East Village Magazine – November 2017
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East Photograph by Edwin D. Custer ViMlalgaazinge e November 2017 VERN’S COLLISION INC. Free Loaners • Unibody • Frame • Paint Specialists • Glass • State-certified Mechanics More than 40 years at the same location. (810) 232-6751 2409 Davison Rd. FREE Home Warranty Flint’s Resident Located inside the Flint Farmers’ Market Realtor — The Name Trusted in More Neighborhoods Ryan Eashoo BATTISTE’S TEMPLE DINING ROOM (810) 234-1234 PUBLIC WELCOME Serving Downtown Flint since 1947 Luncheon Monday-Friday 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. All Occasion Catering 235-7760 ~wine~ craft beer & more... at the Flint Farmers’ Market H e a lt h y H o m e C o o k i n g ! Support community journalism! Donations to East Village Magazine are tax deductible. 810-235-1968 Go to eastvillagemagazine.org for easy giving. Flint Farmers’ Market 2 Commentary How to win an election without the votes? Gerrymander! By Paul Rozycki EastMagazine Village “The people who cast the votes decide process. By many measures, Michigan is con - Vol. LV No. 11 November 2017 nothing. The people who count the votes sidered to be one of the most gerrymandered Founder Gary P. Custer decide everything.” states, but hardly the only one. – Joseph Stalin The origins of gerrymandering Editor Jan Worth-Nelson The process of drawing oddly shaped Managing Editor Meghan Christian In a democracy the winners in elections election districts is as old as the nation itself. Copy Editor Danielle Ward are supposed to be decided by whoever gets The term “gerrymander” comes from Reporters Sherrema Bower the most votes. And that is usually true. Elbridge Gerry, one of the Founding Fathers Dylan Doherty However, the Soviet dictator’s words may who served in the Continental Congress, was Harold C. Ford be an ominous warning today. That basic, a signer of the Declaration of Independence Patsy Isenberg simple democratic rule can be manipulated and served as vice president under James Jeffery Carey to give victory to those who don’t get the Madison. He created an oddly shaped district Columnists Jan Worth-Nelson most votes. For example in 2016, when in his home state of Massachusetts to help Teddy Robertson Michigan voted for the state House of his party. The election district wrapped Paul Rozycki Representatives, the Democrats won around parts of the state and, based on a Business Manager Casey Custer 18,000 more votes than the Republicans, political cartoon of the day, some of his Éminence Grise Ted Nelson statewide. (If two partial-term candidates opponents said it resembled a salamander — Photographer Edwin D. Custer are excluded, the Republicans had a slight thus the name gerrymander, which stuck for Poet Grayce Scholt edge.) In 2014, the margin was even larger, the last two hundred years. when voters gave and extra 30,000 votes to Distribution Staff the Democrats. Yet in the House, 63 Director: Edwin D. Custer. Staff: Kim Bargy, Jane Republicans and 47 Democrats have been Bingham, Helen & Jacob Blumner, Connor Coyne & Ruby Coyne, Casey & Nic Custer, Emma Davis, elected. When the votes for the U.S. Emily Doerr, Marabeth Foreman, Andrea Garrett, Congress were tallied up in 2014 the Charlie & Linda & Patrick & Terrance & Christan Democrats had about 50,000 more votes & Jillianne Goldsberry, Ingrid Halling & Bob that the Republicans in Michigan. Yet we Thomas, Robert Jewell, Andrew Keast, Carol Larzelere Kellermann, Stephen Kellermann, Jo elected 9 Republicans and 5 Democrats. Larzelere, Bill & Carol Leix, James & Lillian & Even when the Republicans earned a slight Livia Londrigan, Mary LeRoy, Alan & Julie Lynch, majority, their advantage in the legislature Aron McCormick, Ron & Mary Meeker, Robert & was magnified many times. In other years, Nancy Meszko, Mary & Jeff Mintline, John Moliassa, Mike Neithercut, Ted Nelson, Edith & and in others states, similar patterns were John Pendell, Dave & Becky Pettengill, Lucia common. Rodriques, Julian Rodriquez, Mike Spleet, and On the national level, even stranger pat - Karen Wilkinson. terns develop. While we’ve all heard about Board of Trustees how unpopular Congress is — only a little • Jane M. Bingham • Edwin D. Custer more than ten or fifteen percent of the pubic • Bella Kritz • Jack D. Minore approve of what they are doing — barely 1812 Salamander cartoon • Robert R. Thomas ahead of cockroaches and telemarketers. So • Jan Worth-Nelson, ex officio members of Congress should be in big trouble As a result of several Supreme Court deci - 720 E. Second St. on election-day — right? sions in the early 1960s, states are required to Flint, Mich. 48503 Not quite. Most members of Congress redraw all of their election districts at least (810) 233-7459 win reelection, and they win by a land - every ten years. After the census is taken at the slide. Here are a few numbers. In 2016, of start of each decade, states