Page 51 of Plaintiffs' Proposed Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law
Public Court Documents
March 10, 1986

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Case Files, Dillard v. Crenshaw County Hardbacks. Correspondence from Floyd to Assistant Attorney General Re Submission Under Section 5 of Voting Rights Act (Redacted), 1986. 401621f6-29ea-ef11-be1f-7c1e5267c7b6. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/29f679f1-d784-4cba-914a-18e04026fb8a/correspondence-from-floyd-to-assistant-attorney-general-re-submission-under-section-5-of-voting-rights-act-redacted. Accessed May 22, 2025.
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5 FLOYD, KEENER & CUSIMANO 816 CHESTNUT STREET GADSDEN, ALABAMA 35999-2701 JACK FLOYD TELEPHONE: LARRY H. KEENER July 7, 1986 GREGORY S. CUSIMANO AREA CODE 205 JAMES E. HEDGSPETH, JR. MICHAEL L. ROBERTS 547-6328 DAVID A. KIMBERLEY Assistant Attorney General Civil Rights Division Department of Justice Washington, D.C. 20530 Re: Submission under Section 5 of Voting Rights Act Gentlemen: Etowah County, Alabama, herein submits for your consideration and approval changes in the manner of electing the Etowah County Commission from county wide "at-large" elections into five single-member commission districts, equal as possible in population, with a commission Chariman or County Executive elected county wide, to insure that the interest of minority citizens and all citizens of Etowah County, Alabama, are equally and adequately protected. : The contents of this submission as required by 28 C.F.R., Section 51.25 are as follows: (a) A copy of an order from the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, styled John Dillard, et al., Plaintiffs vs. Crenshaw County, et al., Defendants, Civil Action 85-T-1332-N, in enclosed as Exhibit 1. In part,the order directed Etowah County, Alabama, (at page 27) to submit a time schedule to the Court for developing a new election plan, obtaining approval of the plan from the U.S. Department of Justice pursuant to Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended, 42 U.S.C.A., Section 1973 C, and implementing the new plan. (b) Prior to the order and at the present time, the Etowah County Commission consists of four district commissioners running from numbered places but elected at-large together with a Chairman of the Commission elected county wide by the voters of the County. A map of the at-large districts is enclosed as Exhibit 2. Under the new proposed redistricting plan for Etowah County the commission would consist of five-single member district commissioners to be elected from single-member districts by the voters in each district, with the districts being equal in population, as nearly as practical, together with a Commission Chairman or County Executive elected by the people county wide at-large. A map of the new single district plan is enclosed as Exhibit 3. (c) The person making the submission is Jack Floyd, Attorney for the Etowah County Commission, 816 Chestnut Street, Gadsden, Alabama 35999, Telephone (205) 547-6328. (d) The submitting authority as well as the jurisdiction responsible for the change is Etowah County, Alabama, a political subdivision of the State of Alabama. (e) The submission is from a county in the State of Alabama. (f) The Etowah County Commission of Etowah County, Alabama is the body responsible for the making the change. The Honorable Myron Thompson, Federal District Judge, was the person responsible for issuing the order or decree in this cause. The Etowah County Commission has adopted a Resolution relating the council district boundaries. A copy of the resolution approving the new plan is enclosed as Exhibit 4. A copy of the new Redistricting Plan is enclosed as Exhibit 5, Legal descriptions of boundaries of Districts are enclosed as Exhibit 6. The new redistricting plan was adopted only after public hearing duly called and warned, held at the Etowah County Courthouse on July l, 1986, and July 2, 1986. The public notice for hearing is enclosed as Exhibit 5. The legal advertisments and editorials, and comments from the Gadsden Times are enclosed as Exhibit 8, 9. 10...11, 12 and 13, A transcript of the Public Hearings is enclosed as Exhibits 14 and 15. (g) The changes were adopted to pursuant to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended; and the 14th and 15th Amendments to the United States Constitution. 42 U.S.C. Section 1973(a) (b) authorizes the Court to suspend the use of discriminatory devices as its determines is appropriate and for such period as it deems necessary. The Court did so. (h) The order of the Court was dated May 28, 1986. The resolution of the County was adopted July 2, 1986. (i) The changes will take place during the year 1986 and prior to the second Tuesday after the first Monday in January 1987. Elections will be held prior to that time. (3) The changes have not yet been enforced or administered and will not be until the Justice Department Approves. (k) The changes were made to allow minority citizens of Etowah County, who comprise 13.4 per cent of the county population, a greater voice in the county government through the creation of five single member commission districts with one of predominantly black population (60.89 percent). It is expected that this will result in one minority citizen becoming a district commissioner. No black person has ever been elected to or served on the Etowah County Commission, although on two occasions, a black person has run for such office. The change will effect the entire jurisdiction also, in that all district commissioners will run from districts of equal size and will be elected only from the voters of that district. Only the Chairman or County Executive will be elected county-wide. (1) The changes are being made pursuant to the order of the Court. Since 1890 Etowah County has operated with an at-large system of electing district commissioners. The Legislature of the State of Alabama has never given the Etowah County Commission the right or authority to redistrict itself. The Legislature of the State of Alabama has heretofore failed to redistrict Etowah County into single member districts. This court action is the first opportunity that the Etowah County Commission has had to redistrict itself into single menber districts. (m) It is anticipated that the changes will result in one black person becoming a member of the commission. (n) The Federal District Court retains jurisdiction in Dillard vs. Crenshaw County, C.A.