Thinking Arizona
Facts to Inform the Public Discourse
Redistricting List Narrowed to 25
December 14, 2010
By David Schwartz
And then there were 25.
An Arizona court panel has picked 25 candidates to potentially draw the state’s congressional and legislative districts, choosing a list that is heavy with Maricopa County residents.
Sixteen individuals from the state’s most populous county were selected following brief interviews on Wednesday by the Commission on Appellate Court Appointments. Pima County has six representatives, with one each from Coconino, Navajo and Yuma counties.
“I think this commission worked very hard and was very conscientious in attempting to select from all of the applications the very most meritorious,” said Supreme Court Chief Justice Rebecca White Berch, who heads the commission, moments after the vote.
Commission members pared a list of 40 applicants, selecting 10 Democrats, 10 Republicans and five independents as required by law. Now those names will be forwarded to legislative leaders to pick four of the five members needed to form the new Independent Redistricting Commission. The four members then will pick the fifth – the group’s chairman. The process is expected to be completed by early March.
Selections Listed
The individuals who were recommended to lawmakers are:
Democrats (10): Marcia Busching, Robert Cannon, Jose Herrera, all Maricopa; Linda McNulty, William Roe, Mark Rubin, and Marshall Worden, all Pima; Eric Henderson, Navajo County; Lawrence Mohrweis, Coconino County; and Jimmie Dee Smith, Yuma County.
Republicans (10): Jim Bruner, Louis de Leon, Scott Freeman, Patrick McWhortor, Michael Perry, Mark Schnepf, Susan Shultz, Stephen Sossaman and Lynn Werner, all Maricopa; and Benny White, Pima.
Independents (5): Paul Bender, Ray Bladine, Kimber Lanning, Margarita Silva, all Maricopa; and Colleen Mathis, Pima.
This is the second time around since voters approved a measure in 2000 to take the redistricting process out of the hands of the Legislature. The redistricting boundaries drawn by the first commission were ultimately upheld by the state Supreme Court, but not without years of legal battles primarily over whether the districts created were competitive and adhered to the law.
Controversy Over One Choice
On Wednesday, most of the controversy centered on whether Bender, an Arizona State University law professor, was eligible for the post. The Goldwater Institute and others have objected to the nomination, saying his role with two tribal courts disqualified him.
But the commission voted to forward his name to legislative leaders anyway, letting lawmakers decide on any final resolution of the issue. Bender is a registered independent.
Commission member Jill Harrison, a Coconino County representative, said the former ASU law school dean and Arizona constitutional law expert was “excessively qualified” and that it would “seem bizarre if we didn’t pick Professor Bender.”
Berch said she came away pleased with the process, although she expected more people to apply. Seventy-nine people submitted applications. Last time, more than 300 people applied.
“I think all in all, anyone watching this process would say that by and large the very best people were picked and went up (to the Legislature),” she said.
David Schwartz is a veteran Arizona-based journalist.
