Districts won’t benefit residents

One of three things will occur with change. Things will get better,

remain the same, or get worse. The [Scott] Baugh districting

initiative, and like proposals to divide Huntington Beach into

districts, will seriously change the means by which the city’s

residents select City Council representatives.

Baugh and his backers, however, misrepresent the proposed benefits

of their Fair District Initiative and the resultant change. The “get

worse” scenario is the far more likely outcome from this change.

I cannot state what either Baugh’s or the initiative’s financial

backers purposes truly are; but I can state, without reservation,

what this initiative will not provide.

If enacted, it will not produce a more representative city

government nor will it strengthen the council as a governing body or

make the council or city government more effective.

Of course, proponents of this initiative will claim just the

opposite, but when the public’s at-large business takes a back seat

to parochial bickering and inevitable districting squabbles, the

initiative’s promoters will disappear into the woodwork like

cockroaches.

They’re the same promoters who tell us we’re all somehow better

represented by inexperienced newcomers than seasoned incumbents; that

having one council member representing me and my district is somehow,

someway better than having any of seven persons on the council to

turn to. I know this isn’t so.

I am adamantly opposed to the Baugh Fair District Initiative and

any other like proposal to carve up Huntington Beach into parts for

dubious political benefits or, more likely, some entity’s undisclosed

agenda.

Districting is not a change for the better and should not be

embraced by the City Council or the Huntington Beach citizenry.

* DAVID E. HAMILTON is a Huntington Beach Resident. To contribute

to “Sounding Off” e-mail us at hbindy@latimes.com or fax us at (714)

965-7174.