Joe Rowe, the NAACP’s first vice president for political affairsFor the first time, Chattanooga has included Hispanics in redistricting efforts to create a majority-minority district, triggering opposition from the local NAACP.
District 7 in South Chattanooga “started out as an African-American district, and it should be an African-American district,” said Joe Rowe, Chattanooga NAACP vice president. “To me, that’s retrogression.”
He warned that the council could face a challenge under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and said he will discuss the next steps with plaintiffs from the lawsuit in the 1980s that overturned Chattanooga’s commission form of government.
But City Attorney Mike McMahan said the final proposed redistricting plan, which could be voted on in two weeks, should be considered fair by the courts.
“The plan under consideration could withstand challenges,” he said.