Berwick remains at center of remap debate

Berwick once more finds itself at the center of a redistricting debate.
A meeting to talk about new districts for the St. Mary Parish Council, scheduled for the hour before the council’s regular second-Wednesday meeting, went into overtime as members talked about what will happen, mostly to Berwick, when new maps are drawn.
The discussion ended with plans for more discussion.
The Parish Council has 11 members, three of whom are elected at large. The other eight run from geographic districts that must be redrawn based on Census 2020 results. The council has hired the South Central Regional Planning and Development Commission to develop plans to be voted on.
The job doesn’t have to be done until August 2023, and no final plan has been adopted. But the commission staff presented three alternatives.
The proposals west of the Calumet Cut haven’t been a source of much wrangling. The three council members representing west St. Mary — the Rev. Craig Mathews, J Ina and Rodney Olander — have settled on one of the alternatives. It extends Mathews’ District 1, currently the westernmost district, to Verdunville.
That alternative makes District 1 less compact, but it also increases the African American majorities in Districts 1 and 2. Protecting minority voting strength is one of the goals redistricting must achieve under the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
The redistricting discussion has become more contentious in east St. Mary, especially in Berwick.
Berwick is currently split among three council districts: Patrick Hebert’s District 6, which extends from Berwick into Morgan City; Mark Duhon’s District 8, which extends from Amelia through Morgan City and across the Atchafalaya into Berwick; and Scott Ramsey’s District 4, which picks up a small piece of Berwick’s northwest side.
Under the new redistricting proposals, Alternative 2 would give Duhon even more of Berwick. Alternative 3 would keep his district east of the river while creating a more compact district in Berwick.
Duhon hopes to keep a portion of his district in Berwick, where he has said he has won 60% of the vote, indicating that residents are satisfied with his representation. And the council has adopted Alternative 2 as a basis for further discussion.
But Hebert has been seeking support for the more compact district in Alternative 3, and he has found it on the Berwick Town Council.
“I really think we’re making a mistake by cutting the town like we are,” said Mayor Duval Arthur, who came to Wednesday’s meeting accompanied by Town Council members.
Later, the normally soft-spoken Arthur said, “I’ve got a lot of things to say. I might lose my temper. ...”
Town Council member Colleen Askew said she wants to know why the Parish Council wouldn’t go with the more compact Berwick district.
“I have no clear answer,” Askew said.
“There is no good reason,” said Parish President David Hanagriff.
Hanagriff implied that Duhon would rather have Riverside voters in Berwick than Lakeside Subdivision voters in Morgan City. Duhon’s district would pick up Lakeside under Alternative 3.
When the discussion turned to the minority population in the proposed districts, Ina objected.
“Let’s not use the minority population as a calculated pretext to evoke emotion ...,” Ina said. “I want to help you guys but don’t use minorities. I take offense to that.”
Hebert said his goal “is to keep Berwick whole and one. ... I don’t care what you give me in Morgan City ... just as long as I have 100% of Berwick.”
Council members affected by possible plans for District 6 talked about getting together for more discussion.