You’re surprised?
Under current law and court decisions, legislative districts must be substantially equal in population, and the boundaries must be contiguous. Other than that legislators can be quite creative, as a glance at the preliminary district maps in today’s Morning Call will show.
The most egregious gerrymander in the local area is the excision of Summit Hill from the 122nd House District. If you go to the official preliminary map at <http://www.redistricting.state.pa.us/Maps/index.cfm> and look very carefully at Carbon County, you will see a sliver on the western side lumped in with Schuylkill County. That sliver is Summit Hill. (A warning: the color contrasts on the map are not very good.)
Why did the Republicans remove Summit Hill? Because Representative Heffley has not exactly lit up the night skies over Harrisburg. He is vulnerable, and what better way to protect him than to remove one of the most Democratic municipalities from his district.
A petition is being circulated in the Summit Hill area to keep the borough in the 122nd. Individuals may also write to the Commission, although I don’t think they accept emails. Send your letter to 2011 Legislative Reapportionment Commission, North Office Building, Room 104, Harrisburg, PA 17120. You have until November 30. They won’t listen to you.
Finally, we recently had a Democratic Governor and one chamber controlled by Democrats. Why didn’t they implement a neutral reapportionment commission? A number of states have done this. Why is Pennsylvania always at the end of the line, the bottom of the pile, the back of the pack? Look at the current legislative priorities--selling state stores, protecting natural gas drillers, wrecking public schools with vouchers, failing to act on property tax reform, suppressing the vote.
Unfortunately the republicans control the process, so it is unlikely that any change to the district will not happen. I'm sure the courts are controlled by the republicans and they will uphold the map. I'm just a realist on this point.
ReplyDeleteWhat it comes down to is for the people to rise up and elect representatives that would serve them better. Not the interests of the 1%.
Here's copy of e-mail and letter that I delivered to Rep. Heffley office.
ReplyDeleteThey told me that its because of the required number of people that they are allowed to serve.
I asked then why not Lansford since it abuts Coaldale and is closer to Schuylkill County and also the Panther Valley School District.
Never got a good answer why.
Said that I thought the commission was supposed to be non-partisan. Seems that it was a political decision. Summit Hill is heavy registered Democratic area.
The reappointment's committee’s action regarding the removal of Summit Hill is a travesty. You should fight hard to have this changed. Summit Hill is a very important part of Carbon County and of great Historical significant importance.
Transferring Summit Hill to that great waste land to the west is just not a good move.
Keep Carbon intact. They will become a step child that hardly ever gets recognized.
You were elected to serve all of Carbon County and not the State Party bosses.
I want you to stand up for all of Carbon County.
Respectfully,
George White
Towamensing Township