[Vision2020] Legislative report, week 2

[Shirley Ringo]

Visionaries

Legislative Report, week 2

Extreme, over-the-top, partisanship.  That describes the action of Republican leaders regarding legislative redistricting.  

The new population count obtained from the US census requires that state legislative districts be redrawn to achieve relative equal numbers in each district.  In 1994, Idaho citizens directed that this task be accomplished by a bi-partisan commission.  Clearly, it is not desirable to give this assignment to sitting legislators.  There would be grave danger that lines would be drawn to protect politicians.  Gerrymandering.

In response to the 1994 initiative, Idaho now has a bi-partisan redistricting committee consisting of three Republicans and three Democrats.  The members of the first commission were unable to reach agreement within the allotted time period.  So, a second commission was appointed.  For the Republicans, House Speaker Lawerence Denney appointed Dolores Crow, Senate Pro Tem Brent Hill appointed Sheila Olsen, and Republican Party Chair Norm Semanko appointed Randy Hansen.  For the Democrats, House Minority Leader John Rusche appointed Shauneen Grange, Senate Minority Leader Edgar Malepeai appointed Elmer Martinez, and Democrat Party Chair Larry Grant appointed Ron Beitelspacher.

The members of the second commission approached the problem of redrawing district lines exactly as Idaho citizens envisioned.  Without regard to the interests of sitting legislators, and without partisanship, they followed the Idaho Constitution as closely as possible.  This commission reached a solution upon which its members agreed unanimously.  

Subsequently, their plan was challenged in the court and overturned.  The second commission, which approved the plan, must now make adjustments in an attempt to satisfy the court.

There should be no controversy - we await the new plan.

Not so fast.  Lawerence Denney and Norm Semanko take center stage.  These two politicians have announced their plan to fire Dolores Crow and Randy Hansen from the Commission - at least in part because they think these commissioners failed to help their party enough.  In other words, these politicians, Denney and Semanko, are going to remove two members they appointed to a bi-partisan commission for the crime of not having been sufficiently partisan. 

To their credit, Crow and Hansen refuse to leave.  Idaho's Attorney General has ruled they can't be fired.  Idaho's Secretary of State refuses to declare vacancies on the commission.  But Denney and Semanko have shopped for and found a lawyer to support their cause.  Denney and Semanko have now filed a petition in the Idaho Supreme Court to immediately order Secretary of State Ben Ysursa to declare two vacancies on the Idaho citizens' redistricting commission.

Meanwhile, the filing deadline for the primary election looms.  Idahoans are held hostage by insensitive leaders who seem incapable of responding appropriately. The people spoke in 1994 - they do not want legislative districts to give an edge to any political party.  Denney and Semanko should let the process work.

Representative Shirley Ringo



 

 

 

 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.fsr.com/pipermail/vision2020/attachments/20120124/a52ee438/attachment.html>