The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission (AIRC) garnered its share of the national spotlight last November when Governor Jan Brewer and the GOP-controlled Senate, along strict party lines, voted to remove the sole Independent commissioner from the 5-member panel.
The Governor cited "gross negligence" as the reason to remove Colleen Mathis, who was also chair of the AIRC. At the time, Brewer and most of the Arizona GOP complained that the Commission's maps favored Democrats even though: a) the maps were still in the draft stage when Mathis was dismissed, with more public comment to follow, and b) most observers agreed that the congressional draft map included four solid GOP seats, two Dem seats, and three toss-ups -- hardly a progressive sweep.
What we soon learned, however, was that Republican incumbents, among them freshman congressmen Ben Quayle and David Schweikert, complained to Governor Brewer and the GOP legislative leadership because the new alignment would pit them against one another. (In fact, that's precisely what's happened: Quayle just announced he'll oppose Schweikert in the new district's primary.)
Schweikert, Quayle and fellow GOP representatives Paul Gosar and Trent Franks had called Republicans in the state Senate to gauge support for the Mathis' removal, according to a Arizona Capital Times report from last Wednesday that credited the information to an anonymous senator. The congressmen also discussed the removal effort with Gov. Jan Brewer (R) during a conference call and urged the governor to go through with the removal process, according to the Capital Times report. HuffPo
The statute that created the AIRC in 2000, which is a voter-approved initiative, says a commissioner can only be removed for "gross negligence and misconduct," which was clearly not the case with Mathis. Republicans invented some phony-baloney excuse about the AIRC violating open-meetings laws; they also whined that the Commission had hired a mapping consultant who worked for Obama's 2008 campaign. The horror! The truth is the GOP simply felt the newly drawn districts were more competitive, and when your party controls the legislature by a 2:1 majority, screw competition!
Brewer's overreach went directly to the Arizona Supreme Court, which quickly reversed the dismissal of Colleen Mathis and reinstated her as chair of the AIRC. Since then, the Commission has completed its public meetings and the new state and federal district maps have been submitted. They only await approval from the Department of Justice.
And you thought it was over...
It turns out House Speaker Andy Tobin also doesn't like the new maps, so he's created his own version, and he'd like the question put to voters.
House Speaker Andy Tobin, an outspoken critic of the new redistricting lines, wants to hold a special election in May to seek voter approval of congressional and legislative districts he's drawn. If approved by voters, the so-called "Tobin alternative" maps would supersede those approved earlier this month by the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission. Arizona Republic
Tobin's bill,
HR 2005, would shift power toward Arizona's rural communities, who Tobin says the AIRC maps have short-shrifted. However, given that more than 80 percent of Arizona's population is centered in the Phoenix and Tucson areas, rural communities have historically wielded more clout than their small populations would suggest. Beyond that, Tobin's power grab aims to protect his own seat.
Forget about the fact voters created the AIRC specifically to block legislative meddling in the redistricting process, which almost always led to incumbents drawing lines to cement their incumbency (which is what Andy Tobin's maps do). Forget about the fact the AIRC held dozens of public meetings to gather citizen input, while Tobin's maps are a creation of his own mind and agenda. Forget about the fact Arizona does not have $8 million for a special election, nor is it even clear the courts would approve Tobin's hijacking of the people's process. Democratic Senator Steve Gallardo of Phoenix said it's hard to believe the Department of Justice would sanction maps drawn without input from minority groups and other communities of interest. And, finally, forget about the fact legislative and congressional candidates are already raising money and planning to run in AIRC's new districts.
Yeah, let's schedule a May special election in a presidential election year when there's no money for it, there's no reason for it, there's barely time to arrange it, it violates the will of voters, and it might not be constitutional. Good idea.