The fix is in! From Lee Davidson (for the Tribune):
Republicans plan to let Democrats win a small battle or two but force them to lose the overall war on Wednesday as the Legislature’s Redistricting Committee debates new Utah Senate districts...Republicans plan to let Democrats win a small battle or two but force them to lose the overall war on Wednesday as the Legislature’s Redistricting Committee debates new Utah Senate districts...Republicans do plan to add a seat in Utah County by consolidating the Senate’s current seven Democratic districts — all in Salt Lake County — into six, eliminating one.
It's good that the UT GOP has agreed to leave Senator Robles' seat alone: a merger with Davis County would have been insane enough to attract unwelcome scrutiny (even in this state). Senator Robles' district on Salt Lake's west side has absolutely nothing in common with Senator Liljenquist's Davis County district, and combining the two would have been bad for both in terms of fairly representing the interests of citizens.
Of course the Republican Party in Utah - oh, excuse me, I mean the "nonpartisan" committee in charge of redistricting - is not foolish enough to throw away a prime opportunity to kick Democrats in the stones, and eliminating a Salt Lake City seat in the Senate to throw another vote into the "R" column is exactly such a kick.
For people so ideologically opposed to even a simple census that their fellow travelers encouraged violent reprisals against federal bean-counters, Utah conservatives sure have benefited from the process.
UPDATE: Well dog my cats:
The Legislature’s Redistricting Committee stumbled Wednesday in an attempt to adopt new Utah Senate districts when several members and community groups complained that a draft proposal was unfair to their home areas, and the group voted abruptly to adjourn.
I suppose that will teach me to count my chickens before they hatch.
Comments
Post a Comment