Second proposed Council map in the works

There could be two competing redistricting plans headed for a vote in Philadelphia City Council.

Councilman Frank DiCicco says he is working on a redistricting plan different from the one put together by the committee in charge of redrawing council district lines. DiCicco says his map is not quite complete, but is less gerrymandered than the current situation.

“My district, the first district, runs from Oregon Avenue in South Philadelphia up through the 62nd ward in Oxford Circle,” he said. “I always believed the map disenfranchise people at the northern end of my district from being represented the way they should be represented. This removes the top portion of the district brings it further south and makes it more compact.”

Councilman Darrell Clarke says he’s not surprised it is taking so long to agree on a map, because it’s only when a proposal is on the table that people begin to grasp the implications.

If a map isn’t approved by Friday, a deadline set by the City Charter, City Council members could start missing paychecks.