Board Selects A Map After Some Drama And Leaving Goldstream Residents Out Of Fairbanks [Updated with link to new map]

[UPDATE Nov 5, 2021 11:30 pm - the new interactive state map is here.] [Update: James Brooks has put all the current legislators onto the map so you can see how many districts have one incumbent, two incumbents, or no incumbents.]

Quick synopsis of the afternoon session:

• The Board voted 4 to 1 to approve the state wide map after approving each region separately
• Despite LOTS of Goldstream residents calling in to say they are closely aligned with the University and downtown Fairbanks, they are left in the huge district that wraps around Fairbanks and includes Tok
• Anchorage v4new map - the one worked on by Nicole Borromeo - was approved 3-2, with Bethany Marcum and John Binkley voting no.  Budd Simpson's yes vote was something of a surprise.
• There was an emotional interaction over the Anchorage maps when Nicole Borromeo asked Bethany Marcum to point out problems she (Marcum) had with the v4 map that Borromeo had created.  This was an interesting exchange that revealed some personal value differences between the two and Marcum said she didn't feel it was right to criticize a fellow Board member in public and Borromeo said she wasn't asking for personal criticism, just criticism of the map.  
• There was some trading of communities between - I think - Districts 37 and 38 - to get some Calista communities in with other Calista communities.  
• Apparently in the Executive Session to talk about VRA implications of the Anchorage maps, pairing East Anchorage with Eagle River and with the hillside, the Board must have been told that the diversity of East Anchorage could raise VRA problems if they were split, because the last v3 maps did not have them paired any more.  

Upcoming:

• Chair Binkley asked the staff to have an interactive map up on the website by noon tomorrow (Saturday)
• Monday morning the Board meeting will meet in Board headquarters and begin at 9am with testimony about Senate pairings.  Binkley specifically said they don't want to hear about people's opinions about the map, just Senate pairings.  The numbers on the House districts are NOT necessarily final numbers, just so it's easier to identify them
• Senate pairings districts have to be contiguous, but the numbers don't have to be.
• You can watch via Zoom, but need to call in to testify.
• They will start with testimony.  They don't want to make people wait they way the did today.
• After pairing, the board has to truncate Senate districts that have too high a percentage of voters who are in new districts.  The guidance is 'substantial' but Board has to determine what that means.  Substantially new districts will be up for election in 2022.  
• Then the Board has to assign Senate districts to one of two voting cycles.  The Senate seats are staggered so only ten seats are up for election each year.

I'd note that ten seats will be up in 2022 in any case.  Last time I think it was all but one or two Senate districts were up for election at the next election either due to truncation or their terms were up anyway.  

Below are my very rough notes.  Not verbatim, not complete, and sometimes could be inaccurate, so just take them as a rough guide to what was discussed.  I'm just too tired to go through them right now.  

ARB Nov 5,  Afternoon Session Notes

3:48pm

Binkley:  Metes and Bounds over weekend.

9am public testimony for Senate pairings 

Binkley - numbers 1-40 important so people can say #9 and #12 should be renumbered so they can be paired.  Let people know that numbers assigned are for reference, but not final.

Marcum:  They have to be contiguous, but do they have to be numerically paired.  

Matt Singer:  I don’t think constitutionally, but traditionally 

Bahnke:  Explantion for earlier actions.  Process wise would like benefit of legal counsel in executive session before final map.  Today we looked at Anchorage and we should obtain legal advice on Anchorage.  Pursue a compromise map, concern about v4 only about deviations that could be improved.  Borromeo said it would be a compromise on compactness if change deviations.  Should only look at new maps to improve what we have.

Part 3.  Other than deviations that could be improved in v4.  

Marcum:  Absolutely, I took the criticism from testimony to change maps.  A lot as you know that Anchorage as a whole is SEI, so deviation is next.  We should take deviations from the public and make adjustments.

Bahnke:  Not inviting criticism of v4, but just asking is you have any concerns about v.4

Marcum: I hesitate to offer criticisms of other Board member’s maps.  

Borromeo:  It’s constructive to me because I raised issues of Bethany’s maps.  I’d like to know if you have concerns about my map.  It would be helpful.  Don’t take as personal criticism.

Marcum:  Ok, I do think the military bases are connected to areas outside gates.  Not taken into account In your version.  As I did that I didn’t think downtown was important as I saw.  Not a helpful exercise for me.  Not my place to criticize other Board members’ maps.  Not purpose of our discussion.  

Borromeo - I took bases into consideration.  I constantly go through Govt. Hill base.  When I go to commissary and there’s a healthy population of veterans back to Korean War vets.  I actually took the naive population.  

Marcum:  I criticized your map and you got defensive.  I don’t think publicly going on record to criticize a fellow Board member.  

Borromeo:  this has no bearing on what we’re doing.

Binkely:  I don’t think this is helpful. 

Bahnke:  It wasn’t a personal criticism of you, but questions about the map to help me understand the the constitutional issue?

Binkley:  What’s the point.  What are you trying to constitution?

Bahnke:  To hear if there are any issues that raise constitutional issues.

I won’t push the issue anymore I’ll take the concerns about deviations, 

Marcum:  I don’t feel it’s right to publicly criticize other Board members.  That’s what I believe.  

Binkley:  We probably could go to executive session.

Break for ES - forgot to put down time

4:56 people coming back into the room

5:01  - working more on Matsu maps.  Oh dear, this is going to be tedious.  We could be here to midnight.  

Peter:  Both maps the same in that they respect city and Borough boundaires.  Still pick up most population from southern portion.  

Marcum:  Denali Borough has carve out to get Cantwell to make them part of Ahtna.  Not totally comfortable but for SEI reasons.  Ranges from 344 deviation to ?52.

Peter:  

Bahnke: For Cantwell into district for SEI reasons

Binkley - I think pipeline on both sides of the Richardson Highway

Borromeo:  When move boundaries a bit to the left gets both sides of the road.  I had a lot of trouble

Borromeo consulting with Bahnke

around that lake too.  

Binkley:  Consensus around Matsu.

Borromeo:  When I went back it was a two day exercise, census blocks really hard to smooth out.  

Binkley:  Consensus in 38,39, couple villages from 38 to 37.  Can you look at that?  

Bahnke:  Co chair of AFN CEO of Bethel? Native Corporation offered written testimony. Doesn’t weigh in on moving Ahtna communities.  Board v4, (reading) with integrity and transparency addressed Constitutional criteria.  SEI connections this summer.  Groups unable to harvest salmon - member communities helped out.  Music, songs, and dances similar.  

But in Bethel, it wouldn’t be a backward move to move Platinum and Goodness Bay back, though they're up in Dillingham.  

Binkley:  They were talking about Chevak - about 900 - 

[NOTE:  I could hear the Board members better when I was listening online than here live.]

Marcum

Borromeo:  Have to be careful.  It is a VRA district and has a high deviation.  But if we pull them apart there will be a ripple effect in surrounding villages.  When I tried to do this, it made the deviation indefensible.  I did this for hours.  

Binkley:  Andrew Guy from Calista.  

Marcum:  Not issue about moving Scammon Bay etc. ???

Binkley:  Not sure I heard it that way.

Borromeo:  Platinum would be easier because it’s smaller.  

[Discussion about moving villages and impact on deviations of the districts.]

Bahnke:  Start with Goodnews Bay and Platinum because of the SEI. 

Binkley

Binkley:  From 38 to 35.  

Bahnke:  Populations 65 and 2??.  Makes 37 less than 1% deviation.  How much is 38 underpopulated?

1000

Chevak is ???  Scammon Bay is 600

Binkley:  I didn’t realize Russian Mission was in D38. 

Russian Mission is now in D39.  

Bahnke:  Can we compare deviations before we make deviations?  

We’re done on 36.

Binkley: Let’s go to SE.   

TJ Presley: The map we’re working on is ???

Simpson:  (Having trouble hearing)  pointing specific changes made in the maps.  Pointed out a representative was caught in an appendage.  Moved miles away.  Gustavus - pick up pop and recognizing SEI Gustavus is gateway to Glacier Bay Natl Park and not Native.  

Sealaska represents 22,000.

Bahnke:  I thought we had consensus on this.  

Binkley:  walk us through.

Presley: We’re at Kodiak now , Seldovia??  

Borromeo:  If Board has no objection I move we approve 5.

Move to six - S Kachemak Bay 

People standing up and stretching.  Some phallic zoom bombing 

Simpson:  Moving up to Kasilof.  Lots of testimony from Kachemak Bay should stay together, especially Fritz Creek.  We worked that extensively to figure out way to do this because had impacts on other areas.  

Binkley:  OK, move on to seven.

Peter:  City of Kenai and City of Soldotna. There was an alignment straight thru a house. Fixed that.  

5:52  Stretch break - problem with zoom screen sharing

5:57  Binkley - on to Fairbanks.  

Peter:  Matsu we just adopted doesn’t have Tanana.  

Binkley:  Walk us through

Peter:  33 is city of FB.  City proper doesn’t have enough plus a bit more.  

Binkley:  Military on east, City proper on west.  Court required Board to get two seats out of FB

Singer:  Court said Board should look at.  

Bahnke:  Most intimately connected, since you lived there, do you think we can improve this SEI and meet our Constitutional requirements.

Binkley:  Counsel has counseled is that the Borough is SEI.  Problem, reflects all people in the Borough.  Will require 4000 people moved out of B into another area.  Hard to find 4000 in one part and move them out.  Looked at North along census block line - I think the railroad.  Stays inside the road.

