‘Fayetteville to the Fourth’ debate intensifies
by March 26, 2011 12:41 pm 77 views
Editor’s note: Roby Brock, with our content partner Talk Business, wrote this report. He can be reached at [email protected]
Dueling Facebook pages, competing proposals, interactive web sites – the "Fayetteville to the Fourth" map continues to stir the political debate.
Also referred to as the "Fayetteville Finger" or the "Pig Trail Gerrymander," there’s not a lot of gray opinion on the Congressional redistricting plan advanced by House Democrats in committee on Wednesday.
House State Agencies Chair Rep. Clark Hall, D-Marvell, released on Friday a lengthy statement, to discuss the logic that constructed the plan. (See Hall’s letter below)
"There were strong voices in areas of the state such as Fort Smith, Russellville and Harrison that wanted to remain in their historic home in the 3rd Congressional District and there were passionate voices on both sides of the issue in Washington County," Hall wrote.
PASSIONATE VOICES
In truth, there are going to be "passionate voices" in every map drawn. You won’t find many, if any, Democratic partisans to say it on the record, but the map aims to meet the goal of balancing the numbers required by the Census with the goal of drawing Congressional Districts that would lean at least two of the four districts to Democrats and two to Republicans.
Clearly, the 3rd District remains Republican under the "Fayetteville to the Fourth" plan and the 2nd District becomes more Republican with the addition of Hot Springs Village. The 1st District gaining southern Delta counties and losing Baxter County increases its Democratic performance, while the 4th picks up a swath of would-be Democratic voters.
The two political parties have sparred all week over the issue. On Friday, the bill was not run on the House floor. Speaker Robert Moore, D-Arkansas City, conceded that the votes needed were not firmed up, but Talk Business sources indicated that talks over the weekend could garner House votes and possibly find a compromise with Senate members, who have yet to take up a plan.
One source involved in the negotiations said the House plan "won’t change much" implying that the Washington County shift to the 4th and the alignment of Southeastern Arkansas counties are likely to remain intact. Baxter County could be a negotiating point.
DUELING WEBSITES
Also on Friday, the Arkansas GOP launched a website and Facebook page to highlight the “raw partisan politics," according to state GOP chairman Doyle Webb.
Democratic Party chairman Will Bond stated earlier in the week that Republicans were being partisan.
“The plans that Republican lawmakers have put forward are incumbent protection plans. Republicans have attempted to politicize the process by making the maps only about their incumbent office holders,” he said.
Interestingly, a Facebook page has been started by supporters of the plan in the Fayetteville area. Steve Smith, a former chief of staff to then-Gov. Bill Clinton and husband of former Democratic State Rep. Lindsley Smith, is the organizer.
"We can have that advantage of twice the representation for Northwest Arkansas if we are smart enough to take it: double the clout and double the muster representing us in Washington for the next decade. We just cannot let partisans or those averse to change mess it up,” the Facebook page says.
GOP RESPONSE
Late Friday, freshman Rep. Jon Hubbard, R-Jonesboro, responded to Rep. Hall’s letter released earlier by e-mail. Hubbard accused Hall of "playground bullying tactics" in the operation of the State Agencies Committee during redistricting and he clearly disagrees with the "Fayetteville to the Fourth" plan. (See Hubbard’s letter below)
"Your map is not only a terrible option, but a blatant attempt to circumvent the 2012 and future Congressional elections in this state. This is a perfect example of the dirty political games that have become the norm in AR politics," said Hubbard’s e-mail.
"Hopefully one of these days we will elect people to the Legislature who realize and understand that the public is getting sick and tired of the same old dirty political games that have been played far too long. If this happens, maybe we will finally come to the realization that our purpose for being here is to represent the ‘Will of the People’, and not to protect the power of a certain political party," Hubbard added.
MADISON RESPONSE
Also, State Sen. Sue Madison, D-Fayetteville, who has been sharply criticized by her local chamber president, former Arkansas Attorney General Steve Clark, countered Clark’s claims that Madison could single-handedly stop the controversial redistricting plan. She also responded on her Facebook page to his charge that she was not representing her district.
"If it was so important to Mr. Clark that I attend this meeting, then why didn’t he contact me and ask me to attend? He has yet to contact me to discuss ANY issues during this entire legislative session," said Madison, noting she was running bills in other committees.
"I also take great offense that Mr. Clark has publicly accused me of ignoring my constituents and forgetting the people of Fayetteville. This couldn’t be farther from the truth," she added.
LETTER FROM REP. CLARK HALL
The Arkansas Legislature was faced with difficult choices as they approached the redistricting process. Rapid growth in the Northwest corner of the state combined with slower growth and even population-losing counties in the South and East forced us to redraw the congressional districts to ensure equal representation of all our people. We were faced with accommodating regional interests, keeping communities of interest together, meeting the representation needs of the growing Northwest corner of the state and achieving the mathematical population mandates required by law.
