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THE ASTORIAN • TuESdAy, MAy 4, 2021
OPINION
editor@dailyastorian.com
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GUEST COLUMN
Redistricting a partisan exercise?
T
wenty years ago, Democrats in
the Oregon Legislature were
publicly incensed about the
redistricting plan created by then-Sec-
retary of State Bill Bradbury. The plan
arbitrarily benefitted Republican candi-
dates. Or so the Democrats said.
Ah, but their lamentations were for
show. In reality, Democrats were down-
right giddy about how they would profit
from fellow Democrat
Bradbury’s plan. Their
public hand-wring-
ing was merely a ruse
to dispel the notion that
Bradbury was guilty of
pro-Democrat bias.
The Democrats’ tar-
DICK
get audience? The Ore-
HUGHES
gon Supreme Court.
The ruse largely suc-
ceeded. The court rejected almost all
arguments against the plan, leaving Ore-
gonians stuck with gerrymandered leg-
islative districts. In one infamous exam-
ple, the district boundary for Republican
state Sen. Jason Atkinson, of Jackson-
ville, was moved slightly — just far
enough to exclude his residence.
Bradbury’s blatant partisanship could
be repeated this year under Secretary of
State Shemia Fagan unless the Legisla-
ture bucks history and actually agrees on
a redistricting plan.
This year’s process has been upended
by court cases and late results from the
2020 census.
Generally, if the Legislature fails to
settle redistricting, the responsibility
moves to the secretary of state. If there’s
no legislative agreement on congressio-
nal boundaries, the courts decide those
districts.
In both instances, Democrats have
an advantage. Fagan is a progressive
Democrat. The Oregon Supreme Court
remains reliably progressive, thanks to
the judicial appointments by Democratic
Gov. Kate Brown.
These realities make the recent agree-
ment between House Republican Leader
Christine Drazan, of Canby, and House
Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, partic-
ularly intriguing.
House Republicans no longer will
slow the process by insisting that bills
be read aloud in full before voting. In
return, Kotek reconfigured the House
Oregon will draw new political boundaries based on census data.
Redistricting Committee to have equal
numbers of Democrats and Republicans.
She and Senate President Peter Court-
ney, D-Salem, also deviated from the
usual budget process and gave all leg-
islators several million dollars in fed-
eral money to spend on projects in their
district.
More about that unique agreement in
a moment. But first, what’s at stake.
Redistricting is the process every 10
years of redrawing legislative and con-
gressional lines to equalize the number
of people in each district.
“It matters because it makes up the
state Legislature and who represents you
in Congress,” said Rep. Shelly Boshart
Davis, R-Albany, the newly appointed
co-chair of the House committee. She
said having equal representation on the
committee opens the door to having
equitable political representation in Ore-
gon for the next decade.
Redistricting is even more compli-
cated this year because Oregon will gain
a sixth congressional seat, thanks to
the state’s population growth and other
states’ declines. The boundaries of every
district will be affected, including that
of the lone Republican in Oregon’s con-
gressional delegation, Cliff Bentz, in the
2nd Congressional District.
To reduce the likelihood of gerry-
mandering, some states have turned
redistricting over to independent, non-
partisan commissions. A ballot measure
effort to do that in Oregon died last year
amid the pandemic. An independent
redistricting task force convened by the
late Republican Secretary of State Den-
nis Richardson previously faltered.
Regardless of which political party is
in power, that party doesn’t want to give
up its ability to draw partisan lines while
keeping a straight face and promising
fair, reasonable, nonpartisan decisions.
Incumbents of both parties look out for
themselves; they want district bound-
aries that ensure their reelection. Thus,
Oregon has few competitive districts.
Drazan said the Republican agree-
ment with Kotek at least gives Orego-
nians a chance for less-partisan redis-
tricting. Kotek added Drazan to the
redistricting committee and elevated
Boshart Davis to serve as co-chair with
Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Lake Oswego.
The committee is still collecting
information, not drawing lines. That will
happen late this summer and early fall,
presumably followed by a special legis-
lative session to turn the new boundaries
into law. Of course, that assumes that the
House, Senate and governor all agree.
For her part, Salinas did not appear
pleased with her committee changes,
writing in her constituent newsletter:
“Prior to these appointments, Democrats
held three of the five seats on the com-
mittee, and I held the gavel. I will now
co-chair, and Democrats hold only three
of the six seats.”
However, Rep. Anna Williams,
D-Hood River, told her constituents:
“I’ll be honest with you: this may be
harder for me, politically, but I think it’s
good for the state and for the country. As
a swing member who narrowly won my
last election, I probably stood to ben-
efit from a redistricting process under
Democratic control. Our district could
have been reshaped in a way that would
include more likely Democratic voters
and fewer likely Republican voters. That
outcome is unlikely now, under a dual-
party redistricting system — and that’s a
good thing!”
But the House is only half the Leg-
islature. Courtney has given no indica-
tion that he will equalize membership on
the Senate Redistricting Committee. It’s
also telling that Kotek and Courtney did
not create a unified House-Senate redis-
tricting committee this year and instead
had each chamber go its own way.
Democrats still hold the majority of
the redistricting cards. But Republicans
made progress and achieved a big win
by getting $240 million in federal pan-
demic relief divided among all 90 leg-
islative districts, instead of having that
spending determined by the Demo-
crat-controlled Joint Ways and Means
Committee.
That is a fraction of the approxi-
mately $2.6 billion in discretionary
funds headed to Oregon under the Amer-
ican Rescue Plan. And legislators previ-
ously suggested more than $30 billion in
such projects.
