89.7 WGBH: Lowell Residents Challenge The City's Voting System

By GABRIELLE EMANUEL

Lowell’s City Council is preparing to take a controversial vote on the future of the city’s dilapidated high school. Should they renovate, or build an entirely new building in a different neighborhood?
This comes as a lawsuit is challenging the legitimacy of the council itself. 
Several Latino and Asian-American residents filed the suit, arguing that an at-large – rather than a ward-based – election system keeps minority groups out of power.
Right now, the entirely white City Council and School Committee make decisions for a city that's roughly half non-white.
Less than a mile from City Hall, a sign reads: Cambodia Town. This area is home to one of the largest Cambodian communities in the country.
At the heart of the community, there’s a park. But for a long time, there was a problem: unlike most other parks in Lowell, there were no lights at night. 
“We talked to the city year after year. We talk to the city and elected officials,” said Vesna Nuon. “Nothing happened.”

Read the full story and listen to the audio on the WGBH site. 



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