The redistricting of Westfield’s four Town Council wards will likely be completed on Sept. 1.

Union County Board of Elections Administrator Dennis Kobitz said that the population numbers for the town’s four wards fall into the 10-percent deviation that is set under state law. He said he will be recommending to the town’s ward commission that the lines remain the same for the next 10 years.

“I am recommending not touching Westfield,” Kobitz said. “But I do not speak for the commissioners. They can override me and still re-ward.”

State law requires the redrawing of Town Council district lines every 10 years following the Census. The drawing of the ward lines comes after the redrawing of state legislative districts and before the redrawing of the state’s congressional districts. Under state law, the lines are drawn by a ward commission consisting of the county’s four Board of Elections commissioners and Town Clerk Claire Gray.

The last changes to Westfield’s wards came in 1991, when Cacciola was split between the second and third wards, a move that sparked a lawsuit under the federal Voting Rights Act, questioning the split of the historically African-American neighborhood. Advocates against the split said the move diluted the voting power of the Democratic stronghold by moving portions to the Republican dominated second ward, which is centered in Wychwood.

In 2001, there were proposals to move Cacciola wholey into the third ward, which leans Democratic, which could have changed the political make-up of the ward. Following debate and threats of litigation, the ward commission voted to keep the maps the same as 1991.

Kobitz said that while the numbers show no reason to redraw the lines, the commission can still decide to redraw the lines. He said the town’s Democratic and Republican parties have the option of submitting maps to the commission for consideration. He said proposed maps – which can be submitted by anyone – are due to his office by Aug. 16. He said this would allow him time to circulate the maps to the commissioners.

“The only time you see other maps is when I am proposing to do something and someone wants to do it another way,” Kobitz said of the process.

Kobitz said he has scheduled several ward commission meetings to occur on Sept. 1 at the elections board office in Elizabeth. He said the ward-a-polooza will kick off at 2:30 p.m. with Clark, followed by Hillside, then Summit and then Westfield. He said the proceedings will be done by 4:30 p.m.

A total of 10 Union County communities have ward members of their town councils and will need to have ward commissions. In addition to the four mentioned, Rahway, Roselle, Roselle Park, Elizabeth, Plainfield and Linden have ward systems.

Kobitz said most towns will not need to have the lines redrawn due to the changes in population keeping the wards within the 10-percent deviation. He said that Clark will likely see changes in three of their Township Council wards.

Kobitz said that Clark’s third ward is roughly 170 people under the minimum allowed in the deviation, while the first ward in Clark is about 100 people over the maximum allowed in the deviation. He said the commission will likely swap residents in and out of ward 2 in order to solve the two deviations.

Kobitz indicated that he’s in the process of drawing a proposed map for Clark.

If Westfield’s or another town’s ward commission decides to proceed with a new map, a meeting will likely be scheduled later to September to consider new plans. He said that this meeting would likely to be held in the town to allow for residents to participate in a public hearing on the new map.

Under state law, the commission will consists entirely of non-Westfield residents, as Westfielders do not hold any of the elections board seats and the town clerk’s office. The elections commissioners are Clark Republican Chairman John DeSimone, former Springfield Mayor Clara Harelik, a Democrat, former Kenilworth Republican Chairwoman Mel Harris and Hillside Democrat Marie Oakie. Oakie is a long time employee of the county freeholder board clerk’s office, who has been known to sing at freeholder sponsored events.

Any changes adopted by the ward commission would go into effect with the 2013 election.