PORT TOWNSEND — The Republican preference for a map of legislative districts moves Port Townsend and much of the populated area of East Jefferson County out of the 24th Legislative District and places it into the 23rd, joining it with Bainbridge Island and Poulsbo.
The plan was among those that survived the cut during a special meeting of the Washington State Redistricting Commission on Friday, when four legislative plans, two each from Democrats and Republicans, were whittled to one from each party.
In addition to Port Townsend, the Republican version would place Port Ludlow, Port Hadlock, Chimacum, Irondale and Marrowstone Island in the 23rd District, which is represented by Sen. Christine Rolfes and Reps. Sherry Appleton and Drew Hansen. All are Democrats.
The idea to divide East Jefferson County came from former U.S. Sen. Slade Gorton.
Gorton and former state Rep. Tom Huff are the Republican members of the redistricting commission.
Commission to decide
Any redistricting plan must be approved by three of the four commissioners prior to being submitted to the state Legislature.
If three do not approve a single plan, the proposals will be addressed by the state Supreme Court.
Huff said it is unlikely that the decision will have to be made by the court, saying he expects compromises from both parties before the commission settles on a single plan to forward to the state Legislature.
“Nothing you see now is permanent,” Huff said.
“We want to compromise,” he added.
“None of us want to see this go to the Supreme Court.”
Gorton was not available for comment.
Commissioners have until January to finalize their plans but have set a goal of finishing their work in November and sending it to the state Legislature for approval.
If the commission’s recommendation is completed in November, the plan could be addressed during a legislative special session scheduled to begin Nov. 28, Huff said.
The commission’s next scheduled meeting is at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 8 at the John A. Cherberg Building, 41 Sid Snyder Ave. S.W., Olympia.
Special meetings can be scheduled with 24 hours’ notice.
The Democratic plan does not change the boundaries of the 24th Legislative District.
It keeps Clallam and Jefferson counties together with a portion of Grays Harbor County.
Under either proposal, current 24th District representatives — Sen. Jim Hargrove of Hoquiam and Reps. Kevin Van De Wege and Steve Tharinger, both of Sequim — would stay in place. All are Democrats.
Democrats on the commission are Dean Foster and Tim Ceis.
Boundaries
After the legislative boundaries are defined, the commissioners will redraw congressional boundaries to create a new 10th Congressional District.
Foster has proposed a plan to carve that district out of the Olympic Peninsula.
That plan would end Rep. Norm Dicks’ 6th Congressional District representation of the North Olympic Peninsula.
Dicks, D-Belfair, was first elected to Congress in 1976 and is senior Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee.
Peninsula Democratic Party leaders oppose both changes.
Dicks’ influence is vital to the region, said Clallam County Democratic Chairman Matthew Randazzo.
“Anyone else would be less effective,” he said.
“It would take us years for a new representative to become as influential.”
He also said that “any proposal which places Port Townsend with Bainbridge Island would be an attempt to ghettoize Democratic strongholds, creating lopsided legislative districts.”
Jefferson County Democratic Party Chairwoman Teri Nomura said the Republican proposal would dilute the county’s current Democratic majority.
Some like idea
But Jefferson County Republican Party Chairman Ron Gregory of Port Ludlow liked both potential changes to the political landscape on the Peninsula.
He would support Gorton’s proposal to move Port Townsend into the 25th District because it would give Republicans more influence in the reconfigured 24th.
He would also favor a new congressional district that, he said, would allow the Republicans a fighting chance to elect someone to Congress.
The redistricting process comes every 10 years, after the U.S. Census, to ensure that each district has a balanced population.
A 14.1 percent population increase reflected by the 2010 Census gives Washington state an additional congressional seat.
Commissioners also must redraw 49 state legislative districts into roughly equal population sizes.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