Bahnke:  Testimony of possibility of Eilson moved to 36.  Would that accomplish one person one vote?  And comments from Goldstream. 

Binkley:  I think you need to take more than Eilson because need 4000.  Shapewise, if you zoom out,  I know people in Goldstream feel closely aligned to University.  Unfortunate to have to move 4000 to another district.  My hope was to keep Borough whole even though over populated.  Just not the will of the people in that area.  It’s possible a representative from Goldstream is elected.  36 is diverse as well.  Glen Allen and the many villages.  Difficult to say SEI that 36 is homogenized.  Wanted Assembly to give guidance.  They know their people the best.  Tough for them to make that decision and pass it on to us to make that decision.  Tried to give some guidance in some of the whereas-es.  

You can see the Fairbanks maps here.

We kept NP together - all of the city of NP and surrounding area.  And changed 32 - wrapped around North Pole and people concerned couldn’t drive from one part of 32 to the other side without driving through the city.  Pull 32 back around to the west.  University and areas to the west.  

[Basically, Binkley is saying he doesn’t know how to deal with the Goldsream complaints other than take Eilson and Salcha. 

Borromeo:  Uncertain, reading testimony.  Eilson is closed community, own schools and power plant and a lot less integration than with Goldstream.  

Binkley:  True, very strict regulation of getting onto the base.  People in Eilson pride themselves of integrating military into the community.  Liaisons between military and FB.  Very involved.  Don’t feel like it’s an isolated island.  Military itself is hesitant.  They wouldn’t testify.  Tough.

Singer:  As a matter of law, everyone in the B is SEI.  Everyone is.  I would encourage the Board to consider following other requirements - compactness, etc.  Can’t make determination that one neighbor over another.  

Borromeo:  You have offered rational for why doing this.  I’d like to move that the NSFB approved.  

Bahnke:  I’m ok with that.  We took Valdez out of 36.  

Marcum:  We have said Cantwell is SEI but it’s clearly not compact.  

Matt Singer:  I agree that putting Cantwell, makes sense, but challenging constitutional concerns about Regional Corporation desire to include Cantwell.

Bahnke:  I heard you say relative compact compared to other maps.  Other 36 is so large so the % of what we’re adding, it’s not a significant difference in terms of compactness.

Borromeo:  He wasn’t on FB Assembly - apologize for misstating that.  

Binkley:  OK we can move on to Anchorage [I guess that FB is done]

6:43 Back from break.  

This is the Final Anchorage map, click to enlarge

Binkley:  two Anchorage maps up.  

Bahnke:  In terms of SEI, compactness, VRA analysis (in Exec Sessions) I believe v4 is the best so I move we accept vr best.  

Binkley:  Is there a second?  And seconded.  Discussion.

Simpson:  Lot of testimony about Anchorage district, some more hopeful than others.  People have said portions of unconstitutional if that turns out to be the case, could be used particularly if they were independent of each other.  Found myself thinking strongly that the deviations smaller on ?? And that is ????? Also looked at compactness which I find also important just eyeball I think that ??? Is more compact.  More square and fewer .  Only stated in context that I think both are ok.  I think probably had more time based on when Census data came in and all we had to do, another month, we could probably.  No singular version more pleasing to all of us.  So, I think for me is lot of testimony, heard both sides, I need to go with one I think is most legally sustainable I come to view v4 because overall its combination of good deviation and cleaner lines and compactness.  That’s where I am.  [A vote for v4]

Binkley:  For me the same tests - look at compactness and so I weigh them equally and then deviation.  All things considered I go to v3.  Any others?

Marcum:  I believe the map I put together considering the legal info provided, but we got it late, I believe the best balance between compactness and deviation?  Don’t know what she picked I assume 3.

Borromeo called the question.  Go f

Yes, Yes, No Yes No.  Three-Two the motion passes.  That was Bahnke, Borromeo, Simpson Yes and 

Binkley and Marcum NO

6:53pm Simpson:  Ask staff to carefully review and advise us if they find any problems.  We have to come back Monday.

Binkley:  More a technical - enough to forward it for metes and bounds for the whole state.

Motion?

Marcum:  48 hours is minimum.  Metes and Bounds may not be done.  Proclamation has to be Wednesday.

Simpson:  Good point.  We don’t need that for Senate pairings.  

I move we adopt this map and we should name it v7.

Binkley:  It should be called final map eventually.  It will become vFinal.   

Simpson:  staff do metes and bounds and staff recommend minor changes to Board for review before final proclamation.  

Any objection :

Marcum I’m going to vote yes????

Roll call vote:

Marcum no

Simpson yes

Binkley yes

Borromeo yes

Bahnke yes

6:58

Binkley - staff will work on details and metes and bounds.  This evening it will be online by what time?  

Peter Torkelson:  I really want to get it right.  We can make some screenshots.  Be sure to refresh the homepage.  We’ll call it final.  So far I’ve only little tiny errors.  

Binkley:  By noon tomorrow people should be able to see maps - we’re shooting for.  Monday at 9am we’ll meet again.  We’ll do public testimony Monday - purpose is to talk about Senate pairings.  Apologize for people having to wait so long today.  After we take public testimony on Senate Pairings.  Not comments on whether you like the plan.  Just pairings.  Each district will have a number 1-40, but not the final numbers.  We may change those numbers.  Use the numbers on the map to explain your recommendations.  Districts have to be contiguous, but numbers don’t have to be in order.  

Once we have pairings, the next step is for staff to determine how the districts have changed - Peter?

Peter:  Alaska law requires we truncate.  So we will calculate how many people in new Senate seat were able to vote for the existing Senator.  Depending on the percentage.

Binkley:  Then we have to decide the cycles for the Senate district.  Which are on 2022 or 2024 cycle.  When that is determined we make the final proclamation.

That starts 30 window when public has the chance to challenge the proclamation.  

Peter Torkelson:  Then division of elections has to redraw all the precincts and send people new voting cards.

Binkley:  Keep track of the website to see the new maps.

Torkelson:  Sign up to be notified on the website then you don’t have to keep checking - you’ll get an email when things are ready.  

Simpson:  Can we identify the number we consider substantial for truncation of Senate districts?

Binkley:  Should we adopt a number?  Have they looked at it and come up with a number?  Or did they have a number.

Motion to adjourn?  

7:10 pm adjourned.  

Note: Monday they will meet at the Board's office again.

AK Redistricting Board - New Maps, Debates, Exec Session, Public Testimony

 [I started this around 9:15 am.  It’s really rough and I’m a bit tired.  So consider this only a glimpse of what happened with some omissions and typos and some inaccuracies.  But it will have to do until the official transcript and the video are up.  And it can help guide you to what you want to see when the video is up.]

Public testimony was pretty much:

1.  Anchorage folks wanted v4, though some military veterans including Assembly Member Jamie Allard argued that JBER, NE Anchorage, and Eagle River were the community that military and retired military lived in.  They supported V3, or Marcum's new v3.  

2.  Fairbanks people called to say Goldstream was integral to Fairbanks and shouldn't be put into the huge rural district that goes to Tok.

3.  North Pole should be a separate district from Fairbanks

4.  Fairbanks folks were also upset for having been waiting on the phone for five hours before they could testify.  

5.  Some discussion of Calista and Doyon villages being properly represented.  

You can see the Anchorage maps v3 revised overnight and v4 here  Although they said the Fairbanks maps were up, I can't find them. 

I'm going down to the Board Meeting to see the rest in person.  

Bethany Marcum:  New map.  Valdez testified did not want to be with Matsu and Matsu didn’t want them.  So looking at putting Valdez with Anchorage.  Just learned from legal counsel that problems putting Valdez with Anchorage.  

Nicole Borromeo:  Making her own map.  More compact.

Marcum:  Did review all the Anchorage maps and compact as they are and also looking at deviation.

Borromeo:  How is your D21 compact?  It snakes down in shape I don’t understand.  Your D16 Goes from south Addition to ??   How more compact?

Marcum:  I didn’t say more compact.  Balance of Compact and Deviation.

Borromeo:  My concern is about VRA, was that no matter where, these are highly dense diverse populations. 

Marcum:  I heard your comments about different housing, life style.

Binkley:  Looking at 16 I had same concerns, but in previous version it was a straight line.  

Borromeo/Marcum discussing deviation. Urban deviation vs. Statewide deviation.

Binkley offers Marcum more time to make adjustments.

Borromeo:  She’s been mapping all night and it’s now 11am and we have a deadline and soon I’m going to call the question.

Bahnke:  I appreciate your efforts and time.

Borromeo:  I think the board wants to give you time to make more compact.

Simpson:  says the same.  If you can do that in a half hour, that would be worth it.  

Borromeo:  Problems with 15 and 16.  

Binkley:  Board is saying can you take 30 minutes and see what you can do with that.

[Is there another Anchorage map in case Marcum’s is not acceptable?]

11:57am - Bethany Marcum completed her new maps.  Nicole Borromeo said v4 is better than this new map.  Now they are going to take testimony.  They are worried about time for testimony so they can get to their final vote. 

Borromeo:  we need to have a time limit.  Also we need to put the map up on the site.  I have posted v4 so people can see them.

Peter:  We have put the map up - 

Nicole:  Maps are under Meetings because they are not official maps.  

12:29

Yarrow Silver:Speaking for community council  Scenic Hills?  CC.  Not set off sei neighborhoods of East Anchorage. Including around Muldoon curve.  18-0.  Saw maps as of yesterday.  Spoke in favor of v4 map.

