Supposed to be handled at state level
By Eric Boehm | PA Independent
HARRISBURG — Key members in the Pennsylvania Legislature are promising to make this year’s redistricting process transparent and constitutional, but political observers warn there is undue influence from politicians and special interests in Washington, D.C..
At stake is the shape and size of Pennsylvania’s congressional districts for the next 10 years beginning with the 2012 election. After spending the past decade with 19 representatives in Washington, Pennsylvania will be reduced to 18 seats because the state did not grow as rapidly as others, according to the recent census.
Pennsylvania grew by only 3 percent during the past 10 years, while the nation as a whole grew by 9.7 percent during the same period.
The Legislature is charged with redrawing the congressional districts and will have to decide which member of the delegation will be axed. With Republicans in control of the state House, state Senate and governor's office, the eliminated district will almost certainly be one of Pennsylvania’s seven Democratic congressmen, political analysts said.
Though the state Constitution directs the General Assembly to handle the congressional district map, it's rarely that pure.
Tim Potts, executive director of Democracy Rising PA, a citizens’ advocacy group, said the
congressional map is typically influenced by special interests and politicians in Washington, rather than being purely the product of state politics.
“It is a standard piece of legislation, so it is subject to all the perils of a piece of legislation,” said Potts.
He said congressional Republicans and GOP campaign committees are likely to have the most influence.
Unlike the state-level redistricting process, which is controlled by a bipartisan panel of lawmakers, the congressional map is passed as a piece of legislation, meaning the majority rules.
Speculation is that U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., is taking the lead on redrawing the political map. Shuster is the third-longest tenured Republican in the state’s delegation. Shuster's office did not return calls for comment.
Before the final map passes the General Assembly, it must be approved by the state government committees in both the House and Senate, giving the chairs of those committees a significant level of control.
State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Butler, chair of the House State Government Committee, said he will make sure the final plan is “constitutional, legal and fair.” Metcalfe admitted the congressional delegation influences the process, but denied any single congressman is in charge.
“I wouldn’t say that they have influence as much as they have the opportunity to input like any citizen,” said Metcalfe. “Obviously, they have a higher level of interest in how the districts will be redrawn, but ultimately the decision is going to be made by the Pennsylvania General Assembly.”
Metcalfe promised several hearings on the proposals once they become official. No dates have been set yet, but he expects the legislation to begin moving by early summer.
Terry Madonna, professor of political science at Franklin and Marshall College, agreed congressmen typically control much of the redistricting process, particularly those from the party with majority control of the state government.
According to Madonna, the district most likely to be eliminated is the 12th District, former home to long-time U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa.
Republicans are likely to target the seat because it is currently in Democratic hands and due to its highly gerrymandered shape.
A preliminary Republican plan for the 12th District would eliminate it by carving it up between three other districts, strengthening two Republican seats while forcing two Democratic congressmen into a primary battle.
Under the potential plan, Shuster and U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy, another Republican, would absorb parts of the 12th District. Current U.S. Rep. Mark Critz, D-Pa., who replaced Murtha when he passed away last year, would see his hometown of Johnstown included in the 4th District, currently held by U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire, another Democrat.
If the plan were put in place, Altmire’s 4th District would extend from the Ohio border, through the northern suburbs of Pittsburgh, all the way to Johnstown in Cambria County. It would turn the currently compact district into a long, thin line.
“So we’ll trade a dragon for a snake,” said Madonna, referring to the oddly shaped 12th District and the potentially elongated 4th District.
Metcalfe said he had seen a proposed redraw of the 4th District in that manner, but denied that it came through official channels.
“People are going to put forth all kinds of ideas,” said Metcalfe. “We’re losing a district, so all the other districts have to grow. But people will have a chance to bring in those types of maps and give input about what should be done.”
The other major change to the map would take place in the northeast Pennsylvania, as Democrat U.S. Rep. Tim Holden’s district would be extended northward to include Lackawanna County, removing the city of Scranton from the district of U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Pa.
In theory, the move would make Holden and Barletta more secure for 2012, said Madonna.
However, the plan also would result in stretching Holden’s district all the way from Harrisburg to Scranton — two cities separated by more than 100 miles.
Historically, the state Supreme Court – which has the final say on any challenges brought against a new district map – has allowed political gerrymandering as long as districts remain contiguous and contain the same number of constituents, said Madonna.
In Pennsylvania, the redistricting process for state legislative districts is handled by the four legislative caucus leaders and a fifth member selected by those four. This year, Senate and House leaders have repeatedly promised to make the process more transparent than in the past. Statewide hearings will be held to select the fifth member of the redistricting commission.