Unlike some proposals submitted by others, the proposal I submitted and Rep. Eddie Cheatham presented this week accomplishes all of those goals.
The Arkansas Delta is a vital part of our state. As one of the most bountiful and successful agricultural regions in the country, there are many similarities and common interests in this region. Just drawing lines West in either the 1st or the 4th Congressional District would dilute the voice of this unique region. While there are counties considered part of the Delta in both the 1st and 4th Congressional Districts, the largest core has historically been in the 1st District. The proposal we submitted meets the population mandates and ensures the voice of Delta farmers and the agricultural community will not be diluted.
In drawing this proposal, a fundamental concern was the best way to address the growing population needs of what is now considered the 3rd Congressional District. Every proposal submitted by both Democratic and Republican members of the legislature included putting all of or parts of both Franklin and Johnson Counties into the 4th District so the remaining question was how to proceed further. There were strong voices in areas of the state such as Fort Smith, Russellville and Harrison that wanted to remain in their historic home in the 3rd Congressional District and there were passionate voices on both sides of the issue in Washington County. The 4th Congressional District is home of great institutions of higher learning such as the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff, Henderson State University, Ouachita Baptist University, Southern Arkansas University, and now, the College of the Ozarks. A community of common interest exists between these communities Fayetteville, home of the flagship campus in our state.
Equally important is the need to address proportional representation in the fastest growing region of our state. By continuing the northward shift of the 4th Congressional District this fast growing area will now have the opportunity for two representatives in the halls of Congress in 2013. It would be interesting to ask other fast growing metro regions around the country such as Atlanta or Dallas if they believe their interests would be best served by only one member of Congress or if they feel that having multiple voices advocating for them on the national stage helps to fuel their fast growing success.
It was interesting to note in a recent legislative committee meeting that Fayetteville Chamber President Steve Clark argued against this proposal and its advantages for Northwest Arkansas in seemingly contradictory terms. He was concerned new congressional district boundaries would create counterproductive divisions in Northwest Arkansas. He also referred to the example of the success of the metro area of Northwest Arkansas, Southwest Missouri, and Northeast Oklahoma working together to accomplish common goals as a region. One has to wonder if Razorbacks, Sooners and Tigers work together effectively despite state boundaries between them, how would the invisible Congressional lines within Washington county be able to deter the process. If this is of genuine concern, why isn’t Mr. Clark also at the Missouri State Capitol to talk about how the new Congressional boundaries in Southwest Missouri will hurt the same regional metro area including Northwest Arkansas to which he referred?
Change is difficult. But this process is mandated every ten years to account for population shifts and to continually ensure every person has a virtually equal vote. Change will always be met with opposition by some people. What we have accomplished is a fair proposal that addresses the needs of our state and the legal mandate set before us. We have approached this in a fair and bipartisan manner seeking input from individuals around the state of Arkansas. From a legal perspective we have met the mandate of one voice, one vote. Those who would argue against this change from an aversion to change must understand that change is mandated. Those who would argue against this change because it is not tailored to their own political ambitions or partisan whims must understand that the people of our state have to come first.
LETTER FROM REP. JON HUBBARD
Clark:
I was very disappointed, but certainly not surprised to see your playground bullying tactics during the State Agency Committee meeting late Wednesday afternoon to limit choices for redistricting maps to be considered on the House floor. There were other viable options available and ready to be offered for consideration during the committee meeting, but you ignored motions to consider these options, and instead selected yours as the only version to bring to the floor. If this email you sent is an attempt to bring credibility to your map, it has failed to do so. Your map is not only a terrible option, but a blatant attempt to circumvent the 2012 and future Congressional elections in this state. This is a perfect example of the dirty political games that have become the norm in AR politics.
Hopefully one of these days we will elect people to the Legislature who realize and understand that the public is getting sick and tired of the same old dirty political games that have been played far too long. If this happens, maybe we will finally come to the realization that our purpose for being here is to represent the "Will of the People", and not to protect the power of a certain political party. You are correct that the people of this state should come first, and once you begin to place what is important to these people at the top of your list, then their best interest will finally be much better served.
Oh, by the way, I and several other people saw you cast a "NO" vote on John Vines voting machine on my HB2007 while he was off the floor today, and as I found out later, without his knowledge or permission. I don’t know if you have noticed or not, but there are a few NEW members here now who are not going to roll over and play dead while Dems continue to play their political games, and I am one of those!
I am looking forward to Monday!
Sincerely,
Jon Hubbard