Redistricting Board - Public Testimony on Senate Pairings

Basically, the Board heard from people around the state with their preferences for how the house districts should be paired into Senate seats.  I'd note that Randy Ruedrich pushed hard on a talking point that came up Friday for the first time I remember, that JBER, Eagle River, and NE Anchorage should be paired because of the socio-economic integration of all the military and retired military in those areas.  Right now the Board is in Executive Session with their attorney and the Voting Rights Act  consultant.  It appeared Friday that the VRA consultants might have suggested that house districts that combined ER and Muldoon and Muldoon and Hillside might run into VRA problems because of the diverse population in the Muldoon area.  Why do I guess that?  Because after that Bethany Marcum redrew her v3 map to separate Muldoon from those areas.  This raises an issue I've been watching - coming up with rationales that are really excuses that cover attempts to gerrymander.  I'm guessing again that the Board is asking theVRA consultants if there would be a problem in pairing ER with Muldoon in Senate seats.  Remember the last Board did that and successfully ended the Senate career of Alaska's then only African American state senator.  

Here are my notes.  I'm headed out to the Board meeting soon.  They get back at 1pm.  There were lots of people on the zoom call today - in the 80s I think.  

 9:48am

I just got online.  I had an unexpected electrician visit so was late.  

When I got on, David Dunsmore of AFFR was finishing.  Not sure what he talked about.

The Yarrow Silver was on and asked that the two Muldoon districts be paired. 

Then someone from Chugiak wanted the two Eagle River districts paired.

Former Rep. David Guttenberg called in, but I'm not sure what he requested - I got distracted.

Now Randy Ruedrich of AFFER is giving a list of districts to pair.  I haven't kept track.

There was a break where John Binkley, chair, asked that people not tell Board members about incumbents and that testimony with incumbent info should be redacted.  Member Bahnke also made a similar request.  I have mixed feelings about this attempt to have Board ignorance of the political consequences of the maps.  

• If they learned that the maps had paired all the Republican incumbents or all the Democratic incumbents, wouldn't they want to know that?
• How do we know that Board members haven't learned about the impacts from other people?  
• If the Board is going to plea ignorance of impact on incumbents, then all the Board members should testify that they have not seen the pairings or been told about the pairings to be sure that ALL the Board members are equally ignorant.

9:57  Ruedrich has been going through the state and suggesting pairings.  

Back to online testimony while getting map to understand Ruedrich testimony

Tanny??  Turnagain area - Thanks for compact fair looking map.  Went to school here and when came back from college, did coaching in all the schools around Anchorage, so I have a good sense of the neighborhoods.  All distinct.  So go through districts to pair.

ER - o 22 and 24 - should have own Senate seat

East Anchorage 18 & 23  17&19

Downtown - JBER - 20 and 21

Turnagain and Spenard  12 and 13 together

Midtown 14 & 16 

South Anchorage ???

10 & 11

John Davis - FB - worked at University.  Was in legislature.  I live in your D32  most logical would be 36 because of Goldstream.  Main concern.  33 and 34 makes sense.  Then 31 and 35.  Having lived here a long time.  

10:05 Back to Ruedrich  D5 and D8   Then 6 and 7.  

Borromeo - testified about Kenai more oil and gas, why put them together

Ruedrich - You switched Seward.  At Testimony people wouldn't have expected.

Borromeo - Seward, Kodiak folks testified they liked that.  Least opposed to Soldotna borough

Ruedrich - Matsu - 26&29   27&28 restores Palmer area,  

Western Houston, Big Lake 25 & 30

9 and 15 - 15 looks like severed from 9.

