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Posted on 07/10/2003 7:13:52 AM PDT by Theodore R.
GOP's new map stirs uprising in West Texas
By SEBASTIAN KITCHEN AVALANCHE-JOURNAL
Many West Texas entities appear to be leading a charge and a public information campaign against congressional redistricting plans before the Legislature.
The Lubbock Chamber of Commerce believes the Republican-backed plan would hurt business and representation in West Texas and all of rural Texas.
Plains Cotton Growers also is opposed to the plan based on the loss of representation in agriculture and loss of rural representation.
State Rep. Delwin Jones, R-Lubbock, voted against the plan this week because his constituents, Republican and Democrat, were against it and believe it hurts rural Texas. Jones said he has absolute faith the Senate will kill redistricting or emerge with a plan of its own.
Fellow state Rep. Carl Isett, R-Lubbock, voted for the plan because he said Texas needed to be redistricted and he wanted to see a plan move forward.
The mayors of Lubbock and Abilene, whose cities would be joined in the same district under the current map, said they do not approve of the proposal.
Abilene Mayor Grady Barr said he is disappointed with the plan and said it will diminish his city's voting power.
Abilene would become part of the Lubbock-anchored District 19 under the current House plan and pit freshman U.S. Rep. Randy Neugebauer, R-Lubbock, against veteran Rep. Charles Stenholm, D-Abilene, in an election.
Both have positions on the House Agriculture Committee and one would be voted out of office. Stenholm is the ranking minority member on the committee.
Abilene has similar interests, such as Air Force bases, with the cities in its current district, including San Angelo and Brownwood, Barr said.
The mayor said he would prefer Abilene remain in its current district, but said Lubbock has some similarities with agriculture and oil and gas and is a workable alternative.
Barr, who has been mayor for five years, said Lubbock would be the prominent city in the district, where Abilene now anchors the 17th District. He said that would diminish his city's voting power.
"I do not want to be the stepchild city."
Stenholm is an effective, experienced leader and, Barr said, he hates that the plan could negatively affect the longtime congressman.
"Whoever he is representing, he will do his dead-level best," Barr said. "He is a very conscientious man. I could not ask for a better congressman."
Lubbock Mayor Marc McDougal, who served three terms as Lubbock County Republican Party chairman, said he has always supported local and state Republicans, but cannot support the House plan.
"Supposedly it's a Repub lican plan, but it is certainly not one that's good for West Texas," McDougal said. "It just dilutes the representation from West Texas is what it would eventually do. From a Republican standpoint, it does that as well."
Isett offered amendments to the proposed maps to maintain the current district lines in West Texas, but those were rejected late Monday night. He said Wednesday that he thought he would have had more support from Democrats and representatives from affected areas.
"I want to keep West Texas whole, but we still need to move the process forward and the state needs to be redistricted," he said. "I am not happy with where the West Texas boundaries are, but we need to move the process forward."
Isett said House members are aware the map they voted on will not become the new district lines.
"We have to get the best deal we can for West Texas," he said.
The Lubbock Chamber of Commerce and Plains Cotton Growers have contacted the members of their organizations through e-mail and stated why they are opposed to the current redistricting map.
The e-mails encourage people to contact their representatives, and the messages include contact information for state lawmakers, including the governor, lieutenant governor and area representatives.
"We think the effect the new map could have is to reduce or erode the influence of rural and West Texas legislators, which could hurt business," said Lubbock Chamber of Commerce President Eddie McBride. "If you hurt business, you hurt Lubbock, and if you hurt Lubbock, you hurt this region."
McBride said the chamber sees three main problems with the current map. He said the current plan hurts the representation of rural Texas, erodes the representation of agriculture and oil interests and reduces the influence of West Texas representation.
The map approved by the House molds the district from a 19-county area in the heart of the South Plains to a 30-county district that stretches from the New Mexico border through Lubbock and Abilene to just west of Fort Worth.
McBride said he realizes changes must be made to maps based on demographic changes and population fluctuations, but said that was done following the last census.
"We think there are attempts to erode the influence of rural legislators with the new maps," he said. "Likewise, West Texas influence and representation in agriculture and oil areas are going to be eroded as well with the new maps."
The chamber also is excited to work with Neugebauer and does not want to see him paired against Stenholm in a future election, McBride said. Members also do not want Stenholm voted out because of his position on the agriculture committee and significance to agriculture, he said.
"That will hurt us," McBride said. "We're going to lose influence in the agriculture area and (lose) West Texas legislators. When you pair Neugebauer and Stenholm, I don't think that is good for the South Plains."
Jones said the face-off would give West Texas one less vote on the agriculture committee.
McBride said redistricting is not necessary because legislators are combining two districts that vote 65 percent to 70 percent Republican. Stenholm has won elections in a Republican-dominated district.
There has been quite a bit of concern about the redistricting plan from members of the business community, McBride said.
Jones said the change also would pit Lubbock against Abilene in elections when the two are usually partners on issues.
"Overall, the plan totally weakens the position of rural Texas throughout the state," he said.
Jones praised Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst as being a strong leader during this process.
"He is not going to develop a plan that is unfair and he's stated they cannot accept the House plan," Jones said.
Lubbock Republican Sen. Robert Duncan, chairman of the Senate Jurisprudence Com mittee, could not be reached for comment Wednesday. The committee, which is in charge of redistricting on the Senate side, was in Waco holding its seventh and final public hearing.
Prominent Republican state Sen. Bill Ratliff of Mount Pleasant said he cannot vote for the House plan. Dewhurst said the plan needs to be changed if a map is going to emerge from the Senate.
Redistricting is always a conten tious political issue, like raising taxes and cutting budgets, said political consultant Morris Wilkes.
"It doesn't matter who's in power, it is the nature of the beast," he said. "By nature, it's a contentious process."
People being upset is not unique in this redistricting process, Wilkes said.
He said the disputes often fall along all possible lines — geographically, rural versus urban, mi nority and majority and between political parties.
skitchen@lubbockonline.com 766-8753
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It is in the breaking news sidebar! |
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An overused term IMO, but would you describe the education bill, the farm bill, the medicare bill as a RINO product?
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