Now speaking for self. For Nicole Borromeo’s map.  More compact and reflects racially diverse community.  Map yesterday still here today and then quickly being changed.  Shouldn’t still be here.  V4 meets all needs.  Marcum’s just gerrymanders East Anchorage and other places.  This is supposed to be a non-partisan process.  Lots of talk about one person one vote, this sounds false because it dilutes the voices of diverse populations.  Nicole Borromeo’s map better.  

Binkley:  please don’t ascribe maps to people’s names - use map numbers v3b and v4

Joel Hall:  AFFR live in Peters Creek.  Thanks for changing break between ER and Muldoon.  Glad it happened today.  Not right to blend those two communities.  Also in favor v4 - compact is first order and one is clearly more compact.  There’s no real question about which is more compact.  We’ll have further comments after we process this.  AFFR will be back in ten years.  See ourselves as perpetual partner of Board.  We need to create a record of what we feel is wrong for future Board members.

Binkley:  Thanks for testimony and AFFR work on Alaska tour.  

Felisa Wilson:  Good afternoon.  Thank the board.  A little alarmed that maps changed at last minute.  Feels like it literally changed in the last hour.  After looking at newest map.  I think integrity of JBER and integrity of diverse communities best reflected in V4? map.

Connie Seprecio??  - spenard community council resolution:  Whereas boundary 3 house districts and 3 Sense districts.  Recommend new plan into alignment with local boundaries including Spenard CC.  Unanimously approved.

Personally - 23 Anchorage resident, 17 years in Spenard.  Frustrated by this morning.  All the changes - felt like now taking power from public most impacted.  V3 of all three maps no good. Urge you follow v4.  Straight lines, respects idea of compact.  New map looks like gerrymandering.  The fact that she only decided last night not to include Valdez.  V3 Not in spirit of he law.  Times up.  Fair and equal representation.  Let people’s vote speak, not because it makes sense for one party or another. 

Binkley - hard - Constitution requires public testimony.  At some point we have to decide.

Mary  Akpirg Director - Note that in General, having ES before comments makes it hard for public to give input.  People weren’t able to testify.  Because have other commitments.  You’ve done a good job generally of public testimony.  Marginalized communities generally have less time to participate.  AFFR as Joelle has put it, we support v4 as well.  Maps are very complicated and impossible to fix at last minute.

Mary:  I live in south Edition - map better reflects my neighborhood.  

  Donna Mears - North East CC in Anchorage Oct. meeting.  Understand CC boundaries not really necessary, we think they should be.  Small number of people in area never show up.  Our work is done at CC meetings. Community boundaries more important than slightly lower deviation.  It’s how we get together.  Met Oct 31, so don’t have statement on maps today.  I think she supported v4.

Binkley - any more in Anchorage?

Robin O’Donoghue - thank you.  I’ve spoken before mostly on behalf of AFFR.  Today on behalf of myself.  Thanks for one person one vote in Fairbanks.  Goldstream valley is a suburb of FB and closely connected to UAF.  I grew up there.  UAF and Fairbanks.  While Board recognized some things.  Putting Goldstream into greater rural airport does not reflect view of Assembly.  

Lastly suggest AFFR forFB is more logical and SEI also could plug in AFFR FB map into your overall map.  Thank you.

David Dunsmore:  Good afternoon.  AFFR.  Want to experiment more why we believe given Board’s choices now, it’s clear best in line with constitutional mandate and AFFR process in Anchorage trying to get communities.  One thing we appreciate - every public hearing on the road show introduced the public hearing process by explaining Board’s goal to get people who live work and play together should vote together. 

Detail for how true.  In East Anchorage. v3B  has odd ways concerning neighborhoods.  Nunaka Valley mostly with Mt. View.  While more in common with D20 or 21 on the map.  Tudor curve put in with Huffman neighborhood.  Large portion of land with no population - probably unconstitutional.  No connection physically between Chugach Foothills and Upper O’Malley.  That is some of lowest income in S Muldoon.  Putting them in with Upper Hillside large lots and limited road service and private wells, etc.  Chugach Foothills have no common legislative needs. 

Souht Anchorage - v 4 best logical S Anchorage districts sep from East Anchorage 16 logical abbott loop district etc.

V3 D11 splits Abbot loop between 11 and 14.  Better integration to keep those neighborhoods in their districts.  West Anch better rep under v4.  Ve problem in West Anchorage makes 3 distinct districts into different districts. Version 4 does better.  

Marcum:  You have different idea of SEI within Anchorage - explain

Dunsmore:  Well, compactness is still an issue here.

Bahnke:  thoughts on v3 on 21-26?  

Chris Nelson - North Muldoon.  Respectfully disagree about integrity of JBER and the bases.  I worked after retired on JBER.  Member of ER VFW post.  Speaking for myself.  Live in current home four years.  Military families live off post adjacent to JBER.  I think version today - appreciate give and take of Board.  New map best serves retired military.  The latest version best represents people like me.  But want to thank everyone of you for serving and your patience.  

Binkley:  thanks for your service to military and this process.

Borromeo:  Which one?

Chris:  V3alt

Binkley:  Going on line

Savanah Fletcher in FB.  On the line?  

Casey Casort - in FB.  

Binkley - 2 minute brief at ease to make sure we’re connected.

OK.

Casey Casort  - and Savanah

Savanah Fletcher.  FB   Parks Highway Ester and UAF.  Concern about Goldstream and that community cut off from our community.  Not fair while Salcha more fit 

Frustrating.  Had to take off work and then to wait for hours.  

Casey Casort - FB  also repeat Savanah’s frustration.  Still FB map that I know about from social media, not the Board.  Testified twice with board and frustrated that Goldstream cut away from Ester and UAF.  FB and NP separate.  Thank you.

Andrew Guy - Anchorage. Calista.  Thank you.  From ??? Corporation.  Been involved with redistricting process since 1980 to this year.  I do know factors and this is hard process to go through.  Vote for equal representation but a factor detrimental to Calista region.  I’ve given written testimony.  Oral testimony want to provide idea the factors for this process, but not the cultural Native factors.  Detrimental to Calista.  Even though we have the population to have two house seats.  Results is bad situation for my area.  COVID situation is example of that.  High cases and deaths from COVID.  Representation is money.  We have always give population to other districts that needed it.  Finally have a voice for number of people we have.  

Binkley.  Thanks, we do have written testimony before us.

Bahnke:  In terms of SEI - is it Calista with Doyon or Calista with Bering Straits. 

Guy:  Laughs.  Since 1980s.  Eskimo to Eskimo or Eskimo to ??.  We should help each other and that has happened in he past.  

Bahnke:  In terms of SEI ties?  

Guy:  Oh yes, our Yupik communities and Chupik further up.  Shared customs, 

Brian Redmeyer?  FB - reiterating what Savana and Casey said.  Goldstream vital part of community with UAF.  V3 doesn’t make sense.  

Erin Wilham??:  Anchorage.  Born and raised in East Anchorage. Urge adopt v4 map.  V3 problematically divides things.  V4 more compact and SEI.  V3 raises gerrymandering question.  

John Brown?  Member of Borough.  Speaking for self.  Goldstream shouldn’t be separated from FBNS district.  Only 3 stop lights between my house and UAF.  Clear violation of compact and contiguous. V4 real improvement.  

Nicole Eastman?  - West side of FB for 50 years, Goldstream and Ester.  Glad to see new plan doesn’t overpopulate FB, but Goldstream Valley closely connected to UAF and and FB.  Not connected to Tok and Delta.  Previous map like this was ruled unconstitutional.  Frustrated - on phone at 9am.  Very Anchorage centric time this morning - talking about Anchorage maps, heard from all the Anchorage people in the room first.  Anchorage already takes so much of the air in the State.  Since we have so little time, frustrating that you keep talking about the difficulty of he task.  

Allisa Princeton???  FB - appreciate Board’s problems but have to represent my community - Goldstream. Salcha and Eilson separate with NP.  AFFR map really better represents communities of FB and compact.  Asking communities to compete with each other.

Celest Hodge Growdon - Anchorage.  Pres of Alaska Black Caucus. Agree with so many.  Very difficult to testify.  Strong opposition to Marcum’s map.  It denies BIPOC for next decade to sacrifice communities of color for political reasons.  Ignores hours of public testimony.  African-American and Native Alaskans are a small group, but we shouldn’t be separated with other diverse communities.  Puts Muldoon Curve with Hillside.  Have to drive through 4 other districts to get to rest of district.  

Calvin Rodgers - FB - I work 9-5 been here with EarPod and only Anchorage maps are online.  We need them - the whole map.  Don’t have final version of FB. Goldstream and University should be together.  NP and FB nonsensical.  Can’t believe v3 still being discussed.  There’s support forAFFR and v4.  We should be talking about v4 and AFFR.  

Nome Mayor Luke Hopkin.  Former mayor.  Communities should be represented by boundaries , contiguous and compact districts that keep communities of interest together.  I live in Goldstream, last time district went to Gulf of Alaska and ruled unconstitutional.  Don’t be concerned about SEI of FBNS Borough.  Agree with other comments from FB area.  Eastern part of FBNS borough could more easily connected with Tok and Delta.  V4 best.  

Louise Bishop 

1:48pm Alyse Guttenberg - Thanks,  Been waiting with 9 am this morning.  Had to hear about Anchorage maps and still can’t see maps.  I live ten minutes from University.  Tok is a four hour drive.  Frustrated with time you’ve taken up debating folks.  

