Neal, McGovern react to potential Congressional district shiftsDate: 11/16/2021 WESTERN MASS. – A proposed redistricting plan that looks to shuffle a few areas in the 1st and 2nd Congressional Districts is currently up for a vote within the state Legislature.
The 1st Congressional District, represented by U.S. Representative Richard Neal, could shrink at the northern tip, as many Hampshire and Franklin County towns and cities may transition to the 2nd Congressional District represented by Congressman Jim McGovern.
In this proposed redistricting plan, which was conceived by the state’s Redistricting Committee, Neal would no longer represent Westhampton, Heath, Colrain, Leyden, Bernardston, Buckland, Shelburne, Ashfield, Conway, Goshen, Williamsburg and Chesterfield.
These communities were won by former Holyoke mayor Alex Morse in 2020, when Morse ran against Neal for his district. Neal would eventually win the majority of votes to maintain his seat. With the proposed map, Neal would retain Easthampton and Southampton, two areas where Morse also won during his campaign in 2020.
If the redistricting proposal passes, then Neal would secure Belchertown, Ware, West Brookfield, New Braintree, North Brookfield, Spencer, Oxford, and parts of Webster. All of Palmer would be in Neal’s district, as well. McGovern also swapped some towns on the eastern border of his district.
“These proposed maps uphold our commonwealth’s values of representation, democracy, and diversity,” said Neal in a comment to Reminder Publishing. “It has been my honor to represent Central and Western Massachusetts in the U.S. House for the past 33 years … I applaud Leader [Michael] Moran, Sen. [William] Brownsberger, and the committee members for their leadership of our redistricting process.”
Apart from Belchertown, Neal said that he has represented all the proposed new communities for his district at one time or another over his past 33 years in Congress. “I look forward to engaging with community members and reconnecting with old friends,” said Neal, when asked about the new communities. “Above all, I am committed to delivering for hard-working families in these new areas.”
One of the most significant aspects of the new redistricting plan is the idea that all of Berkshire County will stay within the 1st district. According to Neal, this is a unique region of the state that he looks forward to serving in the future.
“Over that time, I have built relationships from North Adams down to Great Barrington,” he said. “I’m proud to have been able to deliver tens of millions of dollars in relief during the pandemic to local communities, small businesses, cultural and learning institutions. I look forward to continuing this work.”
Neal and McGovern both indicated they share a goal of maintaining two Congressional seats in Western Massachusetts, which is something both are pleased to see reflected in the committee’s proposed plan.
“One of the things I thought was important was that we have two people representing parts of Western Massachusetts … so that the concerns of the communities in the west are not overshadowed by the priorities of Boston,” said McGovern. “In that respect, I’m glad the redistricting committee saw fit to keep two of us in the west.”
McGovern said that he does not take his congressional job for granted, and he looks forward to connecting with the new communities if they end up in his district. He described the valley as a very “vibrant” part of the state and said that he is grateful to still have a lot of communities that he has had for several years still present within the proposed plan. “I want to win the support of the people who live there,” he added. “As soon as things get settled, a lot of these new communities should expect to see a lot of me. I want to win their vote.”
The redistricting committee conducted a virtual public hearing on the redistricting proposal on Nov. 9. There is no set date for when the new map will be voted on, but McGovern said that he expects it to occur soon.
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