I live in the
57th House District and I will live in the 57th House District when the new
district boundaries take effect on the night of the General Election, November
2, 2012.
REDISTRICTING
REDISTRICTING
Every ten years the US Congressional, State Senate, State House, County Commission, City Commission and School District boundaries are redrawn.
It's constitutional - the premises is, one man one vote - each district is
to contain the same number of residents so that representation is proportional. Therefore, every
ten years, after the results of the US census are finalized, all of the above
districts are redistributed according to population.
The 2010 census results were finalized in 2011, and the elected
officials from each of the above offices got to re-draw their district lines
according to population and
perhaps other considerations as well.
So this past Session the Tennessee General Assembly, House and
Senate, voted on their newly conceived
district boundaries which will take effect with the General Election in
November at midnight.
WHERE DOES SUSAN LYNN LIVE?
I live in the 57th district - I've lived here since moving to
south Mount Juliet in 1997, and I lived there the entire time I served in the House from
2002-2010.
The 57th District map:
However, while my residence hasn’t recently changed, the new
57th District that will take effect in November will run behind my property leaving my home
on the other side in the 46th district.
Therefore, upon winning the Primary Election, my husband and I
will establish residence within the upcoming legal boundaries before the
General Election.
THE UPCOMING
DISTRICT BOUNDARIES - WHY WON'T LYNN'S HOUSE BE LOCATED THERE?
The House members in the State Legislature were allowed to draw
their own district boundaries. According to Speaker Harwell's Chief of
Staff and the former Republican Caucus Chairman it was Linda Elam that chose to
draw me out of the upcoming new district boundaries.
I have to admit, I've been pretty amazed by accusations that I
do not live in the district.
For one, I do
currently live in the 57th District.
The
new district boundaries do not take effect until midnight on General Election
night, November 2, 2012. No one can
speak to my family's plans.
Secondly,
I have always trusted the voters; I believe they can sense when someone is
being disingenuous.
The next district boundaries are as
follows:
Side by side it is easier to see the difference.
The map below depicts my house in relation to the new
district.
This
northern part of the county is still fairly rural. Taking a closer look,
you can see that the line jumps up from Coles Ferry Pike, a logical and natural boundary, and captures
our neighborhood and then heads back down to and along Coles Ferry before heading north again and encapsulating the
next subdivision before returning to Coles Ferry Pike and continuing.
 |
It isn’t difficult to see that my home was placed just outside of
the next 57th District by encircling our neighborhood with the vacant subdivision land by departing from Coles Ferry Pike.
|
 |
Again, the boundary
zig zags from S. Cairo Bend, along Coles Ferry, then turns left on N Cairo Bend and
then heads right onto Rural road. It
follows the creek right behind my property back to Coles Ferry before continuing on Coles Ferry.
|
Someone asked if this wasn't just following a natural boundary - I suppose he meant the water - no, it is not. I live on Barton's Creek which is a tributary off of Old Hickory Lake. The entire span of Old Hickory Lake and Barton's creek is in the 57th District - in fact, if I could afford to do so, I could live anywhere on the lake or creek in the entire county because all of the waterway is in the district - except for exactly where I live - it is the only part of the waterway not within the new district boundaries.
WE HAVE MOVED BEFORE TO BETTER SERVE THE DISTRICT
In late 2005, my family and I moved from the
Gladeville area (Poplar Ridge subdivision) to just east of SR 109 in order that
I could better serve the district. As you can see by the first map above,
part of the district is in Sumner County and Lebanon - there is just no easy way to get
from where we lived in Gladeville (by the purple dot) to Sumner County. Our new proximity to SR 109 and I 40
made travel between Hendersonville, Gallatin, Lebanon and Mount Juliet much easier.
Since I was first elected ten years ago our
family has grown-up, our children are married and having children of
their own. My husband and I were
thinking of moving to a smaller home anyway.
We both look forward to the future and to me serving the people of the 57th
District once more.
And with all of that said, I humbly ask for your vote in the Primary Election on August 2nd and let me add that if anyone would like to buy a lovely
family home on Barton’s Creek…just give me a call :-)
Most sincerely,
Susan Lynn
To learn more about my conservative record while in the legislature go to www.susanlynn.us/record.html
www.susanlynn.net/Mailers.html
3 comments:
It's a shame that after all the years of gerrymandered districts by the Democrats that the Republicans immediately resort to the same tactics given the chance.
Richard Montgomery did something very similar attempting to prevent a run by Dale Carr, who also is moving (moved?) as a result.
Then there's freshman Sen. Kerry Roberts who was eaten by his own. I guess if you are going to live by the political party sword, you will die by it as well.
I heard that you can't even vote for yourself because you don't live in the district. Is that true?
Dear Curtis, The district boundaries changed on General Election Day in November 2012. In the August 2012 Primary election, the voters vote for who will represent them in their new district boundaries - the boundaries in which they will live after the new lines become effective in November.
That is because it wouldn't be fair not to be able to vote for who will be representing you.
So, you are correct, as of the date of the Primary, not knowing whether I would win or not, my husband and I lived at our home in Lebanon which would be out of the district after the November election. Although at the August Primary our home was in the 57th district, because it wouldn't be after the November General Election I had to vote in the election for the new district boundaries - so I couldn't vote for myself.
However, upon winning the Primary Election, my husband and I immediately secured a rental unit in Mt. Juliet and moved there on October 1st. Well before the October 6th deadline to register to vote in the district.
Therefore, in the November General Election I did indeed vote for myself.
Post a Comment