Bahnke:  We have about 35 more people, we take the time to hear them.

Borromeo:  Given that people have been waiting since 9am we should hear them all.

Jacqueline Debedit???   In Goldstream for over 25 years.  Agree with all the people who have spoken. My husband and I have worked at UAF all these years.  Please keep us together.  I heard fromCalista Guy.  Make that happen and keep us together.  Also NP and FB are separate. 

1:52pm Two minute break 

Peter - Goldstream/FB - lived whole life near Goldstream.  As much a part of FB as downtown.  People in Goldstream work all over FB and FB folks come to Goldstream

Bill Moser - from Juneau. Testify for v4.  Main point v3 should be gotten rid of.  Keep hearing over and over about constitutional issues with v3 and don’t know why you keep referring to it.  At this point in the game it doesn’t make sense to keep it.  Juneau, FB, Anchorage, rtsural communities.  Support v4, v3 needs to be gone.

David Guttenberg - Serve on NSB Assembly and was in the legislature.  Represented three different district in legislature. One that was ruled unconstitutional.  One that went to the Coast.  D28 in 2012.  You are repeating that map that was ruled unconstitutional.  When you repeat what was done in 2010 you force rep to represent so many different interests.  Forced inequality. thanks.  Will send copy to you.

Alex Baker - Anchorage - Fairview.  Testify for v4 best map for my community.  Only one member of Board at that time.  Author of v4.  Testimony of people in my community.  Clear that v4 evolved with public testimony.  Listening to testimony is one thing. But then you have to listen and make changes.

Rep. Zach Fields - thank board for rigorous travel schedule.  V3 different from v3 less compact from v4, similar deviations.  Rushed job and has sloppiness.  Appears to be gerrymander people out of their districts.  V3 did get rid of some of those things.  But new v3 still puts Snyder and        Even if inconvenient to elected officials - including me - but v4 is best.

John Nelson from Wasilla - 

Kelly Toch??    In Chugiak,  Did see new map updates.  New maps were Anchorage specific, hard to see how it affects our area.  Want to repeat gentleman who was military veteran.  In my area it’s interesting.  I’m actually now connected with Matsu.  Valley School board issues don’t interest me.  For these reasons v3 preferable.  Gets ER, JBER together.  

Kendra Foster - East Anchorage, multiple hats pres of Russian Jack CC, farmers market.  V4 looks like best opportunity now.  Over 100 languages spoken in E Anchorage.  Should keep us together.  Otherwise dilute our voices if mixed with ER or S Anchorage.  Hearing about FB and express my support for FB neighbors.  Board should listen to communities.  We are the experts on the areas where we live.  

[Around 2pm they said there were 35 more people!!!!! Not sure how many we’ve done.]

2:17  Tanner ??? - three points  1.  Western Alaska, question of SEI between Western Doyon-Ancsa region and Coast - Chevak, Hooper Bay and Scamon Bay.  Think it’s not worth your time, it just isn’t worth your time can’t be done constitutionally.

2.  FB  - .2 of district has to go outside Borough.  Should not come from Western part ofBorough.  Our coalition think it should come from (Doyon)

Anchorage talked to lots of people.  V4 more aligned than v3.

Bethany:  Changes for Doyon things we should be aware of.  Vast areas of state.  Border between 36  v3 and v4 are identical. Playing 3 and 4 changes for Nome districts from interior districts.  As Bahnke said, it would be unconstitutional.  

Borromeo - Doyon Villages are they captured in maps board has consensus.

Tanner:  My understanding trying to make Chevak and Scammon Bay switch, D38 D37 not a problem.  

Binkley - not sure we understand.

Tanner:  Bethel - do have problem.  Putting interior villages with Nome.  Sticking with v3 or v4 with slight moderation or our maps, but not try to do more than that.

Binkley:  Bethany will follow up with you.

Jamie Allard from ER - Appreciate all you are doing.  Public shouldn’t be attacking volunteers.  Resident of ER.  First generation veteran.  ER, JBER, E Anchorage, we are one.  Absolutely connected.  Close ties between ER and NE Anchorage.  My husband and I are both military vets because of diverse populations.  Heard mention of ER exit that this has taken 3 years to get this far.  Heard from my residents.  We are all part of the same Anchorage community.  Two areas with many military personnel - ER.  I’m for map 3.  I’m a person of color as first generation Chilean.  I don’t have others speak for me.

James Squyres from Gulkana - I’ve testified previously.  Heard all this talk about compactness for Anchorage.  Argument that district 39 can’t be put together because of SEI.  Difference of lifestyle of drainage.  About 5000 Alaskans in that area.  Denali B has ???  Don’t leave our area as a left over.  

David James - FB  Live in Goldstream for 25 years.  Object to pairing us with SE in rural area. It’s like ten years ago to pair us with Bethel.  I was in Tok when I was fifteen, I was in FB today.  Constitution clear on this.  Don’t do Senate pairing with Bethel.  

Sue  - speaking as individual now.  Like other people from FB frustrated we can’t see our map, and still kind find it on website, unlike Anchorage maps that went up quickly.  Glad you had so much public testimony and heard that we didn’t want to be overpopulated.  Assembly didn’t say wanted to do this.  They did not identify an area.   Doesn’t make any more sense for us on the east to be with Tok any more than Goldstream.  

Binkley:  Map should be in in two seconds.

Kristen ???  - Planned Parenthood - standing up for marginalized communities.  Do not separate them for partisan reasons.  Taking gold stream out of communities it’s associated with and same with putting NP into FB.  Doesn’t make sense to put them together.  Things go east-west in FB.  Seem political motivated, not community motivated.  Thanks listened to concern about being overpopulated but maps should have been up earlier we’ve been on the phone since 9am. 

Binkley - NP is no longer with FB.  Map up now.

Gary Newman - rep myself and decahedron.  5.2 seats of Fairbanks.  Board accepted that Eilson was economic center for FB more than ….  Eilson as economic engine fails on SEI.  Eilson is closed off unit.  Own schools, and hard to get in.  Didn’t vote in Anchorage, but PFD changed that.  But Goldstream excluded by FB board member. Seems political.  50 years in FB, trails are important here and people come here for trails. But Eilson folks go to south.  Board talked about Richardson Highway to connect with Valdez.  Seems logical that Eilson fits better in 36 than people closely engaged in FB.  V4.  No other testimony.  Seems a mockery of efforts residents of FB made to educate Board.  Need v4.  Commend you for all the time you put in, not an easy task.

2:45 Ann Brown Anchorage - Calling in support of final version of map 3, best for military and civilian population.  

Lacy Hemming.  Scenic ??? Not sure of number - supporting Nicole’s map, keeps community together following natural boundaries.  Do not support Bethany Marcum’s map, it ignores lots of public testimony.  Keep neighborhoods together.  Very different neighborhoods than ER.

Teresa Robel - Anchorage but raised in Goldstream.  FB and UAF vital part of Goldstream community.  Always closely associated with UAF and FB.  

John Nelson Wasilla - moved away 2 minutes in four hour call and missed my place.  Important to listen to people who live in the communities.  Understand people in ER.  Born and raised in Anchorage, then Chugiak before moving to Matsu.  Keep those communities’ representation together.  Wasilla needs to be together and not separate and divide people in city limits.  Discouraging to see Denali B into Matsu.  Partial to v3 but hard to find current version.  Let us record our messages rather than make us wait four hours.

Binkley - we do get written testimony  Another 60 this morning.

Cliff Rose - brief and thanks.  Mt View and Fairview communities. How divide on map.  They should be whole communities.  Important not just disenfranchisement.  And neighborhood context so they are understood.  Recent changes to Assembly regime.  Repped by only one Assembly member and soon it will be two.  That historical representation has impact.  Any maps that divide or don’t make those low income ….  Mt. View and Fairview shouldn’t be divided. 

Binkley - I don’t see anyone else waiting,  Oops we do have someone here in Anchorage.

Randy Ruedrich - Long wait.  Simple request on behalf of Calista.  Not Chevak, it’s about Calista villages into D37.  Calista representation diluted in Legislature. Calista can now start to build small majority in 37.  Second - want to address FB.  Commend the Board. Unfortunately people didn’t get to see map.  Impression from testimony that goes all the way over from the east side.  Half from the east and half from the west.  Timer goes off.  

Binkley:  Didn’t understand.  Take some villages and move them to 37 and then take some of Hooper Bay and that doesn’t affect 39.  Overpopulate 37 and underpopulated 39.  Online - Dawn Fraser from Delta - I live in D9 and you want D36.  For putting military units, Eilson, etc. into one group.  In school district speak Ukrainian Russian Spanish and English.  Very much and International community.

Binkley:  that concludes public testimony and take a few minutes to rearrange the room.  Take a 15 minute break.  

3:04pm  OK 30 minute break to sanitize the room and have some lunch.

The Gloves Are Off As Marcum Seems To Be Working Hard To Get Her Libertarian Philosophy A Boost In Juneau (Corrected)

[Note:  Board will meet in their office at University Mall.  9am. You can Zoom in (and it's a better view than the teleconferencing at the LIO, at Zoom link as the work sessions: https://zoom.us/j/9074062894?pwd=VWxjem42YUloTnBFcTlpVWZVS0wwZz09

Zoom Meeting ID: 907 406 2894  Passcode: MoreMaps]

 I stayed home today and watched the meeting via Zoom.  In some ways you get a better view than you would in the audience at the Legislative Information Office.  But without the detailed maps online so you can zoom in and see exactly what's going on.  How many incumbents are paired?  How many incumbentless districts are there?  But you can see what's been done to the Muldoon are of East Anchorage.  The community - one made up of lots of diverse folks including a many of Anchorage's Hmong population - has been sliced and diced and connected on one end, it appears, to Eagle River, despite lots of testimony from both Muldoon and from Eagle River that ER should be its own district.  And the other end looks like it is paired with the hillside - connected over parkland, but not directly by roads.  

