By David Ammons
Associated Press
OLYMPIA — Washington’s citizen Redistricting Commission, operating under the maxim "better late than never," approved new congressional districts on New Year’s Day, 17 days after its deadline.
By missing the Dec. 15 deadline, the panel of two Democrats and two Republicans left the new boundaries under a legal cloud. Commissioners voted to ask Attorney General Christine Gregoire to plot the best strategy for making sure their work isn’t headed for the trash can.
That could involve going to the Legislature or the state Supreme Court — or both.
It’s largely a status quo plan, with nothing that particularly worries any of the current U.S. House delegation, now six Democrats and three Republicans. Independent analysts say the Republicans could pick up a seat or even two, but that the 2002 election could well leave the split just the way it is.
The commissioners were in a festive mood, even though two members had to return from foreign vacations to cast their votes. Although none would speculate that their work would definitely stand up under legal scrutiny, commissioners said they remain optimistic.
"We did our job the best way we could, and we have a product we can stand behind," said Dick Derham, a Republican commissioner from Seattle.
Bill Collins, senior assistant attorney general, said it’s unclear what the next step will be.
"We’re in unplowed ground," he told the panel. "I have to be frank in telling you I’m not exactly sure what the proper thing is to do."
In a later interview, he added, "The political process has done what it was supposed to do and there is still some (legal) work to be done. I don’t know how it will end up."
Commissioners said one idea is to ask lawmakers to retroactively move back the deadline — and thus bless the work of the commission. Or the state lawyers could decide to ask the state Supreme Court to ratify the new legislative and congressional district boundaries.
The 1983 state constitutional amendment creating the Redistricting Commission turns the redistricting duties over to the high court if the commission is unable to approve a plan on time.
The commission approved boundaries for 49 new legislative districts early on the morning of Dec. 16 and the nine new congressional districts on New Year’s Day.
Both missed the Dec. 15 deadline created by the Legislature, but not the Jan. 1 deadline mentioned in the Constitution — a distinction the commission is stressing.
Derham and Democratic commissioner Dean Foster of Olympia hammered out the congressional compromise during a series of five meetings at two Fife cafes. The commission had come reasonably close last month, but got bogged down over Puget Sound-area districts.
"I’ve always heard the phrase that sometimes ‘you can’t see the forest for the trees,’ " Foster said. "Well, we got (stuck) in the underbrush. We finally got out of it and decided that we’ve got some pretty good ideas here and let’s go for it."
He confirmed that the commission was under heavy pressure from the state’s congressional delegation to go back to the bargaining table and not turn the project over to the court.
The panel adopted the proposal unanimously Tuesday. It takes three of the four commissioners to approve a plan.
Foster said the new districts look remarkably like the current ones, with changes made mostly to adjust for population shifts over the past decade. Still, more than one million residents will find themselves in new districts, most notably in the Puget Sound region.
U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash., embraced the commission’s plan in an earlier interview, saying it disrupts relatively few voters.
"I think this is great, and I hope it will be honored by the court," he said.
Unless changed by the court, the new districts will take effect in time for the fall elections.
Both parties expressed satisfaction with the new district lines.
"It’s a fair plan, although I’m not sure either party would consider it a ‘win,’ " Derham said.
The plan wouldn’t have passed if it hadn’t treated both sides equitably, Foster said.
Both architects said the plan leaves the 4th and 5th Districts in Eastern Washington as Republican areas and that the 8th District still leans GOP. The 6th and 7th Districts remain dependably Democratic, and the other districts are political "swing" districts, competitive enough to be within reach of either party, they said.
All nine incumbents are seeking re-election and are favored. The 2nd District, represented by freshman Democrat Rick Larsen, is considered the most competitive so far.
BOTTOM LINE: Citizen commission approved congressional districts on New Year’s Day, the deadline mentioned in the state Constitution, but 17 days past the statutory deadline of Dec. 15. Legislative district boundaries were approved Dec. 16.
NEXT: Attorney General Christine Gregoire has been asked to devise the best strategy for upholding the new plans. The Legislature may be asked to validate the plans by retroactively moving the deadline to Jan. 1. The state Supreme Court may also get involved.
TOUCHPOINTS: Eastern Washington Congressional districts are little changed. The 1st includes Bainbridge Island and crosses the Sound to take in Edmonds, Lynnwood, Mukilteo and Seattle’s Eastside. Most of Everett is left in the 2nd.
ON THE NET: New maps are available on the Redistricting Commission’s web site, www.redistricting.wa.gov
Copyright ©2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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