The U.S. District Court in Baltimore accepted the new redistricting plan yesterday for Salisbury in which there are five council districts -- two of which are predominantly African American.
The original majority-minority District 1 now has three candidates vying for the seat in this year’s election and the new majority-minority District 2 has four.
Mayor Jim Ireton called the ruling “a well-deserved moment for our city” because it was not forced on the city but rather enacted by the City Council.
In 1987 a consent decree created two districts with the being having a majority-minority.
Ireton said in the end city has honored the legacy of Billy Gene Jackson who filed the original suit that led to the first African American representation on the council.