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ACC's lone Democratic state rep releases his version of new commission maps

Rep. Spencer Frye

State Representative Spencer Frye (D-Athens) has released his version proposed map of Athens-Clarke County Commission districts. Frye's version comes just over a week after a controversial map drawn by the four Republican members of the county's state legislative delegation turned heads among local voters and elected officials.

Frye's map would do away with one of the most controversial aspects of the other proposal - the removal of three incumbent commissioners from the districts they represent. In contrast to the Republican-drawn map, Frye's map seems closer to preserving the county's current commission districts, although some neighborhoods will see themselves moved into new districts as a result of population shifts. For example, District 6 will grow in size and pick up some neighborhoods formerly in District 5.

In a statement, Frye was critical of the Republican-drawn map, saying:

My colleagues in the legislature made errors with their proposed map that I fixed with minimal trouble. My proposed map accomplishes identical goals that my colleagues expressed, including the creation of four majority non-white districts and enhancing the compactness of the districts. It also restores several communities of interest that the other proposed map broke apart. The historic Black community on the eastside of Athens is made whole in my proposal, which increases the likelihood that they can elect a representative of their choice. My map also reverses my colleagues’ legally-suspect plan to renumber the districts, which would have disqualified three commissioners from running for re-election under their current seats.

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