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Drawing lines or playing politics?

To take the controversy out of redrawing political districting maps, some want to take the politicians out of the process.

By JONI JAMES
Published August 22, 2005

TALLAHASSEE - It was the first time since Reconstruction that the Florida Legislature had a Republican Senate president, and he was disgusted.

Ander Crenshaw joined Democratic Gov. Lawton Chiles in 1993 to make a bold proposal: An independent commission, not politicians, should draw the boundaries for state legislative seats and federal congressional districts.

The 1992 redistricting, Crenshaw said, was "one of the most gut-wrenching, stomach-turning, friendship-breaking processes that I've ever seen."

In a rare show of bipartisanship, all 40 senators voted for Crenshaw's plan, including fellow Republicans Charlie Crist, now the state Attorney General, and Toni Jennings, now the lieutenant governor.

But the state House, then dominated by Democrats, rejected the idea.

Now, another effort is under way to take the job of redrawing political boundaries away from politicians.

But this time supporters can't expect Crenshaw's help. Or Crist's. Or Jennings'.

Three petitions pushed by Common Cause, and backed by a prominent bipartisan group of former politicians, wants to strip the Legislature's redistricting authority and place it in the hands of 15 citizens who have no ties to Tallahassee lawmaking.

Twelve years after Crenshaw's stand, Republicans are firmly in control of both chambers of the state Legislature, the Governor's Mansion and dominate the Florida congressional delegation. And like the Democratic majority before them, they've shown little interest in changing the system.

Crenshaw, now a member of the U.S. Congress from Jacksonville, couldn't be reached for comment. Neither could Jennings. Crist said he thinks the current system appears to work just fine.

"Can't I change my mind?" Crist said.

* * *

California Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is pushing a similar ballot measure there to take redistricting away from the Democrat-controlled Legislature. Gov. Jeb Bush joined him in May at a South Florida fundraiser for the cause.

But Bush opposes the Florida measure, arguing no commission can be independent when politicians appoint the members.

The Common Cause proposal, under the name Committee for Fair Elections, would include six members appointed by Republican legislative leaders and six by Democratic legislative leaders. The remaining three members would be appointed by the Florida Supreme Court chief justice and would have to be either registered as an independent or with a minor party.

"You can't take the politics out of politics," Bush argues.

Supporters, however, argue it can't get any worse.

"Right now we have a system where politicians pick their voters rather than voters picking their politicians," said Paul Dunn, 25, a Common Cause employee running the campaign from Ybor City.

Under the current system, lawmakers redraw the political boundaries every 10 years based on the latest census data. The districts have gotten less and less competitive, thanks largely to sophisticated computers.

During the 2004 election cycle, no incumbent legislator from either party was defeated. Fewer than 1 out of 3 drew opponents.

"I'll grant the governor's point, to a point," said Ben Wilcox, executive director of Common Cause for Florida and chairman of the political action committee organizing the campaign. "But we think we've built in some mechanisms that will help."

The initiative would severely limit the pool of normal political appointees from serving on the redistricting commission. It bans anyone who in the previous four years was an elected state official, member of Congress or paid lobbyist. Neither can employees of those people or relatives qualify. Those appointed would also have to pledge to abstain, for at least four years after leaving the commission, from seeking state or congressional office or working as a paid lobbyist.

Under the plan, districts could "not be drawn to favor an incumbent, political party or other persons." Competitive districts also "should be favored."

Ten of the 15 members must agree on a plan. "That assures bipartisan buy-in," Wilcox said.

If the commission can't agree, the chore would fall to the courts, as it does now if the Legislature fails.

* * *

In 1998, the Constitutional Revision Commission, formed every 20 years to consider changes to the state Constitution, considered an independent redistricting process. It fell one vote short of putting it on the ballot.

One commission member, prominent Democrat and Tallahassee lawyer Dexter Douglass, launched an all-volunteer petition drive like the one Common Cause is pursuing now.

By 2002, he gathered 25,000 signatures, far short of the 488,722 then needed to qualify for the ballot.

This time, organizers are raising large sums of money to pay people to collect signatures.

The group's three petitions would create the redistricting commission, define standards for drawing districts and require the commission to create a new redistricting plan in time for the 2008 elections. Late last week, each had roughly 45,000 signatures.

To get on the November 2006 ballot, each needs 611,008 signatures by Feb.1 and must pass the scrutiny of the Florida Supreme Court. Few Republicans have signed on to the effort, though former state Comptroller Bob Milligan and prominent Republican and Tallahassee lawyer Thom Rumberger are among the committee's "honorary chairmen." So are three prominent Democrats, former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, former Education Commissioner Betty Castor and former U.S. Rep. Carrie Meek of Miami.

Much of the $539,000 raised through June 30 came from groups that traditionally back Democrats. The Service Employees International Union gave $100,000 through an affiliated political committee. AFSCME, the union representing government workers, gave $50,000.

But nearly $250,000 came from Common Cause's national organization. The group bills itself as nonpartisan and is campaigning for independent redistricting commissions across the country, including California.

"Since the 1980s, the majority of the time our allies on this issue have been the Republicans," Wilcox said. "That's the dynamic. It's all about who has the power at the time. They don't want to give it up."

--Joni James can be reached at jjames@sptimes.com or 850 224-7263.

[Last modified August 22, 2005, 01:08:08]