This is the Anchorage map Marcum presented today.  East Anchorage is twisted this way and that.  Part of it seems to go to ER.  Part to JBER.  Part to Hillside.  

This is a fairly high res image, so click to enlarge and focus

There's a great similarity to Marcum's very first map - Board Map v1 - which was roundly criticized by everyone because it paired lots of Democrats and linked East Anchorage to Eagle River.  Nicole Borromeo tried to improve it overnight and came up with v2.  But it's hard to start from a bad mad and make it a good map overnight.  Both v1 and v2 were so criticized that the Board tossed them in favor of v3 and v4.  Below is the Anchorage area map v1, listed on the Board's website under Obsolete Plans    

From  bottom left of this page

Well, the obsolete plan - see below - has been resurrected.

Board v1 map go to link for better view

For the most part, I try to report this factually.  I only slide into interpretation when I think the facts pointing toward my interpretation are pretty straightforward.  

Early on I was concerned about Bethany Marcum.  She's the executive director of the Alaska Policy Forum.  From Source Watch:

"APF is an affiliate member of the State Policy Network. SPN is a web of right-wing “think tanks” and tax-exempt organizations in 50 states, Washington, D.C., Canada, and the United Kingdom. As of January 2021, SPN's membership totals 163. Today's SPN is the tip of the spear of far-right, nationally funded policy agenda in the states that undergirds extremists in the Republican Party. SPN Executive Director Tracie Sharp told the Wall Street Journal in 2017 that the revenue of the combined groups was some $80 million, but a 2019 analysis of SPN's main members IRS filings by the Center for Media and Democracy shows that the combined revenue is over $120 million.[8] Although SPN's member organizations claim to be nonpartisan and independent, the Center for Media and Democracy's in-depth investigation, "EXPOSED: The State Policy Network -- The Powerful Right-Wing Network Helping to Hijack State Politics and Government," reveals that SPN and its member think tanks are major drivers of the right-wing, American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)-backed corporate agenda in state houses nationwide, with deep ties to the Koch brothers and the national right-wing network of funders.[9]"

From the Alaska Policy Forum's website we can see their Vision, Mission, and Goals.

VISION

Our vision is an Alaska that continuously grows prosperity by maximizing individual opportunities and freedom.

MISSION

Our mission is to empower and educate Alaskans and policymakers by promoting policies that grow freedom for all.

SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF SOUND PUBLIC POLICY

1. Free people are not equal, and equal people are not free.
2. What belongs to you, you tend to take care of; what belongs to no one or everyone tends to fall into disrepair.
3. Sound policy requires that we consider long-run effects and all people, not simply short-run effects and a few people.
4. If you encourage something, you will get more of it; if you discourage something, you will get less of it.
5. Nobody spends someone else’s money as carefully as he spends his own.
6. Government has nothing to give anybody except what it first takes from somebody, and a government that’s big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take away everything you have.
7. Liberty makes all the difference in the world.

While taken totally out of context, these might seem like things many would embrace, this is a strongly anti-government, pro-Libertarian agenda.  What does #1 mean?  The Constitution doesn't say all people should be equal, but merely they should have the same opportunities and that they are equal before the law.  And with all the anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers calming their liberty is being violated, well, this is one part of the Conservative far right agenda to push individuals and to ignore collective responsibilities.  

But my basic point is that Marcum's job, what she gets paid to do when she's not on the Board, is to push Libertarian, anti-government values and legislation.  And it would be naive to believe that Dunleavy didn't know that when he appointed her to the Board.  And it is totally natural for her to be doing that on the Board.  And it appears that map v1 and the latest map she presented Thursday were intended to help shape a legislature that will be amenable to the Alaska Policy Forum's model legislation.  

I don't fault her for that.  But it is up to the rest of the Board to fight for maps that don't have a strong pro-far right bias.  So far, Board member Nicole Borromeo has been the one to strongly challenge Marcum.  

Marcum left and Borromeo right

Isn't it odd that after spending time making the first maps and getting maps from four other groups, that the Board is working from scratch to create an Anchorage map.  There are lots of examples of how to fairly redistrict the state.  There are reasonable Anchorage maps with low deviations and decent compactness, socio-economic integration.  There were weeks of traveling around the state to get feedback from the public, and Marcum has offered us a map at the last minute that looks a lot like the rejected v1 over all those other maps.  I'm guessing those that got her onto the Board are leaning on her to produce  better maps for them.  It's just a guess, but she was fighting hard today for  "an obsolete plan."

It's late.  There are other examples of things Marcum has pushed on the Board that show her moving in this direction.  But tomorrow the meeting starts again.  They'll be back at the Board's office at the University Mall, not the Legislative Information Office as originally scheduled.  At 9am.  

And here's someone else I don't know at all who seems to see the same things that I see.

PLEASE PLEASE TESTIFY tomorrow for redistricting! Please support Nicole's map because it is more compact, respects individual neighborhood boundaries, and does not split up East Anchorage into Eagle River and South Anchorage districts. pic.twitter.com/8uCLoGfvr8

— AKroadweed (@AKroadweed) November 5, 2021

It's my understanding that all redistricting plans have been challenged in the courts.  So we can expect the same this time.  This time the process has been more open than in the past and the general public has had phone and online access to all the Board meetings.  And there's been a lot more coverage by the mainstream media and social media than in the past.  And the third party groups were much more prepared.  

Season One - "The Board Approves A Plan" ends next week - by Nov 10.  Then comes Season Two - In the Courts.  There will be a bit of a break, but the courts don't dilly dally with redistricting challenges because if the maps aren't finalized by around June 1, the division of elections won't have time for candidates to know what districts they're in.  {Correction:  So the old map, in that case, would be in place until 2024.  [The challenged map will be the map used in 2022, not the old map.] Thanks to TB for catching that error.)

Redistricting Board Showing Their Agendas As Decision About Final Map Nears (Completed Now)

 You could watch the Alaska Redistricting Board yesterday via Zoom and you can again today starting at 9am.  It's a much better view than I expected.  And the public has had significantly more distance access to the Board meetings this year than ten years ago.

Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/9074062894?pwd=VWxjem42YUloTnBFcTlpVWZVS0wwZz09

Meeting ID: 907 406 2894;  Passcode: MoreMaps

For the most part yesterday, I only saw about 37 participants on the Zoom.  Alaskans should just leave it on the background and then listen in when they start debating. 

I'll post this much now so people can link and watch.  Then I'll repost this when I've added a bit more about yesterday.  

..............................................................

OK, this shouldn't be too long.  For the most part, I had the zoom on while I did other things.  Part of the meeting was quiet as people worked on their maps.  

Then there were parts that were loud and clear and somewhat contentious.  I'm going to address two parts: 

1.  Melanie Bahnke's ardent fight to not have Interior villages in the same district as Coastal Naive communities.  At one point she said she was taking off her Board hat and putting on her Native Leader hat as she cited "Socio-economic integration" over and over again.  There's no SEI between Coastal Native peoples and Interior people. was her mantra.  It got a little tense.  Chair John Binkley was a voice of calm trying to find a way to make everyone happy.  I had to run some errands so I didn't hear how it worked out.  When I got back they were working on Fairbanks.  

2.  This second point I only know second hand.  Apparently Board member Bethany Marcum drafted a new Anchorage map that pairs East Anchorage with Eagle River.  There's been plenty of testimony from both East Anchorage AND Eagle River not to do this.  But the Board's attorney has been pushing hard on the Supreme Court past rulings that said all of Anchorage is Socio-Economically Integrated.  Others have argued strongly Eagle River is seriously working on seceeding from Anchorage and should be in its own districts.  And there are maps that do this.  Note, Bill Wielechowski is the Democratic Senator from East Anchorage.  In the last round of redistricting, an East Anchorage house district was paired with an Eagle River house district to form Sen. Bettye Davis' new Senate district.  And at the next election, the more conservative Eagle River voters voted the only African-American Senator out of office.  I have a post from 2013 titled The Alaska Senator The Oil Companies Most Hate.  They'd love to get rid of him.

This proposed map seriously diminishes the voices of East Anchorage. Virtually everyone has testified against pairing East Anchorage with Eagle River including the Northeast Community Council, which overwhelmingly opposed it. Still time to fix it. https://t.co/h1sm43di3h

— Bill Wielechowski (@wielechowski) November 4, 2021

Let's remember that as open and relatively transparent the Board has been, and as hospitable the chair John Binkley has been, redistricting is essentially a political process to influence who gets into the legislature for the next ten years.  With Republicans doing all they can to make voting more difficult for POC voters all across the country, we shouldn't assume sweetness and light at the Alaska Redistricting Board.  