# 85-T-1332-N, and no final hearing has been held in this cause. (0) Prior practice in form of government of Etowah County have not been precleared with the Justice Department and were not subject to the preclearance requirements in that the act establishing the form of government by which Etowah County, Alabama, has been operating since 1890, predates the Voting Rights Act. (p) Supplemental contents of this submission as provided by 28 C.R.F. Section 51.26 are as follows: (a) The total population of Etowah County, Alabama, according to the 1980 census was 103,003, of which 13,809 (13.04 percent) were black. The total registered voter population in Etowah County is 69,098 of which 7,797 (11.28 percent) are black. The number of registered voters in Etowah County is unusually high and does not reflect the true number of voters in that the voter lists have not been purged nor have voters been re-identified in 50 years. The submitted changes do not increase or decrease the black minority population or the number of registered voters. (b) A map of the boundaries of the single member districts is enclosed as Exhibit 3. A resolution describing the boundaries of the new districts is also enclosed as Exhibit 6. Exhibit 16 summarizes the population for each district with the minority population and the percentage of minority population, the variance from the average district size and the percentage of variation from that average. All of this data is from the 1980 census. (c) Voting precinct boundary and polling place location changes will be made after final approval of the district boundaries by the Justice Department and submitted for clearance. (d) No election has been held in regard to these five districts. (e) None of these changes effect the use of the language of a language minority group. (£) Public notices of the changes were published in various articles in the Gadsden Times, the only daily newspaper published in Etowah County. Also legal notices of the date and time for a public hearing to be held on July 1, 1986, at the Etowah County Courthouse were published. (g) Racial minority group members, including all of plaintiffs in the lawsuit, and others who could be expected to be familiar with the proposed changes and who have been in active political process were notified and they do include the following: Etowah County Voters League c/o Mr. Q. D. Adams (205) 492-6538 (or at work 546-2821) NAACP of Gadsden - Etowah County c/o Joseph Faulkner 403 North 9th Street Gadsden, AL 35901 (205) 546-6903 (or at home 492-4675 Dr. Spencer Thomas (205) 547-7043 (at work 546-3381) Mr. Nathan Carter (205) 547-3114 Mr. Wayne Rowe (205) 492-8076 Southern Christian Leadership Conference c/o Reverend R. C. Suttles 901 Tuscaloosa Avenue P. O. Box 1871 Gadsden, AL 35902 (205) 546-0432 or at home or at work 1149 First Avenue, Gadsden, Al 35901 (205) 546-0411 Mr. Robert Avery (205) 547-5058 Rev. L. A. Warren (205) 547-5095 Mrs. Mildred Williams (205) 546-8793 Mr. Cicero Bynum (205) 547-8179 Ms. Sarah Thompson Director, Legal Services 802 Chestnut Street Gadsden, Al 35901 (205) 543-2435 or at home (205) 492-4775 Mr. Jack Lowe, Sr. (205) 543-7952 Mr. Walt Higgins (205) 492-9516 Mr. Alfred L. Williams (205) 547-8500 ® » Mr. Johnny Flenoir Mrs. Gladys Barnes (205) 546-0635 Rev. Jesse Maxwell (205) 547-5629 Dr. Roger Watts President, Etowah Chapter Alabama New South Coalition 415 Crawford Street Gadsden, AL 35903 (205) 492-1783 (h) Enclosed are two maps. One map (Exhibit 2) shows the boundaries of the current district commissioners who are elected at-large. The second map (Exhibit 3) shows the boundaries of the new single member district under the plan submitted. (i) A public hearing was held on July 1, 1986, at 5:30 p.m. and again on July 2, 1986, at 1:30 p.m. Attached hereto is a transcript of all the proceedings at both public hearings marked Exhibit 14 and 15. Following the comments of the minority members of the general public present requesting to change in the manner of the appointment of a presiding officer at commission meetings for the county commission and asking the commission to include a minority town known as Ridgeville in District Five, the Etowah County Commission made the proposed changes and did on July 2, 1986, adopt the enclosed redistricting plan for the Etowah County Commission of Etowah County, Alabama (Exhibit 4). (Q) BECAUSE QF THE PENDING LITIGATION CONCERNING THIS MATTER, THE SUBMITTING AUTHORITY REQUESTS EXPEDITED CONSIDERATION OF ITS SECTION 5 SUBMISSION FOR PRECLEARANCE. The court has determined that a new redistricting plan must be in place prior to January 1, 1987, and consideration is needed on or before 60 days from the date of this submission. R Pes ly submitted, 5 a J Floyd Attorney for Etowah County Commission Buddy Kirk Pickens County Attorney P. O. Drawer AB Carrollton, AL 35447 David R. Boyd P. O. Box 78 Montgomery, AL 36104 15. 16. for LIST OF EXHIBITS Order of Federal Court. At Large Map showing present districts. New Proposed Single District Map. Resolution of Commission Approving Plan. New Redistricting Plan. Legal Descriptions of New Five Districts. Public Notices of Public Hearing on Plan. Legal Advertisement for Public Hearing of June 17, 1986. Legal Advertisement for Public Hearing of June 23, 1986. Legal Advertisement for Public Hearing of June 30, 1986. Editorial in Gadsden Times on new plan of June 18, 1986. News release in Gadsden Times on new plan of June 22, 1986. News release in Gadsden Times on new plan of July 1, 1986. Transcript of Public Hearing July 1, 1986. Transcript of Public Hearing July 2, 1986. Summary of Population and percentage of minority Population each new District. FLOYD, KEENER & CUSIMANO Attorneys wot Loe 816 CHESTNUT STREET GADSDEN, ALABAMA 35999-2701 Deborah Fins Julius Chambers 99 Hudson Street, 16th Floor New York, New York 10013