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THE CHAIRMAN NOTED THAT ROSEMARY RICHEY, SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS. <br />HAS GONE OVER THIS MATTER WITH ATTORNEY COLLINS AND DID NOT FEEL SHE HAD <br />ANYTHING TO ADD TO THE REMARKS ATTORNEY COLLINS IS GOING TO MAKE. <br />CHAIRMAN WODTKE ADDED THAT THE NAACP HAS REQUESTED A PUBLIC MEETING <br />IN REGARD TO THIS MATTER SOME EVENING. <br />ATTORNEY COLLINS STATED THAT BASICALLY WE ARE DEALING WITH TWO <br />STATUTES AND THE STATE CONSTITUTION, ALL THREE OF WHICH ARE CONSISTENT, <br />THE PETITION IS REQUESTING THAT AN AREA BE DESIGNATED MAINLY INCLUSIVE <br />OF GIFFORD AND WITHIN THAT AREA A COMMISSIONER BE ELECTED SOLELY BY <br />PEOPLE IN THAT AREA. THE STATE CONSTITUTION CLEARLY REQUIRES THAT <br />COMMISSIONERS WILL BE ELECTED BY A VOTE AT LARGE UNLESS OTHERWISE SET OUT <br />BY CHARTER GOVERNMENT, AND THE.STATUTES INDICATE THE SAME, THE ATTORNEY <br />NOTED THAT THE BOARD HAS NO VEHICLE TO CHANGE THIS AND STATED THAT HE <br />WOULD BE GLAD TO WRITE ATTORNEY J. BLAYNE KENNINGS INDICATING THE STATU- <br />TORY AND CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY AND DETERMINE WHETHER HE WISHES TO TAKE <br />ANY ADDITIONAL ACTION. <br />_CHAIRMAN WODTKE POINTED OUT THAT OUR DISTRICTS ARE FROZEN BY <br />FEDERAL LAW UNTIL 1980. <br />ATTORNEY COLLINS INFORMEDIHE BOARD THAT THE SUPERVISOR OF <br />ELECTIONS SAYS THERE IS SOME AUTHORITY TO CHANGE THE DISTRICTS IF THEY <br />BECOME LOPSIDED, BUT HE DOES NOT FEEL THIS IS THE CASE AND DOES NOT BE- <br />LIEVE WE WOULD HAVE A BASIS FOR CHANGING THEM, <br />THE CHAIRMAN INSTRUCTED ATTORNEY COLLINS TO WRITE ATTORNEY <br />JENNINGS AS HE SUGGESTED, <br />COMMISSIONER SIEBERT STATED HE DID NOT SEE WHAT USEFUL PURPOSE <br />IT WOULD SERVE TO HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING AS THE BOARD HAS NO STATUTORY <br />AUTHORITY TO MAKE THE CHANGE REQUESTED UNTIL SOMETHING IS CHANGED ON <br />A STATEWIDE BASIS, AND SINCE SUCH A CHANGE WOULD REQUIRE EITHER A CON- <br />STITUTIONAL CHANGE OR CHARTER GOVERNMENT, IT 1COULD NOT HAPPEN VERY SOON <br />IN ANY EVENT. <br />CHAIRMAN WODTKE STATED THAT HE HAS HAD NO CONVERSATION WITH ANY <br />REPRESENTATIVE OF THIS GROUP AND FELT IT WOULD BE WORTH WHATEVER TIME IT <br />MIGHT TAKE TO MEET WITH THEM AND EXPLAIN OUR POSITION TO THEM, HE NOTED <br />THAT WE DO NOT HAVE THE STATUTORY RIGHTS TO DO THINGS THAT MUNICIPALITIES <br />CAN, THE CHAIRMAN ALSO FELT THAT SOME OF THE STATEMENTS IN THE PETITION <br />ARE INACCURATE, AND HE WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS THEM. <br />63 <br />MAY 18 1977 <br />