Population changes mean Ravenna must redraw ward map

For the first time in more than 50 years, Ravenna’s ward and precinct boundaries are set be redrawn.

City Council on March 23 agreed to form a committee to review the redistricting process and to ultimately pass a resolution approving new ward maps.

Since 1953, Ohio law has required city councils to redraw ward boundaries every decade, with the boundaries based on the most recent Census counts. The wards “shall be as nearly equal in population as possible and composed of contiguous and compact territory, bounded by natural boundaries or street lines,” the law states.

Ravenna Council At Large Member Carmen Laudato, who is also a member of the League of Women Voters of Kent, raised the issue in early March, and Trevor Martin, League of Women Voters of Ohio program coordinator, provided hard numbers.

Ravenna’s average ward population should be around 2,831 residents, he said. But with ward 1’s population at 2,203, ward 2 at 3,214, ward 3 at 3,827 and ward 4 at 2,079, Ravenna’s population deviancy is closer to 62% than it is to the generally accepted 10% threshold, he said.

Ward boundaries are more than lines on a map. Ward residents vote for a specific person to represent them on city council, ostensibly someone who is familiar with the issues that particularly affect those residents.

(There are also at-large council members who are voted on by the entire city electorate, and who represent the entire city.)

The law also states that if an elected ward representative finds themselves outside the ward they were elected to represent, their office is forfeited and council must fill the vacancy for the unexpired term.

How council failed to redraw its ward boundaries for over a half-century is anyone’s guess. Council At Large Member Amy Michael said she and her colleagues depend on the administration to keep them updated about Ohio laws and changes.

“We didn't know we were not in compliance,” she said. “We were dumbfounded. It's one of those things you don't think about. Luckily, it's not earthshaking, and we're not going to get in trouble for it, but we’re all in agreement that this has to be addressed.”

The Portager reached out to Ravenna Law Director Frank Cimino but did not receive a reply.

The process 

To create the new ward maps, Laudato, Michael and Ward 1 Council Member Paul Moskun will work with Jennifer Mapes, a Kent State University assistant geography professor, who teaches a variety of classes including Mapping, Space & Power and Urban Sustainability.

Mapes told The Portager she will provide computerized (GIS) mapping to draw more equally populated districts that adhere to state redistricting guidelines. She identifies Census blocks: the smallest unit that the Census supplies in terms of population. They’re usually about the size of a city block, and Ravenna has 263 of them, she said.

The median population of each block is 27, but some tally in at zero (industrial areas), while others claim 520 (blocks that include apartment buildings), she said.

“GIS makes it very simple to add together Census blocks into wards to ensure they have similar populations and follow other state guidelines,” she said.

The LWV will also be involved, providing the committee with assistance, Michael said.

Once council has settled on a new ward map, it goes to the Portage County Board of Elections, which draws new precinct boundaries, board Deputy Director Theresa Nielsen explained. Those lines affect who votes where, and who votes for what local liquor options, such as Sunday sales, she added.

The BOE’s other job is to notify voters of their new polling location.

Council President Rob Kairis noted that new ward maps must be adopted by ordinance at least 150 days before the next municipal primary, giving the city a December 2026 deadline.