both the state House and Senate.

The new legislative maps - released on Friday - show 10 state House districts combined, or paired, with each other, meaning that if the maps are approved, incumbents in those districts would have to run against each other in the next election.

Find out what's happening in Virginia Highland-Druid Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

And two of those 10 districts involve lawmakers who represent portions of both Virginia Highland and Druid Hills.

State Rep. Pat Gardner, whose district 57 includes most of Virginia Highland, has been paired in the same district with another Democratic incumbent, state Rep. Rashad Taylor, whose current district 55 includes the historically black neighborhood of Washington Park in northwest Atlanta.

Find out what's happening in Virginia Highland-Druid Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

State Rep. Stephanie Stuckey-Benfield's district 85 has been Democrat's, state Rep. Howard Mosby's 90th, an area that currently stretches from the Flat Shoals and Panthersville areas near Lithonia, and then southward into Henry County.

of purging white Democrats from the legislative landscape.

Gardner is white, while Taylor, who is serving his second term in office and is also the House minority caucus vice chair, is black. Benfield, who has been in the state House since 1999, is white, while Mosby, who took office in 2003, is black.

State Rep. Stacey Abrams (D-Atlanta), who also represents portions of Druid Hills and Virginia Highland under the gold dome, to the Republican-drawn maps. As Minority Leader, Abrams is the state House's top-ranking Democrat, and has reportedly warned her colleagues not to support any Republican-drawn map.

Democrats were in control of the state House and Senate during the last reapportionment process after the 2000 Census. House Republicans are countering Democratic criticisms by pointing out that during the last reapportionment, 37 of 74 Republican incumbents were paired against each other, while only nine Democrats competed for same seats.

While the special session to consider redistricting begins on Monday, the House Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Committee will meet on Tuesday to begin taking public comment on the proposed maps and any other plans proposed by other representatives.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Virginia Highland-Druid Hills