At-Large or In-District?

It's surprising the number of people I encounter who ask me what the difference between At-Large and In-District is. I usually answer "about fifty thousand dollars." I guess I can see the confusion. City Council races only come around every four years. By the time anyone starts paying attention the election has already come and gone. Here's a little primer for those of you scoring at home. Kansas City is divided into six council districts. The districts are divided equally by population so the lines are redrawn every ten years with the US Census. Districts 1 & 2 are primarily an east-west split of the northland. Districts 3 & 5 are roughly a north-south split of the east side bisected by 47th Street. The 6th is the southland. My district, the Fightin' Fourth is roughly bounded by Truman Road, State Line, 89th St and Troost Avenue. Each council district is represented by one In-District and one At-Large councilperson. The In-District councilperson must reside in the district and is only voted on by the residents of that district. The At-Large councilperson also must reside in the district but is voted on by the entire city. On February 27th, you residents of the Fightin' Fourth will have eight votes to cast: Mayor 4th In-District Councilperson (you need to check "Mark Forsythe" for that one) 1st District At-Large Councilperson 2nd District At-Large Councilperson 3rd District At-Large Councilperson 4th District At-Large Councilperson 5th District At-Large Councilperson 6th District At-Large Councilperson The idea is that you the voter get to cast your ballot for not only the mayor, but a simple majority amount (7) on the council. Clear as mud? I hope this helps. Tomorrow I'll explain how John Adams and Thomas Jefferson's fundamental disagreement over states' rights versus federalism actually created the environment for the Supreme Court to claim the power of interpreting the law. NOT!