are required to draw Website: eastvillagemagazine.org the 435 members of the U.S. House, only election districts with equal number of people E-mail: [email protected] eight incumbents lost their election. The in each. In this redistricting process, the Layout by Ted Nelson. Printing by Riegle Press average margin for winning was 37 per - Supreme Court required election districts to Inc., 1282 N. Gale Rd., Davison, Mich. 48423. East Village Magazine is a program of the Village cent — a huge landslide. Only 17 of the include approximately the same number of Information Center Inc., a nonprofit corpo ration. We 435 Congressional elections were decided people, but it didn’t say much about what welcome material from readers, but all submissions by five percent of the vote or less. Only 33 shape they could be. That opened tthe door to become the property of the publication and if published seats were decided by 10 percent or less. shaping districts to favor your own party, or will be edited to conform to the editorial style and poli - And in 42 of the 50 states, there were no gerrymandering. The state legislatures are in cies of the publication. All inquiries about the publica - tion should be mailed to East Village Magazine , Village truly competitive elections for the U.S. charge of the process, and that’s where the pol - Information Cen ter, 720 E. Second St., Flint, Mich. House. itics comes in. In the first year of a decade, the 48503. Distribution is the second Saturday of each How could that happen? There are several majority party in the state legislature has the month. Display advertising rates are $34 a column-inch causes, but one of the most significant is the power to create election districts and shape plus any other costs. Unclassified ads are $2.50 a print - ability of one party to draw odd shaped elec - them as they see fit, for the next ten years. ed line or part of a printed line. Rates subject to change without notice. The deadline for advertising is 10 days tion districts or “gerrymander” the election (Continued on Page 11.) before each pub li cation date. © 2017 East Village Magazine Cover: Buckham Alley Marilyn, mural by Charles Boike 3 Photograph by Edwin D. Custer Photo of the Month: Fountains at Applewood Estate Mott Park revived with neighborhood energy, disc golf By Teddy Robertson On this wet, gray evening in mid-October, phase master plan to transform the old golf Mark Stevens. Volunteer students from the 55-degree air feels colder after several days course into a multi-use recreation areas. Kettering dug the 18 tee holes and with of balmy October sunshine. Beneath the drip - Developed through two community “vision neighborhood volunteers over two weekends ping trees at the former Mott Park Municipal sessions” in 2015 and 2016, and conceptual - poured the concrete tee pads — the forms Golf Course, closed since 2009, the parking lot ized by students in landscape architecture from built by the Kettering grounds crew — from — surprisingly — is two-thirds full. Michigan State and in graphic arts at UM-Flint, which the golfers launch their discs toward Inside the old golf clubhouse, its win - the Mott Park Recreation Area master plan targets — chain baskets on poles. dows protected by blue-painted plywood, aligns with the guiding principles of the city’s Layout of the disc golf course was finished board members of the Mott Park “Imagine Flint” master plan. Saxton says the the first week in October when volunteers Recreation Area Association (MPRAA) Mott Park plan allows for flexibility, the poten - from the Flint Town Flyerz, the Mott Park gather for their monthly meeting. tial to take advantage of new opportunities--- neighborhood, and students from Kettering The room is chilly, but the board mem - like Flint area interest in disc golf that emerged University readied the course for play by bers are elated. in the community vision sessions. Oct.7. That warm, sunny Saturday, Flyerz The reason for their elation is disc golf, a As a first project, disc golf proved viable. members and other players tried out the sport unknown when the Mott Park golf With financial support from “Flint Town course; clusters of golfers walked the tees, a course was built in 1934. The cars in the sight last seen eight years ago. parking lot belong to disc golfers, eager to No wonder the Mott Park Recreation check out the Mott Park course, the newest Area board members are happy this evening; addition to disc golf courses within 20 miles they have come a long way since Flint’s four of Flint. The location is already listed on the municipal golf courses closed. A small group players’ website, “The Disc Golf Scene” and of residents formed the Mott Park Public reviewers are excited. According to Golf Course Association in 2010, registered Wikipedia, disc golf, also called frisbee golf, as a non-profit, and began to seek ways to is a sport in which players throw a disc at a revive the golf course.