Redistricting News! (Well, at least proposals...)

The announcement of proposed re-districting maps is likely to bring great changes to the state Senate districts representing Cambridge. The maps must be approved by the state House and Senate, then signed by Governor Patrick, but the demography in this part of the state makes major revisions unlikely. Here's the news relevant to my campaign:

1) The (proposed) name of the district changes from "Middlesex, Suffolk, and Essex" to "Middlesex and Suffolk"

2) The (proposed) new district is as follows (with additions in bold):

Middlesex County
CAMBRIDGE: Ward 1 all; Ward 2, precinct 1; Ward 3 all (precincts 1 and 3 are new); Ward 4, precinct 2; Ward 6 all; Ward 7 all; Ward 8 all (precinct 3 is new).
EVERETT: all

Suffolk County
BOSTON: Ward 2 all; Ward 3, precinct 5; Ward 21, precincts 4, 6, and 7; Ward 22, precincts 1, 2, and 5.
CHELSEA: all

Most of the (proposed) additions to the district are in Cambridge (8 precincts) and Boston (1). The district would also lose two precincts in Cambridge (9-1, 10-2), plus the previously-included parts of Revere (Ward 6), Saugus (precincts 2, 6, 10), and Somerville (1-1, 2-1).

It's great that, at long last, those of us running for office have a (preliminary) sense of where we'll be running. Among the many changes that must be made in the Commonwealth is to provide a much larger space of time between when districts are announced and when candidates must be living in the districts or file petitions. The current system is yet another disgraceful way incumbent Democrats protect their own. The system must be made fairer for all residents of the Commonwealth, not just those with Beacon Hill connections!