For me, the highlight of Wednesday night's community forum about redrawing City Council ward boundaries came close to the end of the two-hour meeting.

After more than 100 residents divided into smaller groups to identify their hopes and concerns about the process, they shared their lists with the entire crowd.

One group's hope: Better council members.

The comment brought laughter from many and uncomfortable grimaces from others, particularly a few of the council members who attended. "They're assuming that we're all bad," said Councilman Zack Reed, who was standing next to me at the time.

It would take too long to list all of the debacles that have impacted citizens' faith in this slate of council members, but let's not dwell on the past. Wednesday's meeting at the Applewood Center on West 25th Street allowed residents - most of them West Siders - the chance to vent these and other pent-up frustrations. The forum also offered the chance to ask questions about the confusing redistricting process going on behind closed doors.

To dispose of some quick background: Two of 21 council wards will be eliminated this year under a city charter amendment passed last year by voters. A council-hired consultant is using block-by-block population estimates to redraw ward lines by April 1.

West Side Councilmen Brian Cummins, Joe Santiago and Matt Zone sponsored last night's forum. They also are the three West Side councilmen most likely to be impacted by the new boundaries. Cummins is convinced from conversations he's had with the consultant that he will be forced into a re-election race against one of his colleagues.

Another hot rumor is that East Side Councilman Tony Brancatelli, who represents the Slavic Village area, will see his ward stretched west - over the Cuyahoga River and into what is now Cummins' ward. It would an awkward, seemingly unnatural leap.

Councilman Kevin Kelley, who sat on last year's Charter Review Commission and serves as Council President Martin J. Sweeney's majority whip, was on hand last night to answer questions. But he shied from residents who asked about these scenarios.

One resident simply tried to get Kelley to confirm that one East Side and one West Side ward would be eliminated. But Kelley wouldn't budge. Nothing is definite, he said.

Later in the night, I pulled Kelley aside to push him for answers to those questions. He acknowledged that the above-mentioned scenarios are on the table (along with many others). He said he did not want to respond to citizens with hypotheticals that might change. He also reiterated that cutting one ward on each side is not yet a slam-dunk.

It is worth noting here that as Sweeney's close ally, Kelley is likely privy to more knowledge than other council members, who have been meeting with the consultant in small groups. Kelley represents the Old Brooklyn and Stockyards areas.

Two other council members attended the meeting: Brancatelli and Kamms Corners Councilman Martin Keane. Also there was former Ward 14 Councilman Nelson Cintron, who is said to be considering another run for the office.

After a Q&A session with Kelley, residents split into the small groups and chronicled their hopes and concerns on large sheets of white paper. The most cited hope and concern were the same: that neighborhoods stay intact when redrawing the wards.

The list of hopes and concerns will be forwarded to Council Clerk Patricia Britt.

Other concerns included preserving a ward to reflect the city's Hispanic community (it's now Ward 14, represented by Santiago) and diluting the voices of citizens.

Adrian Maldonado attended the forum on behalf of the Hispanic Roundtable and circulated a letter signed by Roundtable Chairman Jose Feliciano. The letter notes that Hispanics make up about 44 percent of the voting population in Ward 14 and encourages council to retain one ward that recognizes a concentrated Hispanic population.

"The Hispanic community is one of the fastest growing segments of a city in desperate need of population," the letter states. "Providing the Hispanic community a voice in Cleveland will encourage members of the Hispanic community to stay and raise their families in Cleveland."