In the last round of redistricting there were four Republicans and one Alaska Native of uncertain party who was appointed by the Supreme Court Chief Justice.  This time Governor Dunleavy, who has been pushing far right issues from so called "federal overreach" to "severe budget cutting" to "anti-masking" and on and on, appointed Bethany Marcum and Budd Simpson.  Marcum is the executive director of the Alaska Policy Forum.  It's part of a nationwide franchise funded in part by the Koch network.  It's mission and goals push a hard libertarian, personal freedom line.  She's the one, if I recall right, who proposed the Board's rule of not protecting incumbents.  The Board has not made a rule to not target incumbents.  She also made the first Anchorage maps that paired lots of Democrats into the same districts.  She is just doing what she's paid to do by the Alaska Policy Forum and what Dunleavy chose her to do - get more Republican elected and weaken Democrats.  If the rest of the Board can't fix her partisan mapping, then it's up to the public to help those organizations that will sue the Board and urge the courts to correct the maps.  Here's a post that tells you about the 3rd Party groups that have submitted maps and you can contact the one(s) that most match your values and ask how you can support them with your time or your money.

9:56am  They were just about to vote to include Valdez with the Matsu Borough.  Marcum objected saying she wants to wait until they deal with Fairbanks because Valdez could go in that direction too.  She also raised the issue that Matsu is the fastest growing area.  Well, John Binkley, the other day pointed out that the Board cannot consider such issues.  They can only consider the official census numbers.  

And my Zoom connection just crashed.  OK, back on.  

The Fairbanks map is now up and John Binkley is recounting how the original maps overpopulated Fairbanks (all districts had more than the 18,335 per district target) and how the Fairbanks feedback, including the local government were opposed and that the Board should listen.  

AK Redistricting Board Meeting - Tying Up Loose Ends Before Hunkering Down To Make Final Maps

[Sorry, this is kind of rough, but it's been a long day and there will be more to do tomorrow, so until official transcripts go up, here's what happened today.]

 Today's Redistricting meeting was intended to get the Board ready to spend the next couple of days back at their computers making the final maps.  

There was public testimony first.  Really, some speakers who got a lot of time.  Rep. Matt Claman submitted written testimony and discussed it with the Board.  Randy Ruedrich, former chair of the Republican party, the main brain behind the AFFER maps, and one of the best versed Alaskans on redistricting spoke about the AFFER maps and why deviation has to be the most important criterion. Also Robin O'Donahue and David Dunsmore of AFFR went through the changes AFFR has made to their maps in response to all the public testimony.  

Then the Board went into executive session.  I listened to the first part by phone from home and went to LIO to hear the Board's attorney Matt Singer summarize what the Board had heard from the VRA consultants:  The four Native districts - 37, 38, 39, and 40 - are still Native districts so no problem.  And looking at some of the diverse Anchorage districts, they found no evidence of blocks of votes based on race in those districts.  While they are diverse, they are made up of different ethnic groups and don't vote as a block.  So, again no problem.  

Then Peter Torkelson, the Executive Director of the Board explained how the staff verified that the

Census data they downloaded on August 12 and used to make all the maps, was indeed the real Census data and hadn't been hacked.  He did this by comparing it to the physical hard drive and disc that arrive recently and matching the fingerprints.  I get the general idea, but not the details.  

Then he outlined what the Board has to do in the next week before the November 10 deadline.  I went through that in the previous post. They have to truncate the Senate seats - after the finish the new maps and pair the house districts into Senate seats.  

Truncating means identifying which districts have a substantial increase of new voters, that is voters who never voted for the incumbent Senators.  This is necessary because people shouldn't have representatives who weren't elected by the voters in the district.  There's no exact definition of substantial, but 30% apparently is at the high end.  That much and the district has to be truncated.  A normal senate seat is four years.  And that means instead of serving out the rest of their term (if they aren't up for election in 2022) those seats that are truncated will have to run again in 2022.  

But that's only step one.  The Constitution says the Senate seats need to be staggered so only 10 senators are up for election in any one year.  (That way there are always some senators who have some experience in office.)  So, there's a good chance that more than ten senators will have to run in 2022.  In that case, the Board will have to decide which ones will run again in 2024 and 2026.  

Eric Sanders, a tech on loan from the Department of Labor, will spend the weekend - or as soon as there's a final map - writing legal descriptions of each district.  This will verbally describe the boundaries of the districts based on geographical and man-made features.  He did this for the previous redistricting board to.  

So, then just before adjourning there was more public testimony.  David Dunsmore responded to the several pages of documents the Board handed out of the analysis by the Voting Rights Act consultants.  He agreed with their assessment of the rural districts 37, 38, 39, and 40, but did not agree with their assessment about their being no racial voting patterns in the diverse Anchorage districts.  He also mentioned that he didn't see any mention of the pending change to ranked choice voting and how that might affect racial voting patterns.  (I know that sounds a bit sinister - racial voting patterns - but the idea here is that if there are blocks of diverse communities who vote overwhelming for one party or the other and that voting pattern is different from the white voting pattern, then the Voting Rights Act plays some role in making sure their voting power is not watered down.)

Then, they recessed so they could move the meeting from the Legislative Information Office to the Board's office in the old University Center.   It's in the hallway between where UAA and the University Theaters used to be (the DMV is there now) and where Roundtable used to be.  They're close to the Round Table end, but you have to enter where the DMV is.  

Meeting at Redistricting Board Office at University Mall

I stopped by there on the way home.  Only Robin and David were in the audience.  You can zoom in.  It didn't look like I'd gain much watching them this afternoon and I had other things to do so I took some pictures and left.  

Below are my very rough notes of the meeting with more detail, but for most people I'd recommend just stopping here.  Not sure there is much more that the average citizen needs to know.  Tape and transcripts should be available before too long.  

MY ROUGH NOTES

9am  waiting for connection

Four members there - Budd Simpson not

Adopting agenda.

Agenda

Call to Order and Establish Quorum

Adoption of Agenda  

Adoption of Minutes

Public Testimony – will conclude at 10:30am

Dial into one of the phone numbers above and indicate to the operator that you wish to testify

Had to connect by phone.  Sounds like testimony

Randy Ruedrich  Talking about deviation.  

Binkley - SC urged lower deviations in local areas, Anchorage .93 %  Sounds like Randy Ruedrich - results in FB overpopulation.  We got an ideal map.  Reason large deviations then we had VRA and to maximize to get Native majority districts 

Binkley:  clarify.  When you say maps have 12X between the highest and lowest.  

Ruedrich:  Talking about over population in FB in 2010   -  .39%  ideal statewide compared to FB

This year, v3, deviations above 4% on average is 10X .4%.  

Binkley:  I understand, previous SC decisions have applied deviation within Municipality, but not Statewide.  

Ruedrich:  After litigation in 2002, met with Board to get deviation as low as possible.  16% excess population divided among Matsu districts.  SC commended board for lowering deviations.  

Borromeo:  Asking us to minimize FB deviations?

Ruedrich:  Exactly.  Should be minimized everywhere.  AFFER adds the Glen Allen precinct to get us a full 6 units of population.  We’d have exactly 6 districts.

 Do you think that’s more important than SEI?

Ruedrich: SEI is overrated - Most are within urban areas so it’s irrelevant.  Only a few districts where it’s a problem - District 40 is what’s left.  It’s mostly Doyon Villages.  Much better of 2013 map which put Doyon villages in ?? districts.

Bahnke:

Ruedrich:  Map we presented in FB has a Northside district.  We go east to west, Old Nenana Road goes top of all existing districts.  Northside should be competitive district and leaves less than 4K people (20%), that can be put in District 5 the rural Athabaskan district.

Binkley:  You’re saying SEI 

Ruedrich:  First equal representation, 5 districts 2 ok, other 3.  Traditionally one NP district, other ?? District, 3rd is far north which combine with NS.  Chena Ridge inappropriate. 

Rep. Claman -  Turned in written testimony.  Here 2 things.  Product of 1998 amendment to constitution.  Changed deviation.  Need to bring deviation low as possible.  Close to 1% deviation which means 1/2 percent.   33 or 34 districts statewide in urban.  Less than 1% problematic.  

Page 4 of written testimony - NSB 5.3%   Main point - deviation is starting point, then SEI next.  Cordoba shouldn’t be in SE in previous SC, but changes, such as ferry system, make it worth reconsidering.  Basis for Board to find that integrating Cordova to SE.  Now connected to kodiak, which seems further.

Borromeo:  Thank you.  More difficult areas, I have read your testimony.  Any thoughts on Valdez.

Claman:  Time spent there. Part oil and part Fishing.  Lean to more oil than fishing.  Better paired with Matsu than the fishing communities, but you could make argument for both.

Bethany:  Deviation between 5 districts in FB or from target population of entire map.  

Claman:  On page 4 of my testimony.  If take 18,335/ Anchorage population - just shy of 16.  Trying to get 16 districts w/in 5% of that number.  16th district as close as possible.  Same with FBs. FB gets 4+ districts.  Look at most populous areas and should be able to get those areas within that target since two maps did.  

Binkley - is deviation considered within the Municipalities, not 

Matt Singer (atty) - talking about Hickel SC ruling - 10% total statewide deviation, but within Muni should be within 1% of ideal population, but SC never said that.  Are urban voters more entitled to one person one vote than rural votes?  If reduce to almost zero in urban areas, then necessarily creating exaggerated deviations in rural areas. We’ll be able to talk more in executive session.  

9:34

Borromeo:  Asking for minimum deviation or one person one vote for FB?

Claman:  Matsu is 5.84, my perspective.  FB .22 over the 5 is much closer to five than six.  So 5 districts in FB and sixth district that gets part of FB.  Based on SC precedent, rural areas are harder to get right.  

Borromeo:  Cancel each other out?

Claman:  Hard to make case that FB should have six districts when overage is .22

Borromeo:  Overpopulating FB short changes them

Claman:  Districts should be closer to the targets.  