Each senator will have $4 million for
one-time projects and each representa-
tive $2 million. Legislators have until
May 10 to submit their plans, which
will be vetted against the rescue plan
guidelines.
Probably because they’re being lob-
bied by constituents and interest groups,
most legislators have not announced
their choices.
dick Hughes has been covering the
Oregon political scene since 1976.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Not correct
eelect. Folks, this is not correct.
Reelect does not honestly label the
four ladies running for the Sunset Empire
Park and Recreation District Board. You
cannot reelect someone if they were never
elected.
Only one person on the current board
was elected, and he has been there for 19
years; maybe it’s time for a change. The
rest were hand-selected.
Sure, they will tell you it was a rigor-
ous selection; I know this is not true. I was
on the board for a short time, and I was
elected. I won my seat by talking to the
voters and promising I would do my best
for them.
Reelect is an untruth and they are aware
of this lie.
Under the direction and encouragement
of the executive director, this board spent
taxpayers’ money like it grows on trees.
The purchase of a very old, questionable,
unsafe building. They paid $2.15 million
of taxpayer money, and say they saved
you millions. Time for a change.
LINDSEY MORRISON
Seaside
R
Capable
few years ago, Clatsop County
snagged a very capable retiree, David
Zunkel. If he ever thought of resting on
his well-deserved laurels, he did not find
them here.
Rather, he immersed himself in our
local public life and within a small number
of years was elected president of Explor-
ing New Concepts of Retirement Educa-
tion (ENCORE). Dave has provided our
organization with wise leadership and
would be reelected if our bylaws did not
prohibit it.
Dave’s diplomatic skills were espe-
cially important when ENCORE separated
its organizational dependency from Clat-
sop Community College. His leadership
saw us through difficult adjustments to our
educational efforts.
As a radiologist, he was one of the
leaders of his professional organizations
and once here, dedicated his fundraising
ability to Columbia Memorial Hospital’s
foundation.
I know Zunkel as a person of astute
A
intellect, impressive diplomatic ability and
absolute integrity. He has the ability to
become an immediate asset to the Clatsop
Community College Board.
ERHARD and ELFI GROSS
Astoria
Getting old
am getting old, and I am finding many
strange things to get interested in. The
most recent is so-called “death taxes.” Of
course, my friends, acquaintances and rel-
atives are also getting old, and worse,
dying.
Some of them planned, or are plan-
ning on, leaving some of what they have
obtained to younger relatives, organi-
zations like Greenpeace, Gun Owners
of America and video lottery machines.
Some of them have something to leave as
simple as a house.
These houses were purchased many
years ago, with the dollars we were using
then. Most of the houses have not been
improved much, mostly just repairs. But
their value has increased greatly, due to
the fact that the dollars we are using now
are worth a lot less, some say less than
half as much, as way back then.
Politicians are all agendas and very lit-
tle brains. They want to make a lot of
expensive changes, which will probably
prove to be worse than what we are doing
now. Even if they prove to be better, they
are not going to bring in big bucks. A dead
loss is better than I expect.
Politicians are going to need a lot
of money for themselves, their friends
and these projects. Taxing the dead is
always easier; they tell no tales, and never
complain.
BENJAMIN A. GREAVES
Seaside
I
Excited
am excited to vote for Al Hernandez for
Position 1, John Huismann for Position
2, Patrick Duhachek for Position 3, Jackie
Evans for Position 4 and Stephen Morri-
son for Position 5 for the Sunset Empire
Park and Recreation District Board.
I feel like they will do a wonderful job
if elected. I feel like they will listen to us
taxpayers, and do their best to communi-
I
cate with us, and consider us, before they
make any financial decisions in the future.
I hope you will join me in voting for
these candidates, so we can get account-
ability for our tax dollars.
KINDWYN HOGE
Seaside
The blue wall
he Bruce Plante cartoon “The verdict”
in the April 24 edition of The Astorian
was interesting, but a little misleading.
It wasn’t Lady Justice who breached the
wall, it was the Democratic elite.
Like Pandora, they do not know that
they have unwittingly opened our home
to an unknown plethora of evils. Among
them: poverty and crime.
I hope these United States can survive.
ROBERT LIDDYCOAT
Seaside
T
What has changed?
he Sunset Empire Park and Recreation
District is at a crossroads. The current
board of directors consists of one elected
member and four appointed members;
therefore not elected by the voters. On the
May 18 ballot, these people are all running
to retain their seats, but each has a very
well-qualified challenger.
T
In November 2018, the voters turned
down the recreation board’s request to
build a new facility. At the time they said
it would be cheaper to build new than
to buy and renovate Broadway Middle
School. The vote was 65% against and
35% for.
So why did they proceed with acquir-
ing the middle school in January any-
way? Recently, experts have stated the
school has mold and asbestos problems,
needs a new roof, as well as the windows
to be replaced, to list the biggest of the
problems.
Combined with these necessary
expenses, they don’t know how to use all
the space! They just recently appointed
committees to discuss what to do with the
white elephant. One would think that the
usage and financial projections would be
well researched prior to taking out loans
and obligating the taxpayers.
I urge voters to elect a new board
to represent the taxpayers. Vote for Al
Hernandez, John Huismann, Patrick
Duhachek, Jackie Evans and Stephen
Morrison to be the SEPRD board.
These individuals all have the expe-
rience and foresight necessary to lead
SEPRD and its employees in the right
direction and maintain their fiduciary
responsibility.
MARGENE RIDOUT
Former SEPRD Board member
Seaside