The map is now official for the new Pennsylvania state legislative districts. Summit Hill, the area with the highest voter turnout and the highest Democratic loyalty (two features that usually don’t go together), has been carved out of Doyle Heffley’s district. At least two Summit Hill residents were considering a run at Heffley’s seat; both are now residing in Jerry Knowles’s district.
I know this is how it works. In almost all states other than the few that have adopted non-partisan reapportionment commissions, the party in control draws the lines to maximize its power. I taught American government; I get it. It’s one more example of a dysfunctional process.
Let’s review. Pennsylvania has a governor, house, senate, supreme court, and reapportionment commission controlled by the Republican party. The state, therefore, will be gerrymandered to benefit Republicans.
Last week Rep. Heffley said the reapportionment was nonpartisan. Today’s Times News quotes him as saying: “I would have preferred to keep everything. I thought the best interest of the 122nd District is to keep it whole. That’s not possible.” Later in the same article this sentence appears: “Knowles indicated that the redistricting effort was a bipartisan effort.”
There’s a picture of Sen. Argall, Rep. Heffley, and Rep. Knowles on the front page. Knowles looks rather smug. Argall and Heffley are grinning from ear to ear.
Rep. Heffley called me personally to explain this to me.
ReplyDeleteIts was just a scripted reply. He told me about the same thing that was in TN article.