District areas that were proposed in 2016 show District 1 in yellow, District 2 in green, District 3 in blue, District 4 in pink and District 5 in red. (City of Everett)

District areas that were proposed in 2016 show District 1 in yellow, District 2 in green, District 3 in blue, District 4 in pink and District 5 in red. (City of Everett)

Representatives chosen for Everett’s districting commission

The group will divide the city into five districts for City Council elections.

EVERETT — After years of debate, Everett now has a districting commission as it changes how it elects its leaders.

Members of the new panel were selected last week. Each City Council member and Mayor Cassie Franklin got to appoint one representative.

Each appointee resides in a different area. A few are neighborhood leaders and one is a former councilmember.

The group will be tasked with dividing the city into five areas for City Council elections. Voters in November approved the change on how members of the Everett City Council are elected.

The council was aiming for geographic diversity among the commissioners. During the selection process, nominees were mapped according to their address so councilmembers and the mayor could see where each lived as appointments were made. Forty-four residents applied to be on the commission.

The members and neighborhoods they represent are:

Mary Fosse, from Delta

Chris Geray, from Silver Lake

James Langus, from South Forest Park

John Monroe, from Port Gardner

Ethel McNeal, from Twin Creeks

Kari Quaas, from Northwest

Simone Tarver, from Bayside

Benjamin Young, from Valley View

The eight members will choose a ninth, along with hiring a “Districting Master,” who must be trained and experienced in drawing districts. Every decade, a new commission will redraw the lines based on the latest U.S. Census data.

Two of the council seats will remain at-large, elected by the entire city.

Under state law, districts must be as equal in population as possible and be geographically contiguous. Once a draft district plan and map is complete, it will be presented at public forums.

Commissioners must approve the final plan by November 2020. Then the City Council will adopt the plan without modification, according to city code. The first district elections will occur in 2021.

Lizz Giordano: 425-374-4165; egiordano@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @lizzgior.

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