Comments on: Community Commentary

By: MLH

MLH — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 22:26:59 +0000

The only hope is that the new finalized maps will be competitive. The voters do NOT want legislators responsible for drawing their own districts.

Ideally, congressional and legislative district maps would reflect the results of the most recent census. The concept of one-person, one-vote dictates that districts should be roughly equal in population.

On August 17th, former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor addressed the Independent Redistricting Commission. Justice O’Connor praised the volunteer members of the Independent Redistricting Commission for their civic service.

Now, Governor Brewer and the GOP majority in the state cry “gross misconduct” to oust the IRC chair. The rush by Secretary of State Ken Bennett to call the November 1st special session in the Governor’s absence is the epitome of a miscarriage of justice.

The 21 AZ legislators responsible for the ousting should stand accused of “gross misconduct” for ignoring the voters’ will.

The question is: Will the AZ Supreme Court rule in Mathis’ favor to rule her removal as illegal?

If not, who will apply to serve on the IRC?

The Commission on Appellate Court Appointments is seeking applicants who are registered as Independent voters to serve on the Independent Redistricting Commission. Residents of all Arizona counties are eligible to apply, so long as they are registered voters, but not registered as either a Republican or Democrat. Those who have held or run for public office (other than a school board); worked as a registered, paid lobbyist; or served as an officer of a political party, or on a candidate’s campaign committee also are disqualified from consideration.

Applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. Nov. 15. Forms are available at azcourts.gov/jnc/IRCNominations.aspx or by calling 602-452-3311.

By: State Rep. John Kavanagh

State Rep. John Kavanagh — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 18:01:12 +0000

To the comment by the Arizona Eagletarian:

My post did not mention “crimes.” Violations of the open meeting law are civil offenses, although reporter Howie Fischer did once suggest that Mathis may have engaged in criminal bid rigging, which is criminal.

However, a civil violation of the open meeting law involving behind the scenes vote polling is, in my opinion, an example of the gross misconduct that triggers the removal of an IRC member, as per the Arizona constitution. Democrat Senator David Shapira agrees with that statement. (Go to: http://bcove.me/3k39bj9u).

By: Arizona Eagletarian

Arizona Eagletarian — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 01:02:30 +0000

Mr. Kavanagh, whose azleg bio says he holds a Ph.D. in criminal justice. One would think that such an educated individual would be able to put reasonable perspective and be capable of properly assessing the seriousness of “crimes.” However, Kavanagh seems to think that characterizing the alleged open meeting law violations as serious crimes. Would Kavanagh be willing to (or capable of) submitting to the same oath demands regarding his dealings as chair of the House Appropriations Committee?

By: Monica Manning

Monica Manning — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 17:13:55 +0000

The events of the past few days, concluding with the ouster of the commission chair, have surely confirmed for me as a newcomer to Arizona that you selected well in choosing the creation of the redistricting commission as a lens for understanding Arizona politics. Your advice for anyone seeking to replace the ousted chair captures well the politics of redistricting as well as the politics of Arizona. We’re never going to get politics out of politics, but surely we can do better to bring some clear thinking to the politics of the day. Seems to me that is what Thinking Arizona is aiming to do.

By: Jones

Jones — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 16:53:51 +0000

We used to have the Legislature draw the boundaries. THE CITIZENS amended the AZ Constitution for the IRC process. The AZ LEGISLATURE appointed and approved the members. NOW, Gov Jan, Senators Russell and Frank are unhappy. THIS IS THE REASON the voters changed the Constitution. Let’s hope the AZ Supreme Court sees this as unconstitutional and we MOVE FORWARD with the redistricting.

By: Alan

Alan — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 16:19:30 +0000

Here’s a thought let’s let the elected people make decisions! That is the basis of a democratic republic, which is the form of government we are supposed to have. Unelected officials almost always make worse decisions that elected officials — provided the elected officials are give the facts. The IRC has always been little more that another failed effort by progressives to “save” Arizona from its voters. Yes, the party “in power” has an advantage in the redistricting process, but that is the point! That is true for every public policy decision. Elections matter! And, redistricting is probably the public policy issue that elected officials understand better than any other, because they are out with the folks constantly. They understand the communities of interest, the similarly minded areas and neighborhoods and grouping them together encourages participation — splintering cities and neighborhoods breaks down civic engagement and participation.That is the way its worked for almost 200 years (’til we tried to rig the process). Scrap the IRC and let’s get back to a democratic republic.

By: Pres Winslow

Pres Winslow — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 05:21:30 +0000

Competitive legislative districts, combined with a shift to a “top two” priimary system would set the stage for, but not guarantee, more centrist elected officials and policies. In State Rep races, the one-third non-affiliated voters could, for example, vote for a moderate Democrat and a moderate Republican. This would empower the non-affiliated voters and provide an incentive for them to participate in primaries as swing voters. Centrists can’t win office unless they first advance to the general election.