[LWVNM Action] ABQ Journal - Editorial: Governor should veto lawmakers’ partisan, divisive congressional map

Thu Dec 16 17:56:25 MST 2021

 We have spoken about the process, not specific legislation. That is the position of Fair Districts and what Hannah has testified to that at hearings.She speaks for the League.
Bringing groups like NMFOG into Fair Districts was based upon speaking up for fairness and transparency.. As you note they did not mention any legislation in their letter, neither did we in our statement. We owe it ot our partners to stay true to our promises.

Of course individual members can take action based on the information provided to them by the League. Some already have. 

Dick Mason

-----Original Message-----
From: Akkana Peck via Action <action at mailman.swcp.com>
To: action at mailman.swcp.com
Cc: Akkana Peck <akkana at shallowsky.com>
Sent: Thu, Dec 16, 2021 5:42 pm
Subject: Re: [LWVNM Action] ABQ Journal - Editorial: Governor should veto lawmakers’ partisan, divisive congressional map

LWVNM has already spoken out against SB1, though. Via Constant
Contact (I think), and I was asked to put a statement on the
LWVNM website a few hours ago that echoed NMFOG's letter.

        ...Akkana

Richard Mason via Action writes:
>  I will repeat. We brought Fair Districts together under a transparency and fairness principles. That large cross partisan coalition has been effective in the creation of the CRC and of shining light on the Legisltive process. We need to stand with what we promised our partners. There is a special responsibility as being the convener of the coalition. Can't bring people together under one set of principles and then decide to go your own way. That is what kills coalitions.
> Dick Mason
>  
>  
> -----Original Message-----
> From: George Richmond via Action <action at mailman.swcp.com>
> To: action at mailman.swcp.com
> Cc: George Richmond <geomrich1 at comcast.net>
> Sent: Thu, Dec 16, 2021 4:26 pm
> Subject: Re: [LWVNM Action] ABQ Journal - Editorial: Governor should veto lawmakers’ partisan, divisive congressional map
> 
>  It seems to me that bring critical is really being against the outcome of the process, and thus against SB1. 
>  George Richmond
>  On 12/16/2021 3:54 PM, Richard Mason via Action wrote:
>  
>  
> The League as convener of Fair Districts for NM that has 39 partners is the supporting the position of Fair Districts. We don't take a position on any of the maps, but have been very vocal and critical of the process including the one that produced SB1 - the Congressional map.  
>  Dick Mason
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  -----Original Message-----
>  From: West Laura via Action <action at mailman.swcp.com>
>  To: Richard Mason via Action <action at mailman.swcp.com>
>  Cc: West Laura <laura_western at yahoo.com>
>  Sent: Thu, Dec 16, 2021 2:30 pm
>  Subject: Re: [LWVNM Action] ABQ Journal - Editorial: Governor should veto lawmakers’ partisan, divisive congressional map
>  
>    Dick: 
>  How could the LWVNM not have a position on this editorial.  The League should come out in full support of it.  What the Legislature has done with redistricting is shameful and clearly doesn't support the Citizens Redistricting Act.  Could you please explain to me why the LWVNM doesn't support the editorial? 
>  Kind regards, 
>  Laura Riedel Santa Fe      On Thursday, December 16, 2021, 12:02:15 PM MST, Richard Mason via Action <action at mailman.swcp.com> wrote:  
>  
>      
> The LWVNM does not have a position on this - For info only
>  
>  
> Editorial: Governor should veto lawmakers’ partisan, divisive congressional map
>  BY ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL EDITORIAL BOARD
>  WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15TH, 2021 AT 5:02AM      Retired Supreme Court Chief Justice Edward Chavez and retired Court of Appeals Chief Judge Roderick Kennedy “enthusiastically” accepted the invitation to co-chair a redistricting task force “to bring justice, fairness and transparency” to the contentious decennial process. And yet, the far-flung congressional map before Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham would carve the oil patch into three districts; split the population centers of Hobbs, Roswell and Albuquerque; and dilute the rural vote and shift even more political power to central New Mexico. In addition, it wasn’t even among the maps endorsed by the Citizen Redistricting Committee, created to follow through on the task force’s work. The time has come for the governor to honor the fact that her constituents should get to pick their representatives in government — rather than representatives in government picking their constituents. She should veto the map. Chavez and Kennedy said in a Journal guest column in January that the 25-member Redistricting Task Force worked for 12 weeks studying state and federal requirements, best practices from other states and concerns from specific communities before developing 18 consensus recommendations — all in a report available at NMFirst.org. The 22-page report says the guiding values should entail keeping like-minded communities together, prioritizing communities of interest, protecting marginalized groups, avoiding court intervention, and not favoring anyone, specifically political parties or incumbents. State lawmakers then created a seven-member Citizen Redistricting Committee, whose stated aim was to propose sets of maps honoring the redistricting principles. It’s hard to square those principles with state lawmakers’ approved congressional map, which would dramatically and unnecessarily reshape the state’s political landscape. The Citizen Redistricting Committee proposed three maps, and the Journal Editorial Board preferred the option that unified the Albuquerque metro area. We could live with the one that kept the status quo. The third, so-called “People’s Map,” was a gerrymandered abomination. The map on the governor’s desk takes that one even further and is even more painfully partisan. It can be viewed at https://www.nmlegis.gov/Redistricting2021/Maps_And_Data?ID202=221711.1 If approved, the northern-based 3rd Congressional District of incumbent Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-Santa Fe, would stretch from Farmington down to north Hobbs and also pick up most of Roswell. It would still lean heavily Democratic, but would bring in a large area of constituents at odds with Leger Fernandez’s platforms. The central 1st Congressional District of incumbent Melanie Stansbury, D-Albuquerque, which contains most of metro Albuquerque, would shed much of the West Side, add Rio Rancho and run down to northwest Roswell to include a host of rural counties with very different constituent concerns from the urban core. It would also continue to lean Democratic. And the southern New Mexico-based 2nd Congressional District of Yvette Herrell, R-Alamogordo, would recoup its population losses by picking up much of Albuquerque’s West Side, including parts of Taylor Ranch and Ventana Ranch, the Barelas neighborhood and the South Valley. This would turn the traditionally Republican-leaning district into another one leaning Democrat, while carving up neighborhoods throughout the Albuquerque area. One example of the incongruity — the Rio Grande Zoo would shift to CD2, while Tingley Beach and the Albuquerque Country Club would remain in CD1. So much for preserving communities of interest. Strike one. Court battles over redistricting cost the state more than $6 million in 2011 and $3.7 million in 2001 in legal costs. House Republican leaders are already talking about challenging the map in court. So much for avoiding court. Strike two. Insiders say none of our three congresswomen likes the proposed map. Little wonder. It shifts much of the metro area’s population into southern CD2, which not only increases the chances of all three congressional seats being held by Democrats, but also being held by someone from Albuquerque or Santa Fe. That’s unfair to residents outside the Santa Fe-Albuquerque corridor. And it’s unfair to members of our congressional delegation, who already cover large swathes of New Mexico. This map increases the geographic and political stretch each must cover. The rural-urban divide has been an issue in New Mexico for decades. Southern New Mexico produces much of the state’s revenue via oil and gas, yet its conservative voting base feels little love from Santa Fe. And this map takes a chainsaw to that base. So much for not favoring a specific group or party. Strike three. Lujan Grisham should not allow herself to be swayed by her party’s antics — she should take this opportunity to be a true leader and represent the whole state when it comes to redistricting. Vetoing the congressional map and sending lawmakers back to the drawing board with instructions to honor the task force’s principles will do just that. This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.  
> 
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> George M. Richmond
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