Drawing legislative lines goes to the wire

By David Ammons

Associated Press

OLYMPIA — Only hours remain for the bipartisan citizen Redistricting Commission to finish its work of redrawing the state’s district boundaries.

And what to do with Snohomish County appears to be one of the main sticking points.

The two Republicans and two Democrats had until midnight tonight to reach an agreement or yield the job to the state Supreme Court, something no partisan wants.

The panel, created by voters to end the self-interest of lawmakers drawing their own district boundaries, reported substantial progress Friday, but no one was flatly predicting success.

Commissioners met in open session for less than 10 minutes Friday. They released their latest maps — each party now has a unified proposal on legislative and congressional district boundaries.

Then they bolted for the back rooms, where the real negotiations occur.

"We’re looking at the differences and doing a lot of talking," said Democratic Commissioner Dean Foster, Olympia. "We’re working very hard. There are a lot of balls in the air. … There is a sense of optimism. I’m hopeful we will make it."

Republican Commissioner John Giese, Bellevue, said commissioners negotiated well into the night on Thursday.

"We’re making decent progress in trying to resolve the differences in the lines," he said.

The four commissioners were appointed by the four party caucuses in the Legislature. Using data from the 2000 Census, they’re drawing nine congressional districts of about 650,000 people each and 49 legislative districts with about 120,000 people apiece.

The two sides must collaborate since at least three of the four commissioners must approve a plan. The governor does not have a role, and the Legislature can make only minor modifications.

Based on the latest available information, here is a look at some of the details:

Congressional: Some of the main differences are in the 1st and 2nd, primarily revolving around which district gets Everett and Mukilteo.

Both parties generally agree on Eastern Washington districts, shifting Okanogan County into the 5th District and moving the western boundary of the 4th farther down the Columbia Gorge. The two parties still disagree on the northern boundary of the 3rd, including how much of the Olympia area to leave in the 3rd and whether to shift southern Grays Harbor County into the 6th. Democrats move more of the 9th District into Thurston County. The 8th District is similar in both plans, although Republicans include part of Renton, which Democrats place in the 7th.

Legislative: As of the latest drafts, all nine congressmen were left in their home districts and all but three of the 147 state legislators are still in their home districts. Democratic Reps. Eileen Cody of Seattle and Hans Dunshee of Snohomish apparently will be in new districts, and the same fate may befall Republican Rep. Kirk Pearson of Monroe.

Again, Eastern Washington offers few spats, although some lines have to be negotiated in Spokane. Big changes in rapidly growing Clark-Cowlitz districts are largely settled. Both parties propose putting Aberdeen in the 19th District and Hoquiam in the 24th. Bremerton and Olympia districts still are in flux, as are most of the Seattle area districts. Districts in Snohomish, Skagit and Whatcom counties all remain in dispute.

Copyright ©2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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