Binkley: Thanks  OK Randy  Don’t see anyone on line

Borromeo:  ????

9:38

Ruedrich:  Respond to counsel - 2002 case, different set of constraints than today. VRA act to create minority-majority districts with assumptions that those districts would be under populated.  That issue is gone, so interpretation in view of that change is that we minimize deviations.  Not within one B or another.  Mission as we did map - minimized deviations altogether.  Western -.35  for Aleutian chain = -1.08.  Admit with very few populations.  Won’t get rural to 1/8 percent only by accident.  Just above 1% is goal achieved.  Strives to maximize representation for Western Alaska.  D37, 38, 39, basically south to north.  D37 already needed 1000 people.  Had 8 villages.  Our solution was to take 5 Lower Kuskokwim school districts and putting them into 37??  And they could all vote for same Senator.  Wind up with deviation of -1.08 and -.35 for Calista.  Accomplishes significant things for Calista people.  Have half of a Senator.  Larger share of Senate S.  

Binkley:  You said Doyon broken 5 times and in this map broken once?

Ruedrich:  It had 4 different representatives.  No only in 39 and D5?  

Like to move to Matsu Borough.  Six whole house seats, need 6 hundreds of a house seat.  Denali B has 9 hundredths of a house seat.  Would work.  I’d prefer full representation situation, requires take Glen Allen district SEI, those folks, go back to core area of Matsu to go shopping when things not available in Glen Allen.  Borough requested - not updated, incorporated in AFFR map.  

Wasilla - a highway town.  Mayor’s comments on record.  City centered N-s on Mainstreet - Wasilla Fishhook.  N part of district 13 on this map.  Western boundary Church road.  Wraps around Church and comes back down south.  This is what the mayor requested.  Can’t say there would be a different outcome than other districts from what we’ve drawn.  

Binkley:  Thanks Randy, you’ve put a lot of thought into this.  I see one on the line.  Let’s go to FB person

Debbie ??? FB - Thank you very much for all your work. I went through all the plans.  Noticed SE - every map presented have the 4 districts 800 to 1000 under the 18,335.  These are shrinking.  Other districts must be over populated if they are underpopulated.  So I recommend that SE boundaries reach up to Cordova and possibly Kodiak to get them fully populated.  

Wasilla/Palmer are growing the most, so those districts should have the largest underpopulation and in ten years they wouldn’t be underpopulated.  Tried to get maps from 40 years ago.

I want best representation for voters.  AFFER or v4.  

Binkley:  Questions.  Looking to how things might grow in the future, not something we allowed to do.  We have to go by Census numbers.  Can’t consider the census inaccurate.  In terms of over and underpopulation.  We’ve gotten as close as practicable.  We have to look at Compactnes, Contiguity, and SEI.  Then look at least deviation.  In SE, geography restricts us.  Can only go to north and only community is Cordova, but it would overpopulate, but would split Cordova in half.  That would be hard to divide Cordova like that.  

Debbie:  Cordova, on the map, appears a lot closer to SE much closer than to Interior.

Binkley:  Different maps connect Cordova with different areas.  It’s about 2500.

Debbie:  Oh, that’s small.

Binkley:  We appreciate you taking the time.  Here in Anchorage

Robin O’Donoghue and David Dunsmore:  AFFR, we submitted a 25 page report - all the comments since Sept. 1 and tried to coordinate.  AFFR had most statewide report - Western Alaska and Aleutians.  Responses on Constitutional issues - looked at constitutional impacts of the 6 plans taken on the tour.  Believe our map is the only constitutional option.  We made two modifications and David will comment in moment.  Comment on VRA and some additional public testimony.  Last, request for board, process.  Early on Board withheld Senate pairings  - ask ample time to provide feedback on the Senate pairings.  Take in testimony until the final day of this process.  Thank you for all your work.  Here’s David on our changes.

David:  Amendments after public testimony.  Regions of the state.

 Thank you all and staff for hospitality you’ve shown across state tour and hard work.

One overarching constitutional issues is Borough boundaries.  Hickel case why our approach minimizing breaking B boundaries.  Hickel - recognize may be necessary to break a B to deal with excess population,  Then all should go to one district.  2011 ??  Cases the same with FB.  AFFR is only map that achieved that.  One area where did have to divide B twice was Kenai Pen B.  Not possible to do that and all other maps did that.

Technical corrections.  Told board already.  Operator error.  1) Yakutat - portion of Canadian borough put in Coast district by mistake.  2) Anchorage - Elmore Road by mistake   3) two substantive amendment move ?? fromDistrict 38 and 39.  SE remove PoWales Island from D4 to D2 and switch with portions of Admiralty Island.

Kenai - unanimous opposition to Status quo - had to drive thru Soldotna to get to rest of district (Seward) want to be connected with Homer.  Homer strong desire for entire Kachemak bay in a single district.   

He goes on to talk more about Kenai, SE, FB details

Interior also strong support for our concept - Eilson, Salcha, 

Bahnke - Nome - captured Nome sentiment

Dunsmore - Robin can speak more to that.  Robin spent hours poring over the testimony.  Aware, Nome had population loss.  No way to make a district that doesn’t include other distinct cultural groups with Nome.  

Bahnke:  Makes no sense -Nome testimony - to connect Athabaskans with Sea people - your map was not popular in Nome.  

David:  It’s possible there’s an error in the numbers.  Your assessment of Nome is accurate.  My recollection was no one’s map was popular.  Interior villages didn’t think it made sense to have Hooper Bay.  Nome is one area where people would prefer a different map than any other map.

Bahnke - In Nome people like v4.  

Borromeo - you are capturing sentiments, but miss Nome, so are others accurate?

Dunsmore:  Based on what’s online and in the public record.  We’ve shown methodology.

10:31   [I’m being distracted so not capturing this all.]

Binkley - one more public testimony

Brian - In prior opportunities expressed concern about west Anchorage - AFFER and v4 - approaching the ?? Process.  Plug for AFFER for West Anchorage.  V4  That’s all I have.  

Binkley:  Conclude public testimony.  Go into Executive Session -OK take a break then go to ES.  

10:30am – Executive Session with Legal Counsel Voting Rights Act Compliance in 2020 Proposed Plans

Voting Rights Act Compliance in 2020 Proposed Plans

Presentation by Matt Singer, Schwabe, Legal Counsel to the Board

1:14 - Board back from ES  - Matt Singer, Board attorney presentation, handouts.

Voting Rights Act - has been part of Alaska Redistricting.  CAn’t diminish Alaska Native Control districts.  Have traditionally elected Native politicians.  Dr. Katz is statistician, Bruce Adelson VRA expert.  Analysis.  Katz concluded that racially polarized voting does occur

Districts 37,38,39 40 are protected.  Analyzed v3 to see if needed modifications.  Concluded they do not because D37-40 have enough Native population to elect candidate of their choice.  Did note that some districts have very high native populations.  Cracking would be diluting by spreading over districts.  Packing - when minorities packed into some districts and not giving them more power.  Could we add a fifth Native district?  Decided that we could not - just wouldn’t make sense.  

Detailed report to explain our IRA analysis.  Barring some drastic changes - all the plans had those four districts - they drew themselves the way the population is divided.  

Other component - Neighborhoods in Anchorage with diverse neighborhoods we looked at distribution of Anchorage population as example and House D19 there are 33.4% id as white  two or more  12.5 Hispanic  ……. Can’t keep up….   Is there a difference between white and minority voters?  We could not find statistical evidence to support there is political cohesion among the groups nor racial block voting.  Not a VRA obligation to draw Anchorage districts a certain way.  Board has obligation to NOT discriminate against minorities.  Compact, contiguous districts board avoids discrimination.  

Longwinded way is our advice to Board is VRA does not require alteration to the plans the board is now considering.  We’ll run the final plan through the experts.  

Q? No

Review of Sept 16 Census Physical Delivery Data 

1:26   Peter Torkelson:  Next item.  Our receipt of physical data package.  We sent out an email detailing this.  Point here is to be sure that the data we are using is the actual Census data.  August 12, downloaded from internet and things could be compromised.  We cross-checked different ways to validate.  Constitution says board must use Census data.  Only authoritative data we can use.  Census followed up with a hardware - DVD and thumb drive.  Opened the files and found data file.  At first glance seems to be same file we downloaded.  These files look to be the same.  But we must be able to document that downloaded data is exactly the same as the Census data.  

Compared new data to the downloaded data.  Digital fingerprinting - comparing two electronic files to make sure they are exactly the same 

[Explaining in more detail how he checked to confirm the files are identical.]

Avalanche effect - one small thing can cascade an avalanche of difference.

Digital fingerprints of Aug 12 download identical to physical file received in September.

1:35

Binkley - a lot shorter than your email.  

Peter:  I got a lot of feedback about the email…

Public Hearing Tour Summary

1:37  Review places we’ve been to meet Constitutional obligation to hold public hearings.  We took the six adopted plans

First half hour just talking with people about the maps on the wall and then offering public testimony.  Smaller communities people less likely.  [Basically talking about where they went - timing, etc.  Not much critical substance..  

List of Quick Stats - hundreds of truly generous Alaskans.  One lady testified, then left.  Went to store to buy us food before the local store closed.  We were overwhelmed by generosity of Alaskans.

1:44

Binkley - we all share the thanks for the hospitality of Alaskans around the state.

Review & Discussion: Tasks Ahead, Key Decisions 

VRA analysis not complete because we don’t have a completed map.  I work at your discretion, but also my duty to hold your feet to the fire.  

