When Lafayette voters go to the polls in October 2023 to elect Parish and City Council members, some may find themselves in new districts.
The City and Parish Councils on Tuesday approved new maps reflecting redrawn districts based on population shifts reported in the 2020 Census. All 10 districts, five for the Parish Council and five for the City Council, were altered.
The parish's population between 2010 and 2020 grew by 20,175 residents, about a 9% increase, but the growth wasn't spread evenly, leaving some City and Parish Council districts with too many or too few residents.
The courts prefer the population be somewhat evenly distributed among the districts to preserve the one person, one vote notion of equal representation ensured by the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the United State Constitution.
Also of importance in drawing new districts is protection of minority representation guaranteed in the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The new districts retain two majority minority City Council districts, Districts 1 and 5, and one majority minority Parish Council district, District 5.
The courts usually tolerate a 10% deviation from the ideal population for each council district. Ideally, with a parish population of 241,753, each Parish Council district should include 48,351 residents. Current Parish Council districts, however, deviate from the ideal by 49%, grossly exceeding the 10% tolerated by the courts.
Parish Council district changes
Parish Council District 3, which includes the Youngsville area represented by Councilman Josh Carlson, contains 14,630 more residents than the ideal, a 30% deviation, so it had to be redrawn with fewer residents.
The only majority minority Parish Council district, District 5 represented by Council Chairman A.B. Rubin, lost population in the past 10 years. It has 9,176 fewer residents than the ideal, a -19% deviation, so it had to be redrawn to gain minority residents.
Rubin said Wednesday District 5 picked up residents by expanding into District 1, the Carencro area and toward Lafayette Regional Airport.
Parish Councilman AB Rubin speaks during a press conference on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, at City Hall in Lafayette, La.
STAFF PHOTO BY LESLIE WESTBROOK
District 5 under the new map takes in an area between North University Avenue and Northwest Evangeline Thruway from West Butcher Switch Road north to Parfait Road, as well as an area from Maryview Farm Road to East Gloria Switch Road currently in District 1.
Parish Council District 5 also expands to incorporate an area around the airport and juvenile detention center, which Rubin said he wanted in his district because he allocated $2 million to upgrade the juvenile facility and it affects some of the people he represents.
Losing residents to District 5, District 1 had to pick up additional population by expanding into District 2, represented by Kevin Naquin.
The area from Cameron Street north to Gloria Switch Road that is currently in District 2 moves into District 1. There are also shifts between Districts 1 and 2 in the area between Ambassador Caffery Parkway and Congress Street around Dulles Drive and Guilbeau Road, including the neighborhood behind Lafayette High School.
District 2 also picks up a section between Ambassador Caffery Parkway, Johnston Street, Doucet Road and the Vermilion River that is currently in District 4 represented by John Guilbeau. It includes Broadmoor, Brentwood and Camellia boulevards.
Farther south, where Vincent Road and E. Broussard Road currently divide Districts 3 and 4, the line has shifted. District 4 under the new map takes in the area from Vincent and E. Broussard roads south to the parish line.
City Council district changes
The city of Lafayette's population grew between 2010 and 2020, too. Like with the parish, the city's growth wasn't evenly distributed. Ideally, each City Council district should have about 24,275 residents.
District 4, represented by Council Chairwoman Nanette Cook, currently has 3,970 more residents than the ideal, a 16.4% deviation. With the new maps, her district shifts to a 4.2% deviation with 1,026 residents over the ideal.
District 5, represented by Council Vice Chairman Glenn Lazard, has 2,960 fewer residents than the ideal, a -12% deviation. Under the changes, the deviation from the ideal improves to -5.1%. But the percentage of the voting age of Black residents in District 5 decreases to 60.4%.
Lazard's district along with District 1, represented by Councilman Pat Lewis, are majority minority districts with Black residents making up 63.5% and 58.1% respectively of their voting age population.
District 1 current has 882 fewer residents than the ideal, a 3.6% deviation. With the new districts, that deviation grows worse to 6.3%. The deviation in the other four districts improves with the new lines.
With the new district lines, District 5 loses some residents to District 1, including some territory west of Evangeline Thruway and north of Simcoe Street.
District 5 gains residents from District 4 picking up the area from Hugh Wallis to Pinhook Road and crossing East Verot School Road to take in a small area around Merchants Boulevard.
While it appears the residents in Bendel Gardens and Girard Park Circle remain in City Council District 4, that district shifts to the west slightly extending to Ronald Boulevard which currently is part of District 3, represented by Liz Hebert.
District 2, represented by Andy Naquin, picks up precinct 44, from Johnston Street to Ambassador Caffery Parkway to Bonaire and Maple drives that currently are in District 3.
Naquin's District 2 also takes in from District 1 an area north of Dulles Drive and west of Ambassador Caffery Parkway that crosses Ole Colony Road and Eraste Landry Road.
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