Posted on 06/27/2003 6:12:52 AM PDT by Theodore R.
Redistricting foes bash move GOP-fueled bid sparks outcry at Lubbock hearing
By JOHN FUQUAY AVALANCHE-JOURNAL
Some of the harshest remarks at a congressional redistricting hearing Thursday in Lubbock were an attack on the process rather than the boundaries.
Speakers at the daylong hearing, one of six across the state, accused Republicans of gerrymandering and wasting tax dollars.
Gov. Rick Perry has called a special session on redistricting that will convene Monday. The issue has been hotly contested and led 51 Democratic House members to walk out of the regular session in May, busting a quorum and blocking a vote on the issue.
Police were called to a similar hearing Thursday in Brownsville where 200 Democrats disrupted the proceedings with raucous chants.
Lubbock County Democratic Party Chairman Irma Guerrero spoke to state Rep. Carl Isett, R-Lubbock, and other members of a subcommittee who conducted the Lubbock hearing for the House Committee on Congressional Redistricting.
"The truth is, Republicans need to stop being so greedy," Guerrero said.
uerrero criticized U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, the U.S. House majority leader who has been the driving force behind redistricting.
DeLay has said that 58 percent of the state voted Re publican in the November general election, yet Demo cratic representatives from Texas hold a 17-15 edge in Congress.
"To use his same logic," Guerrero said, "32 percent of the population is Hispanic, so 32 percent of the representatives should be Hispanic. And 12 percent of the population is African-American, so 12 percent of the representatives should be African-American.
"And 50 percent of the population are women, so 50 percent of the representatives in Congress should be women," she said. "The only problem is, I thought Republicans were against quotas."
Carolie Mullan of Lubbock, president of the League of Women Voters of Texas, said the league favors the current districts that were drawn by a federal court after the Leg islature failed to agree on a plan in 2001 using new populations figures from the 2000 census.
"The lines for the current Texas congressional districts were drawn by the court and have withstood legal challenges," Mullan said. "To attempt to change them at this point would be a misuse of resources that should be focused on the serious issues currently facing the state."
The special session is expected to cost $1.7 million.
Mullen added, "Unfortun ately, partisan political concerns often take precedence, and redistricting is used to gerrymander or to protect incumbents or the party in power. This does not serve the interests of citizens."
Claudio Stravato of Amarillo said the redistricting effort served only the interests of a few Republicans and not the state.
"As a former deputy comptroller and chief of staff for the late Bob Bullock ... I have personally experienced two redistricting sessions up close. Never in my life have I heard of such a petty, costly and unnecessary power grab in the name of redistricting as is currently being perpetrated."
Bullock was a Democratic lieutenant governor.
From around the current District 19, several area officials voiced their preferences on the redistricting plan.
"If Mr. DeLay and others, et. al., are not happy after the election next year, do we keep redistricting until we get it right?" Howard County Com missioner W.B. "Bill" Crooker asked. He said his commissioner's court opposes redistricting.
Midland City Manager Rick Menchaca favors redistricting.
"No matter what plan you come up with, Midland would like to remain together with Odessa," he said. "That was one of the key issues in the last redistricting. In the past, we've had as many as three representatives in the Midland area."
Big Spring Mayor Russ McEwen said he and his City Council oppose redistricting.
"In the last redistricting, we lost our state representative, we lost our state senator and we lost our congressman," he said. "If this goes through, we will have the distinction of having four different congressmen" in the past two years.
Rep. Charlie Stenholm, D-Abilene, represented Howard County for years until the federal court put the county under District 19, represented by former Rep. Larry Combest, R-Lubbock, in 2001.
Combest resigned last year, and the district is now represented by Randy Neugebauer, R-Lubbock.
Celia Davis, representing the Abilene Chamber of Commerce, said her organization opposes redistricting.
"This plan puts us in with Lubbock. Why not have two strong voices for agriculture in Congress rather than dilute what you have with one voice?" Davis said.
Fred "Mickey" Jones, vice chairman of the Odessa Cham ber of Commerce, likes the plan, saying, "This new District 11 has all predominant oil and gas counties. It makes sense to group these counties to the east; even Howard County has a lot of oil and gas.
"For the first time, this would give us representation that is not predominantly agricultural, which is something we've never had."
Another round of hearings will be held Saturday in Dallas, Houston and Nacog doches.
The next hearing close to Lubbock will be held by a state Senate committee Mon day in San Angelo, with Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, presiding.
jfuquay@lubbockonline.com 766-8722
It takes a greedy person to understand greed!
It also appears that the political establishment is siding with the Democrats on redistricing. It is also likely that the State Senate will not even consider a redistricting bill approved by the House in the special session which starts on Monday.
LOL!
The irony of remarks like this MUST be unintentional?
Just Democrats being Democrats. As you infer, they have been gerrymandering for years and the expense would be unnecessary had they not been cowards and flown the coop to Ardmore. As usual, they make a mess and then complain as someone else cleans it up.
Looks like we could be in for some fun in Houston Saturday.
""To use his same logic," Guerrero said, "32 percent of the population is Hispanic, so 32 percent of the representatives should be Hispanic. And 12 percent of the population is African-American, so 12 percent of the representatives should be African-American."
Absolutely, so let's make sure we elect 32 Republicans to the House from Texas, and that of those, 2 are Black and 10 are Hispanic, no problem at all ! :-)
I'm not touching that. :-P
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