Wilmington City Council Newsletter January 7, 2022
Council Approves Redistricting Ordinance 21-060 to Amend Chapter 2 of the City Code
Wilmington City Council approved an ordnance that amends Chapter 2 of the City Code to Redistrict the Councilmanic Districts of the City of Wilmington. This process included redrawing the lines of districts from which public officials are elected to accommodate population changes from the previous decade. This process is required pursuant to Section 2-102 of the Wilmington City Charter.
Council voted 11-0 (2 absent) to pass the law during their regular city council meeting on Thursday, January 6, 2022, and is now awaiting Mayor Mike Purzycki’s signature. You can read the complete Ordnance 21-060 to amend Chapter 2 of the City Code here, and you can view the meeting here.
The City of Wilmington started the process of redistricting its eight councilmanic districts on August 25, 2021. For the first time, prisoners were counted according to their last known addresses, rather than their prison address. Council has worked diligently to complete the redistricting process and multiple council members thanked council staff, the Department of Elections, workers who assisted the redistricting committee, Council President Trippi Congo, the Redistricting Committee, fellow council members, the ACLU, the NAACP, the women voters rights organization, the Democratic Party, and the community for coming together to bring the ordinance to fruition.
“I want the community to know that we’re looking forward as a full council body to continuing to work together, to continue to support each other, and to continue to assist each other, no matter what district that you may end up in as a result of redistricting,” said Council Member Michelle Harlee of the 4th District. “We are committed to and we are dedicated to working together to continue to support and assist all of our constituents throughout all districts in the city of Wilmington.”
Under the law, sponsored by Council Member Harlee and co-sponsored by 3rd District Council Member Zanthia Oliver, 5th District Council Member Bregetta A. Fields, 6th District Council Member Yolanda McCoy, 7th District Council Member Chris Johnson, 8th District Council Member Nathan Field, and At-Large Council Members Maria D. Cabrera, Rysheema Dixon, James Spadola, and Loretta Walsh, Section 2-31 of the Wilmington City Code is amended by amending the boundaries of councilmanic districts one through eight according to legislative district maps that reflect how local populations have changed over the past 10 years, based on 2020 U.S. Census data which can be seen here.
Members of the public can view the regular meeting in its entirety here, and can read the agenda and all agenda items here.
Council seeks to fill At-Large Vacant Seat by February 7th
The Wilmington City Council is now soliciting letters of interest from residents affiliated with the Democratic Party to consider filling the At-Large seat that has been vacated by Councilwoman Rysheema Dixon.
Pursuant to the City Charter, to qualify to fill the vacancy, an applicant must be twenty-five (25) years of age or older, a Democrat, and can be a resident from any place in the city.
The Committee of the Whole of Wilmington City Council shall be charged with reviewing letters of interest from qualified residents seeking to fill the seat, interviewing qualified persons, and recommending a candidate to fill the Council vacancy in accordance with the procedure outlined in the City Charter section 2-34.
Those residents interested in filling the vacancy have until February 7, 2022, to submit a copy of their resume and letters of intent to the following email address: CouncilVacancy@wilmingtonde.gov
Letters of interest can also be submitted by mail to:
Wilmington City Council
Louis L. Redding City/County Building
800 N. French Street, 9th Floor, Wilmington, DE 19801
Letters sent via mail must be postmarked by February 7, 2022.
Council Meetings become fully Virtual
City Council will hold all its meetings virtually for the month of January in an effort to protect the public and city employees during the recent, rapid increase of COVID infection resulting from the Omicron variant. City Council Chambers and Committee Room will not be used for meetings. Members of the public are welcomed to participate by telephone, Zoom, online at WITN22.org, on TV by tuning in to Comcast Channel 22, or via City Council’s social media platforms. To view agenda and dates for all upcoming meetings, visit our Events Calendar at wilmingtoncitycouncil.com.
HIV/AIDS three part Town Hall series goes Virtual
Due to the high Covid-19 cases throughout the state of Delaware, the HIV Planning Council has decided to cancel all in-person town halls and host one (1) virtual HIV/AIDS town hall Monday, January 24th at 6pm.
Here are the event details:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/7666159186
Meeting ID: 766 615 9186
One tap mobile
+16468769923,,7666159186# US (New York)
+13017158592,,7666159186# US (Washington DC)
Meeting ID: 766 615 9186
Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kcjMnT30Er
To RSVP, visit the link here.
The City has options for Disposing of Christmas Trees
The City will begin collecting discarded Christmas trees on regularly scheduled recycling days throughout the month of January. Residents should place their trees at the curb for collection minus any decorations, lights, or tree stands. NO artificial trees will be collected. Trees must be brought to the curb between 6 p.m. the day before collection and 4 a.m. the day of collection.
City residents also have the option of taking their tree to the Delaware Center for Horticulture (DCH) parking lot at 1810 North DuPont Street this Saturday, January 8, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for its annual TreeCycle event. Trees will be shredded for FREE thanks to DCH’s partner, The Davey Tree Expert Company.
Follow this link for more information about trash and recycling in the City. To report issues about trash and recycling collection, please dial 3-1-1 or visit: www.WilmingtonDE.gov/311.
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Media Contact:
Yesenia Taveras, Director of Communications
Office: 302-576-2585 | Cell: 302-757-5748
Email: ytaveras@wilmingtonde.gov
City Council Website: www.wilmingtoncitycouncil.com