Making the Transition

2003: The seats currently held by Will Wynn, Raul Alvarez, and Danny Thomas would go away, to be replaced by eight new district seats. (The mayor would be elected as usual.) Four of these winners would serve two-year terms, the others three-year terms, as chosen by lot. This would leave the council with 12 members until ...

2005: One of the seats currently held by Daryl Slusher, Jackie Goodman, and Beverly Griffith would go away, leaving the other two as the 8-2-1 system's two at-large seats. The four two-year district seats would be filled, this time for proper three-year terms.

2006: The other four district seats would be up for election, along with the mayor, thus leaving a staggered system like we have now. Again, which four would have been determined by lot back in 2003, thus making it possible, for example, that all four minority districts would elect their council members in one election cycle.