KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jackson County announced the six people who will serve on the Reapportionment Committee of the County Legislature to redraw legislative districts based on 2020 U.S. Census data.
County Executive Frank White Jr. announced Monday that Democrats Bobbie Hernandez, Shalonn “Kiki” Curls and Phil LeVota have been appointed along with Republicans Paul Jungmann, Ralph Munyan and Ruth Pirch.
Hernandez, Curls and LeVota represent the first, second and sixth legislative districts, while Jungmann, Munyan and Pirch represent the third, fourth and fifth districts, respectively.
The appointments were made in accordance with the county charter’s rules for redrawing the districts.
The committee will gather public input and issue a report within 60 days on its suggestion for new district boundaries for the next decade, which must be “compact, of contiguous territory and as nearly of equal population as practicable.”
“Jackson County is growing larger and more diverse,” White said in a statement. “In the last 10 years, we have grown faster than major metropolitan areas like Los Angeles, Chicago, St. Louis City and St. Louis County. Additionally, I am proud to say that we are the most diverse County in the State of Missouri. As we work to build a better, more equitable Jackson County, the effort of this committee is critical to ensuring our residents have equal and fair representation for the next 10 years. I appreciate their service and my staff and I stand ready to assist as needed.”
Jackson County is the second most-populous county in Missouri with 717,204 residents, according to the latest U.S. Census data.
The county’s population surged 6.4% from the 2010 Census, which is considerably faster than the state of Missouri overall (2.8%).
