Redistricting full of twists and turns

Editorials

August 30, 2010

By Jack Elliott Jr., Associated Press Writer Associated Press Mon Aug 30, 2010, 10:09 AM CDT

JACKSON — During Mississippi legislative redistricting in 2002, one state senator and three House members watched their districts get shuffled out of existence.

In addition, a new House district pitted two incumbent Republicans against each other in the Golden Triangle area in north Mississippi.

To say the incumbents hurt by the plans were angry is an understatement.

“That’s the biggest bunch of horse manure ever invented in this Capitol,” said Rep. Tom Cameron, an independent from Greenville, whose district was dissolved into three others.

Sen. Tim Johnson, a Republican from Madison, saw his central Mississippi district evaporate so northern DeSoto County could gain a seat. Johnson, an Elvis impersonator, delivered a speech that was not only gracious but funny, saying he found it somehow appropriate that even though he wasn’t going to the Memphis suburbs, his district number was.

“It does put me a little closer to Graceland,” Johnson joked.

Lawmakers redraw Mississippi’s 122 state House districts and 52 Senate districts every 10 years to accommodate changes revealed by the census.

The process begins again next year after the state receives the new population count.

The Joint Legislative Committee on Reapportionment and Redistricting has been conducting public meetings across Mississippi about redrawing congressional and legislative districts.

Congressional districts have not been immune from consolidation.

In 2002, Congressmen Chip Pickering, a Republican, and Ronnie Shows, a Democrat, were forced into the same district when Mississippi lost a U.S. House seat. Pickering won the election.

Lawmakers are hoping for a less contentious redistricting process.

Few changes are expected among congressional districts, although the Delta’s 2nd District may have to pick up some population from either the northern 1st or central 3rd.

Population shifts may have more affect on redrawing legislative districts. But even then, the mood appears to be one of getting along to avoid what occurred after the 1990 Census when lawmakers had to run twice — in 1991 in old districts and 1992 in newly drawn districts.

“The motivation that the individual members have — apart from the common good, which is always nice — is that out of self preservation, folks don’t want to do that,” said Sen. Hob Bryan, a Democrat from Amory and former chairman of the Senate Election Committee.

“There’s an enormous incentive for members of the Legislature to do it right, and I think they will. I think there’s a growing consensus that we need to have dramatically fewer split precincts than we did last time. And I think we’ll do that.”

State Rep. Greg Snowden, a Republican from Meridian, said elections are costly, and in a time when state and local governments are struggling to pay the bills, no one wants to fund election re-do’s.

Snowden said that splitting precincts was the overwhelming concern expressed by citizens to the legislative committee at a hearing in his hometown.

Bryan said there are different opinions over whether it is better to leave a county intact or split it up.

“Both Jack Gordon and I ran extremely well in Clay County, and both of us were extremely interested in anything we could do for Clay County,” Bryan said.

Clay County is now in the district represented by Sen. Bennie Turner, a Democrat from West Point.

“But Sen. Gordon and I still remember all those very kind people in Clay County and we’re still grateful. So, it is not the case that if a county is divided between two districts that is necessarily bad. It depends on how it all plays out,” Bryan said.

Text Only | Photo Reprints

Editorials

Dems’ turnout slips since ‘07 primary
More people voted Democratic than Republican in Mississippi’s primaries last week, but that doesn’t mean the Dems should break out the bubbly. In fact, the numbers might give them reason for heartburn.

August 8, 2011
Risk-rewards of beachfront homeownership
People who build beachfront homes in Biloxi know they are taking a risk. Maybe not this year or the next or even the next, but sooner or later Mother Nature will deliver her fury, usually in the form of a hurricane, against the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

August 5, 2011
OUR VIEW: Awesome job in landing major company locally
Christmas came six months early for Jones County when it was announced this week a major manufacturer would set up shop in the Howard Technology Park, something the facility has been attempting to acquire for years. And from all accounts, it was a team effort to have this gift end up in our lap.

July 31, 2011
OUR VIEW: Teen ‘prank’ could be deadly
July 27, 2011
Hurdles to taxing online sales
The next time you’re talking with candidates for the Legislature, ask if they think everyone should pay their fair share of sales taxes.

July 25, 2011
New Choctaw chief seeks tribal unity
For 28 years, Phillip Martin was the very public face of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, as comfortable in the halls of Congress as he was at the Mississippi Capitol.

July 11, 2011
OUR VIEW: Tough Decisions Ahead
Jones County Tax Assessor Ramona Q. Blackledge recently released preliminary revenue numbers for the coming year compared to this year and it looks like we will be facing a loss of about $700,000 in our annual revenues.

July 10, 2011
OUR VIEW: Why the obsession?
The earth finally began to rotate once again Tuesday afternoon after being suspended while the world watched the Casey Anthony murder trial play out the past month in a Florida courtroom.

July 6, 2011
OUR VIEW: Thank our military this July Fourth
July 3, 2011
ATV drivers need safe place to ride
The recent front-page article regarding problems caused by riding ATV’s (All-Terrain Vehicles) in improper places and manner motivated me to pass along some thoughts I have on the issue.

July 1, 2011
More Editorials Headlines

Editorials

Search Results

Redistricting full of twists and turns

Do you believe changes need to be made in Mississippi's mental health system?

Site Map