Next tasks ahead and vision for the week - board will do as they wish, but we’d recommend.  We urge you to get a final map by Friday.  We need another of days after the final map to fulfill our duties.

Mr. Sandberg from Dept of Labor has to write detailed descriptions of 40 districts.  He offered to work the weekend to get it done.  

Other tasks.  Contacted by GIS departments of Boroughs and cities about problems with maps and they want to take our shape file and run it through their systems to identify where out maps may divide a house or other problems.  

Want to do the Senate pairings and to do that, have to run core constituency reports - what % of voters were in the previous districts.  In some districts we’ll have 90% the same voters, but in other districts not so high.  May have to truncate because voters in that district have substantially changed.  20 Senate seats, ten elected every cycle.  Decide a) which seats have to run again, and b) assign which election cycle each seat will run.  

That’s why we have to do final map by Friday.  But it won’t be final official map until we adopt the full proclamation - need to have everyone do all these things.  So need to get the map done by Friday.

We have organized our offices to have work sessions.  Maps on walls.  Time for board to look more inward and draft maps that reflect the standards and the public input we’ve received. Are two days enough?  I don’t know.  

Then come back here when done and explain Friday and formally adopt.  

Binkley:  Thank you Peter.  For all of us first time through and trying to get through.  You’ve outlined a good course of action.

Borromeo:  I find the office a better atmosphere for mapping.  Plenty of seats for everyone who is here today.  I encourage people to just do their mapping.  

Marcum:  I agree we’ll be more productive mapping.  Trying to do all this in two days, I suggest we start today and tonight.  Rather start early and intensely and get done early, rather than wait.

Simpson:  I agree

TJ Presley:  There needs to be a final public testimony opportunity.  Just make sure you are incorporating that.

Torkelson:  The mapping at the office will be open to the public.  We’ve got seating and made that possible.  Suggest public testimony before we make final decisions. 

Binkley:  We’d come back with Senate pairings and recommend public testimony after we do the senate pairings - maybe Monday morning.  Try to get things done Friday and staff can clean up on Monday.

Binkley:  OK, then we can recess, suggest.

Matt Singer:  Recess to another location.

Torkelson:  We have a zoom link, however, this is a dynamic process, people doing around.  No way to capture this whole process.  Not the same as if you were there in person.  

1:59pm

Matt:  When you make decisions should do that in way that is as public as possible.  

Peter:  Work session will be recorded.  Need to move from formal process and when decision points come, get more formal.

Matt Singer:  You will have to make decisions at different points should make that clear.  

Pressley:  Want testimony now?

Binkley:  If someone has something to say?  David Dunsmore

Dunsmore:  Brief time to look at VRA handouts.  It seems to me clear evidence of racial profiling in East Anchorage.  We concur with conclusion for rural Alaska that 4 rural districts required.  I’d suggest Board to ask Adelson to supplement report - one thing missing, curious how national expert would tackle the problem - how Prop 2 is going to interplay with bra analysis.  Under prop 2 (ranked choice) uncertain how last election would have ended up.  Appropriate to Board to ask for analysis of Ranked Choice voting.  It’s happened in various countries around the world, so I assume there are methodologies for analyzing.  Also appropriate to ask in ecological analysis, not just races, to see where Native Candidate against non-Native candidate.  Also VRA considers candidate of its choice, but doesn’t have to be same race.  

Also put on record couple of races - haven’t seen Anchorage analysis.  I think some showed clear racial voting.  Bettye Davis barely won her district but when paired with ER, minority voters denied the candidate of their choice.  White voters in ER heavily voted for Anna Fairclough.  Also 2012 Garen Tarr v. Cal Williams - clear white/minority voting.  That was a primary race, so not partisan polarization.  Also given new voting system, overlapping Senate district - Tom Begich v. ???.  Thank you again for the opportunity to give testimony

Matt Singer:  Adelson believes some white cross-over voting in AK native districts.  

Dunsmore - I did see but not that tied in post Prop 2 world.  

Matt Singer:  If five districts in Anchorage with 45% or more minority population.  

Dunsmore:  I don’t have the numbers in front of me.  

Matt:  v3 and v4 had five minority districts in Anchorage where a majority - if you buy that the diverse minority groups voted the same - every group came up with about five districts.

Dunsmore:  Haven’t had chance to review the other plans for this.  

Binley:  Thank you.  If not close and recess to work session at our office

Borromeo:  3901 Old Seward Highway, near DMV (Old University Center)

They adjourned at this point.  I’m afraid I stopped tracking the time.  It was maybe 2:30 or so.  

Mapping Work Session

This continued at the Board’s office.  

Adopt Final Redistricting Map  - postponed, most likely to Friday

Adjournment

Redistricting Board Has "ADOPT FINAL REDISTRICTING MAP" Scheduled For Tues PM Nov 2 - But Probably Not Really. Here's What's Going To Happen

[UPDATE November 1, 2021:  Board sent out update Agenda for the week after this was posted and reflects what's discussed here.]

When I saw the Agenda [posted below] for Tuesday I was, like, "They're going to adopt a final map in one day?  They're never going to get all that done."   

I called Peter Torkelson, the Board's Executive Director, and we talked through the agenda.  

Most important point - This is more like an agenda for the week.  They're going to try to get through Agenda Item #9.  Then Wednesday and Thursday do the Mapping Work Sessions where the Board works on the maps.  This work will happen in the Board's office in the University Center. They are trying to work out some sort of Zoom connection, but there will be people working individually, in pairs, etc. with different conversations going on simultaneously.  People will be able to attend the meeting in person.  

Then Friday they want to get to Agenda Item #11 - Adopt Final Redistricting Map. But everything is fluid.  Things could happen faster or slower, but expect a final map by Friday at the latest.

Voting Rights Act Compliance - The board hired a Voting Rights Act (VRA) consultant to review the proposed maps to make sure they are in compliance with the VRA - basically impacts on minority voters, which in Alaska mainly means Alaska Natives.  Ten years ago, Alaska was one of 16 states that needed federal Department of Justice approval before they could finalize their maps.  The US Supreme Court in 2011 in Shelby v Holder said that Sec 5 of the Act was no longer valid and so preclearance is no longer required.  (They'd already gotten it last time before the SC decision.)  So the Board is going to be briefed in Executive Session - I'm not sure why that's necessary because last time the Voting Rights consultant report and questions were done in public - though some part may have been in executive session - and then the Board's attorney will give a summary to the public.

Next - After the districts are 'finalized' - they will "proof read" the maps.  They'll send the maps out to various Municipalities and Boroughs around the state, with whom they've already talked, for them to go through their locations carefully to find any blips - weird census blocks that raise issues such as a house cut in half by a district, odd protrusions that have an unintended negative impact, etc. - that can be corrected.  

Also over the weekend, Eric Sandberg, the tech on loan to the Board from the State, who served these same functions 10 years ago, will create the 'metes and bounds' - the verbal descriptions of each of the districts.  Here's a link to the post from May 15, 2012 where the Board votes to adopt the metes and bounds.  You can see an example of the description of District 1.  There's also a link to the audio of that meeting (about 7 minutes including an opening concert by the Board Chair). Eric Sandberg gives a very brief description of the kinds of corrections he made to the districts - basically moving census blocks that had no population, including some over water.  

And Finally - There will be more to do then next week.  Mainly Senate Pairings and truncation.  Each Senate district comprises of two house districts, so they have to decide which two house districts become a Senate district.  They have to be contiguous house districts. This could have political impacts.  The last Board paired the only African-American Senator, Bettye Davis, out of her Senate seat by pairing her house district in East Anchorage with a house district in Eagle River, adding a much more conservative set of voters.  

Truncation is a more arcane activity. If a "substantial" number of new voters are in a Senate district, then that district has to go up for election in the next election.  The idea is that the new people would be represented by someone they didn't vote for.  How much is 'substantial'?  Peter thought 30% new voters would be an absolute limit, but it could be fewer than that to trigger truncation.  Last time 19 out 20 Senate seats were truncated.  But there's more.

Term Allocation Table - Senate seats are staggered so that only 10 seats are up at any one election.  So that all gets messed up by truncation.  Thus some Senate seats will have to run for election again in 2024. (I'm assuming court cases won't delay the process enough to not go into effect in2022).  There's plenty of partisan hanky-panky potential in this process too.  

Ideally, all this will be accomplished by November 10, because November 11 is Veteran's Day and the day they have to be done by.  

Date: November 2, 2021 Time: 9:00am

Place:

Anchorage Legislative Information Office, Denali Conference Room, 1st Floor 1500 West Benson Blvd, Anchorage 99503

Anchorage LIO meetings: Live Video/Audio Web Stream: www.akl.tvAnchorage LIO: Teleconference public testimony dial-in numbers:

Anchorage 563-9085, Juneau 586-9085, Other 844-586-9085

Agenda
Call to Order and Establish Quorum
Adoption of Agenda
Adoption of Minutes
Public Testimony – will conclude at 10:30am
Dial into one of the phone numbers above and indicate to the operator that you wish to testify
10:30am – Executive Session with Legal Counsel Voting Rights Act Compliance in 2020 Proposed Plans
Voting Rights Act Compliance in 2020 Proposed Plans
Presentation by Matt Singer, Schwabe, Legal Counsel to the Board
Review of Sept 16 Census Physical Delivery Data 
Public Hearing Tour Summary
Review & Discussion: Tasks Ahead, Key Decisions 
Mapping Work Session
Adopt Final Redistricting Map 
Adjournment