Reapportionment public hearing is Thursday at a special, poorly advertised Assembly meeting

By
Suzanne Downing
-
11

On Thursday at 6 pm, the Anchorage Assembly is having a public hearing on its new reapportionment maps. These are the new lines for the Assembly seats, and it’s all about Democrats vs. Republicans. So far in the reapportionment process, the Democrats have asserted control over the new Anchorage political boundaries.

The Assembly is considering four maps. Three of the maps — 6, 11, and 12, are all similar; the fourth is one that the liberal Assembly fought to keep from the public, as it is offered by conservative Jamie Allard, who represents Chugiak/Eagle River.

Map 6 is offered by a hard-left group called Anchorage Action, which says it is nonpartisan. The map is designed by Robert Hockema, a Democrat affiliated with the Meg Zaletel campaign for Assembly. In the Map 6, Anchorage Assemblyman Forrest Dunbar’s home has a line drawn around it so that he will be in District 1. If he loses his current race to challenger Stephanie Taylor, which seems likely, he can run for a District 1 seat. If he wins reelection, this would still be his last term, but he would be able to run again in the new district.

Map 7 links South Anchorage and Eagle River. Offered by Robert Hockema, a Democrat affiliated with Assemblywoman Meg Zalatel’s reelection campaign, the map has maintains what is basically the existing boundary near Zaletel’s home address. Both Zaletel and Dunbar are at the bright edges of their proposed districts, the result of careful planning by the mapmakers. Map 7 also draws a line around Assemblyman Forrest Dunbar’s house.

Map 11 is offered by Assemblyman John Weddleton of South Anchorage. It appears to be the least gerrymandered, although it chops up Spenard and downtown Anchorage. It keeps Dunbar and Zaletel in their districts.

Map 12 is offered by Jamie Allard, Assemblywoman from Eagle River. It follows natural boundaries better than any of the other maps, does not create special carve-outs, and also protects the conservative stronghold of Eagle River, while Maps 6 and 7 weaken Eagle River’s already marginal influence. Allard has fought to have her map considered, and the chair of the Reapportionment Committee, Chris Constant, has fought to exclude her map.

The public can be forgiven for not knowing about the public hearing. There’s little information being circulated by the leftist-controlled Assembly, which will ensure its people are there to support the Democrat maps.

See entire Anchorage Action Map 6, version 2 at this link.

See the entire Hockema-Zaletel Map 7, version 2 at this link.

See the entire Weddleton Map 11 at this link.

See the entire Map 12 at this link.

After Thursday’s special public hearing, the Assembly will have a Friday work session on the maps, and then another public hearing will be held next Tuesday. The Assembly is anticipated to rush through the process and vote on it before the April election.

With Democrats in charge, Anchorage Assembly narrows redistricting to three main maps, maybe four

11 COMMENTS

  4. We can hope the public will be allowed to participate in any meaningful way.

    But, alas, some things are beyond even the power or prayer.

  5. These guys are unbelievable their attempt for holding on to power over anchorage. What are you, you are like a little mist that appears for awhile and then you are gone.

  6. They have a veto-proof socialist majority, so whatever they produce will be carefully gerrymandered to give the left a 10-year supermajority

    • They are actually the same at this point. The committee is doing a poor job of allowing people to understand Map 12 because it is the Allard map.

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