1. CITY OF NORTHAMPTON
Mayor Mary Clare Higgins
City Hall
210 Main Street Room 12
Northampton, MA 01060-3199
(413) 587-1249 Fax: (413) 587-1275
mayor@northamptonma.gov
MEMORANDUM
Date: Tuesday, March 29, 2011
To: City Clerk Mazza, City Council President Narkewicz, City Councilors,
School Committee Members and the Board of Registrars,
Senator Stan Rosenberg, State Representative Peter Kocot
CC: James Thompson, City GIS Coordinator
From: Mayor Clare Higgins
Re: Reprecincting
As you know, the City of Northampton is required to establish new wards and precincts by June, 2011.
The new wards and precincts are based on population numbers as determined by the US Census. The
Massachusetts Constitution requires that legislative districts be formed with "as nearly as may be" an
equal number of "inhabitants" as determined by the federal census. As a municipality, we have the
responsibility to create the precincts which will ultimately be used to create our wards as well as
legislative and congressional districts. We also have the responsibility to ensure that our redrawn precinct
and ward boundaries do not result in the dilution of minority group members' votes.
I am naming a committee, chaired by David Stevens, to oversee the reprecincting of our City. Each ward
is represented and none of the members is an elected official.
Reprecincting Committee
Ward One Elba Heredia
Ward Two Andrew Shelffo
Ward Three Gerald Budgar
Ward Four Cheri Cross
Ward Five Marion VanArsdell
Ward Six David Stevens
Ward Seven Richard Greene
The Committee will be assisted in their work by City Clerk Wendy Mazza and by the City’s GIS
Coordinator, James Thompson.
The reprecincting plan must be adopted by the City Council and submitted to the State no later than June
15, 2011. This will require the Committee to complete their work by May 13, 2011 in order for the
Council to take the required two votes before the plan is submitted to the Local Election District Review
Commission. Changes in wards and precincts are effective on December 31 of 2011 (MGL Chap. 54 §1).