Sand Lake almost as many people out of SandLake as in.  They are in 12  

SandLake, Campbell Lake and Airport - 11 &12

Downtown with Mt View or with University  - 13 & 20

16& 18   

ER dependent on military - 21 & 22  23&24  South ER is Muldoon. 18&23/24

[The Republican testimony last week suddenly brought up the 'very important military links between ER, JBER, East Anchorage.  This seems to me to be a ploy to take Democratic districts in East Anchorage paired up with Rep ER districts, rather than with each other that are right next to each other. ]

Brian Kendall??? - Palmer - problem with districts in valley need to be paired up with outlying districts 25&26  missed the other two pairings 

Kenai - Tim Navarre - Not in office, can't look at maps.  Keeping Kenai-Soldotna the same Homer-Seward-Kodiak 

Borromeo 5&6   and 7&8?  Yes

Back to Anchorage  Mark Kreidenberg -Executor of  estate of Ralph Lohman, once 

talking about history.  Hasn't been occupied since 1924 - Soviet ship kidnapped people in 1924??  May 17, 1884 added six islands to Alaska based on recommendation of Sen???  Harrison wanted law enforcement of Natives - I recommend that we get people out there.  Islands farther west.  Forrester Island dispute between US and Russian in 1886.  Pres. Harrison. My concern island farther west but not reflected.  

Binkley - We have to take the census data.  Don't have discretion to add other areas. 

Kendall - island in Hawaii in 4500 south of Honolulu and it's in Census district. 

Charles  - Keep Homer,Seward, and Kodiak together - 5&6  Kenai and Soldotna = oil and Gas

James Squyres from Gulkana.  Want to counter organized Goldstream testimony.  Natural to combine31 and 36.    The abominable.  Convey incidents this weekend Railroad proposals.  

Rachel Lord??  Homer Alaska.  Support current pairing Homer paired with Kodiak.

Donna Mears Anchorage - East Anchorage.  CC met over the weekend.  Speaking for self but informed by NE CC.  Currently represented by 4 districts.  Single senator 23&18. Best pairing.  

Fairbanks - 36&32 logical

Bahnke:  On behalf of Board or self- coalition

Steve??   - Wasilla -  25-40   25-27   26 28  as fix for overpopulation.  What is the cumulative over/under population.  FB very clear in testimony.  Everyone of this has been disregarded.  I've been consuming with the B on this.  Strange way maps drawn interesting and somewhat problematic - over population by 2500 people in fastest growing area of the state.  Also Kenai overpopulated by 1000.  At least do the Senate pairings.

Binkley - I appreciate that.  On Senate pairings - have B talked to you? 

Steve - No my personal testimony.  Everyone of these districts is over 2% over populated

Anchorage Chris Constant - testifying as self, not Assembly member.  Senate pairings - Thank you for a hard effort solving a lot of issues.  Anchorage has come out good 20&21, previous respected speaker.  Suggested long connected history between JBER and Govt Hill and East Anchorage neighborhoods.  There are 4 gates - Govt Hill - 20;  Boniface to D23;  Tikatnu -       Other one 3 miles from Muldoon .  Col spoke before the Board.  Felisa Wilson.  Draw the boundaries based on where i kids good to school  and contact to neighborhoods.  20&21.  Thank you. 

Felisa Wilson is here:  Pairing 20 and 21.  When I lived in ER.  For me pairing ER districts together makes perfect sense.  

Kelly Cooper - Homer, KPBAssembly - support our existing pairings Fishermen should have strong voice  Kenai freshwater/oil

Mayor of Kodiak Branson - speaking on behalf of myself.  Repeat what Kelly just said, keep Kodiak&Homer

David ???man  -Seward.  Representing myself.  House districts splits Seward in half.  Main part of Seward similarities with Homer and Kodiak and little with Nikiski  I think 5&6.  

Dawn Fraser - Fort Greely  31 & 36

??? Hope Alaska - happy with current pairings now 

Binkley - that's all we have online and in person, so close and move on with agenda.  We have VRA consultant and going into Exec Session - 

Borromeo - ES for legal counsel.  

11:00am Binkley - About an hour and roll into lunch come back at 1pm.  No decisions made.