Maryland’s Special Session: Redistricting and Other Political Hot Potatoes Featuring Maryland St. Senator Kasemeyer with St. Delegates Deboy & Malone
Why Should I Care about Redistricting?
“Redistricting” sounds like a pretty boring topic to the average citizen, but to those who follow politics closely, nothing can get a heated argument started faster. Every ten years, after every US Census, all state legislatures must re-draw their legislative districts in response to the population figures generated by the latest census. With the release of the census taken during 2010, the Maryland legislature must meet to redraw those boundaries. Normally meeting for three months beginning in January of each year, the legislature can be called into special session by Governor, and that session is currently scheduled to start in early October of this year.
No routine process of government is more subject to heavy-handed politics than redistricting. The number one objective of the party in power (the Democrats in Maryland) is maximizing the number of seats that will be relatively safe for their party. This means creating legislative districts that snake around and carve up existing communities into unrecognizable districts that bear no relationship to the communities they include. Locally, a good example is Maryland’s Congressional District 2, which looks like a giant crab claw, starting up in Aberdeen, curling around to snag Cockeysville, Reisterstown and Randallstown, and splitting off to catch a segment of the Northeast corner of Baltimore City, then leaping over the water to snag Linthicum, Fort Meade and Riviera Beach. By contrast, Maryland’s 7th (which includes Catonsville) is almost a simple triangle, from central Baltimore City, West to Mt. Airy, and South to Laurel. Sometimes things can get pretty nasty, such as when the party leaders decide to sacrifice a single existing district in order to create a majority in two or more other districts, thus purposely depriving one of their colleagues of a “safe” seat. But as long as it is not done along strictly racial lines, anything goes. Not content with the current 6-2 advantage they already have, the State’s Democratic party leaders are expected to target one of Maryland’s two Republican Congressional districts by carving them up in an attempt to make a Democrat more electable in the 1st or 6th District. Of course, that means pushing Republicans in those districts into other districts, which would make some incumbent Democrats nervous.
What Other Issues are Pending?
In case that’s not exciting enough, the agenda for special sessions is not necessarily limited to redistricting. Historically, these sessions have been used to pass through some very unpopular legislation. This year, there is considerable pressure to consider a special transportation tax during the special session, designed to address Maryland’s projected $1 billion deficit next year. Voters will need to keep a sharp eye on their representatives. That’s why the Rotary Club of Catonsville is presenting a Community Forum, on Tuesday, September 13th, at the Rolling Road Golf Club, featuring all three of our elected State Legislators. Our main speaker will be State Senator Ed Kasemeyer (District 12). Also present to take questions will be State Delegates James Malone and Steve DeBoy (District 12A). This will be a unique opportunity to find out what their thoughts are about re-districting, as well as other legislation that may be presented during the special session.
About Catonsville Rotary Community Forums
The Rotary Club of Catonsville presents frequent Community Forums, generally on the second Tuesday of the month, designed to educate and inform the Catonsville Community on issues of vital significance to the quality of life in Catonsville. The next scheduled Forum is on Tuesday, October 11, 2011, and will feature a report from Baltimore Co. Executive Kevin Kamenetz who is currently completing his first year since being elected County Executive.
Tuesdays Community Forum starts at 6:00 PM with a cash bar. Dinner begins at 6:30, with the presentation and discussion to follow. Cost for non-Rotary members is $25, including dinner. Reservations are requested but not required. Please call 410-988-7611 for more information or to register, or register by email to inquire@rotarycatonsvillesunrise.org. For more information about the Rotary Club of Catonsville, see http://www.catonsvillerotary.org
