Comments on: Redistricting maps carve up Pierce County in different ways

By: samanthamarten

samanthamarten — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 15:41:54 +0000

I continue to ponder over Map D and agree with the request to review demographics. We need to apply the 2010 census–this process would help define the criteria established in the Pierce County Charter. Up to this point, division by 7 of the population total and consideration of historical planning boundaries as a determinant of “natural contiguous and compact” communities builds yet another layer of political bias. .

By: Tacomalover

Tacomalover — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 04:59:33 +0000

Gig Harbor will always be part of the district that the rest of the peninsula is in. There is not enough population to separate the rest. This is why you always see that council district jump the water over into Tacoma. As the charter says you have to be “contiguous” with the district and the only way to do that is via Narrows bridge.

So Sorry Key Penn the Gig is up and your always with them!

By: derekyoung

derekyoung — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 19:10:57 +0000

Well no, we don’t try to dominate the rest of the Peninsula. It’s called the Gig Harbor Peninsula. We didn’t convince the highway department to do anything about getting highways signs. We are prohibited by law from annexing anything outside the urban growth area which is the very idea of the Growth Management Act. The UGA is set by the County y the way. In fact the City recently turned down an annexation request from a large chunk of our remaining unincorporated UGA, Canterwood. More to point, annexation happens at the request of residents and property owners, not like Germany annexing Poland. Except for Gig Harbor North, the ‘strip mall slums’ pre-date annexation by the City. Not once have we ever reduced a 50 MPH road to 25 MPH. We are the only city in Washington to have adopted the Dark Sky standard and prohibit light pollution from commercial signs and street light. I can’t think of a single gated community the City has permitted.

As for your opinion of snooty and elitist residents, it seems you are setting the standard.

By: dbreneman

dbreneman — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 18:48:20 +0000

Well ,let’s see. Gig Harbor has tried to dominate the rest of the Peninsula, and foster the notion that everything from the Kitsap County line to the NArrows Bridge IS Gig Harbor. They convinced the highway department to take down all of the exit signs in highway 16 that directed motorists to Peninsula communities other than Gig Harbor. They are engaging in a massive annexation campaign to, one would assume, actually take over everything from Kitsap County to the bridge. They foster a very business-unfriendly climate in the town core, and push “strip mall slums” into the recently-annexed land at their borders. They lower the speed limits on roads in areas they annex to unreasonably low levels (ie, from 50 MPH to 25 MPH). Gig Harbor fills the night sky with light pollution. Its carpetbagger culture glorifies gated housing developments and other forms of destruction of community and neighborhood spirit. The residents of the town (and those who would like to be in the town) are snooty and elitist. I could go on and on, but I only have a couple minutes. In summary:

Everything, over the last 50 years, that’s gotten worse about life on the Peninsula can be traced to the influence of Imperial Gig Harbor.

By: derekyoung

derekyoung — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 17:21:58 +0000

dbrenemen, Just curious, what is the source of your hatred for Gig Harbor?

By: samanthamarten

samanthamarten — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 15:02:56 +0000

From B to C for District 5 appears to sustain a suburban component lending credence to the concept of compact (assuming compact weights the inclusion of several Pierce County planning areas) but it does not appear spatially “contiguous”. Moreover, a majority/minority district would probably not exist.to elect a non-caucasion. I understand that deadlines may exist but it is more important to assemble an analytical process that really involves geographers and GIS analysts so that the community “walk-about” is properly advised.

By: dbreneman

dbreneman — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 14:41:23 +0000

Is there any chance we in the 7th could trade the town of Gig Harbor for, say Anderson Island? Let the “Quaint Fishing Village” be Ruston’s headache for a while.