New San Antonio City Council map under fire as business community seeks to unify downtown
https://www.expressnews.com/politics...p-17228360.php
Last-minute protests from the downtown business community this week blew up months of careful planning and negotiation for a new City Council map.
Downtown San Antonio has been in District 1 for decades. But a new City Council map scheduled for approval this month split the area between District 1 and District 5 on the West Side.
Included in the draft map released in April, the change met no resistance from a redistricting committee appointed by members of the City Council. The citizens committee has been meeting regularly to redraw City Council district boundaries based on new U.S. Census numbers released last year.
But Richard Perez, president of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and former District 4 councilman, asked the committee Tuesday night to unify the central business district.
“The central business district’s continued viability is important to the overall economic recovery and success of our community,” Perez said. “We believe now is not the time to begin to slice off sections of the central business district and risk diminishing this important economic engine.”
It’s important for downtown to have one voice, Perez later said. With one council person managing downtown’s needs, they can give full attention to the area.