This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Aug. 8, 2013 - State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed is on the move – literally. Nasheed, D-St. Louis, told the Beacon that she’s moved from to the 21st Ward to the 18th Ward. As a result, Nasheed resigned as the 21st Ward’s Democratic committeewoman.
That's the office she won last year at the same time she prevailed in a contested Democratic primary to represent the 5th Senatorial District.
The first-term state senator’s move is related to a key subplot in the state’s long – and strange – redistricting process.
Missouri’s final state Senate map drew Nasheed’s residence slightly outside of the 5th District. After initially being kicked off the ballot, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that Nasheed could run for the city of St. Louis-based seat.
While she said she could have moved later, Nasheed said, “I decided to go move in the district now, because I don’t think it’s right to represent a district that you don’t live in.”
“I have to say I love serving the people,” Nasheed said. “I thought it would only be right for me to not wait a year before the next election to move into the district. I wouldn’t want anybody representing me that didn’t live in the district.”
Beyond giving up her committeewoman post, Nasheed said she’s gone through “some bittersweet moments" in the last week. She said she’s lived in the 21st Ward for about 15 years.
Although Nasheed is most likely best known for her role serving in the Missouri General Assembly, she did make an impact earlier this year as a committeewoman. Missouri Scout’s Dave Drebes reported that Nasheed played a key role in nominating Joshua Peters to the 76th District state representative seat.
