Jamestown’s Redistricting Commission is recommending the city keep its current six-ward structure.

The recommendation comes after conversations over decreasing the number of council wards from six to five proposed by Jim Walton, commission member and Jamestown Democratic Party chairman. The Redistricting Commission voted 8-1 to keep the current structure, with Walton the only no vote. Final ward lines could be finalized during the commission’s next meeting at 5 p.m. June 21.

Initial proposals to decrease the number of wards would have required some additional work to the ward lines to have the words be within 56 residents of each other, while there was less shifting to do with the six-ward structure.

While Walton pushed hard to decrease the number of wards, Tony Dolce, R-Ward 2 and current City Council president, argued in favor of the current structure. Dolce said the city faces enough issues that more representation is needed, not less. Commission member Alyssa Porter, meanwhile, said decreasing the size of the council could decrease the city’s ability to add new and diverse voices to the council.

Walton’s arguments focused on the decreased cost the city would pay if the council was smaller and the fact the current numbers have led to a lopsided, Republican-dominated City Council.

Jamestown has a nine-member City Council for a city of 29,200 compared to Olean’s seven-member council for 13,580 residents, Ithaca’s 10-member council with a population of 30,000, Dunkirk’s five-member council with a population of 11,800 and Corning’s eight-member council with a population of 10,600.

Walton said it is unlikely the council would vote to downsize itself, but commission members Ellen DiTonto and Brent Sheldon, R-Ward 1, mentioned a referendum vote that provided the last City Council downsizing.

Elliot Raimondo, commission member and city corporation counsel, asked if there has been difficulty finding candidates. Walton said there has been for Democrats while Sheldon, who is also the city Republican Party chairman, said the GOP hasn’t had problems finding candidates for city offices. The bigger problems, Dolce said, has been finding candidates to serve on city boards and commissions.