Vol. 36, No. 4 www.arlingtondemocrats.org April 2011 April is the month to slice and dice Virginia’s voting districts The General Assembly comes back into ses- House Privileges and Elections Committee this year Summer sion April 4 to take up the task of divying up the made that 1 percent for House of Delegates districts. state into 11 U.S. House of Representatives districts, But Chairman Mark Cole (R-Fredericksburg) ac- be 40 State Senate districts and 100 House of Delegates knowledged there was a downside in that you lose could districts. flexibility and have a harder time keeping commu- Many voters are complaining bitterly that the nities of interest together. And an independent com- a real big process in Virginia allows the state legislature to mission drafting maps has advocated a larger rather draw boundaries with little public input. The com- than a smaller deviation than in the past. (Five per- campaign plaint is classicly stated that voters should choose cent satisfies the courts.) their elected officials, but instead elected officials 4—The political interests of office holders call season choose their voters. for drawing lines that gather in as many of their Altogether, there are at least five drivers influ- supporters as possible and push out as many of the encing district boundaries—although not equally in- opposition as possible. That produces districts with Check out our very fluencing the outcome. shapes only a contortionist could love. Ten years preliminary 1—The state constitution says districts should ago, then-Rep. Tom Davis in neighboring Fairfax be “contiguous and compact” and “give, as nearly County took as many Democratic areas as he could primary ballot on as is practicable, representation in proportion to the and shoved them into Rep. Jim Moran’s district. Page population of the district.” That produced a weirdly-shaped Moran district with Six 2—Federal law says states must take into con- a skinny neck running from Arlington out to Reston. sideration minority interests. That mandate means In the end, however, the law of uinintended conse- that some districts meander to group minority resi- quences dominated as the new map benefitted dential areas, ignoring county and city boundaries Moran but did no good for Davis, as migration Maybe you and ending up far from compact. brought so many more Democrats into Davis’ dis- 3—The Supreme Court said decades ago that trict that he gave up and retired. wanna rural-run state legislatures had to stop protecting 5—Academics and many politicians (albeit declining farm country by drawing 10,000-resi- chiefly retired ones) have long become a dent rural districts and 50,000-resident urban urged that districts be drawn so districts. That has produced a drive in some as to be more competitive. candidate??? states for mathematical precision—and They argue that good gov- that means not only slicing and dic- ernment more often re- ing towns, but sometimes even sults from serious splitting precincts. In 2001, Vir- competition in ginia operated under guide- continued on lines that allowed a 2 per- page eight cent deviation from mathematically equal districts. The ACDC Voice, April 2011, Page 2

Report from Chairman Mike Lieberman Time for spring training Politics is a lot like baseball – if you work and identify new Democrats now, that pro- Day. This is bread and butter politics, and, hard in the spring and summer, you set your- vides an expanded and ready source of po- put simply, if we can identify more Demo- self up for a strong run in October and No- tential volunteers and donors we can call dur- cratic voters now, that is even more people vember. Here in Arlington, the sun is out and ing the heat of the campaign season, with a we will know to remind to vote at election the flowers are blooming, which can only significantly higher chance of success. time. mean one thing – it’s time for spring training. Second, identifying Democrats now I want to thank each and every one of For the last two years, our spring season helps us target our message and outreach bet- you who helped make this voter identifica- in Arlington has been focused on a new, but ter during the campaign. If we know a per- tion program a success last year, and those critical voter identification drive. We have son is a Democrat, we can be sure to send who have already stepped up again to partici- asked each one of our precinct captains and them campaign literature that is more likely pate this year. While November may seem a volunteers to identify two dates between April to appeal to Democratic audiences. On the long way off, the work we do in this spring 1 and July 1 to host and manage a voter can- other side of the coin, we can save money by season is truly what sets us up for success vass or phone bank aimed at reaching out to not having to mail to strong Republicans who when the playoffs come in the fall. unidentified voters. Last year, in its inaugu- are not likely to vote with us regardless of the I hope you will find the time during this ral year, this spring voter identification drive candidates we offer. spring season to dust off your spikes, stretch yielded more than 1,000 new IDs; this year, Finally, identifying Democrats now lets your legs, and help in this vital and critical we are aiming even higher. us know who we need to work to turn out on part of what we do. I can assure you that when In this column, I want to take a moment Election Day. In the final days of any cam- the fall comes, you will be happy that you to remind you why this project, and your ef- paign, the focus of our campaign will shift did. forts, are so important. from converting swing voters to turning out First, known Democrats provide our best base voters. Each year, we do our best to call source of potential volunteers and potential or otherwise reach every known Democrat in donors for the fall campaign. If we reach out Arlington to remind them to vote on Election Democratic Values in Action Cereal, towels are collectors’ items Jerry Botland Democratic Values in Action (DVA), the non-campaign arm of ACDC, is continuing Computer Consulting to collect cereal for the Arlington Food As- Troubleshoot and resolve computer and sistance Center (AFAC). computer related problems. DVA is also collecting gently used bath towels, hand towels and washcloths for the Perform upgrades, set-up wireless routers and print servers. county’s homeless shelters. Bring them to the Transfer old files, address book and emails April meeting. from an old computer to a new one. Phone: (703) 933-0558 — [email protected] Tejada to munch at First Sat Breakfast County Board Member Walter Tejada will be the featured guest at this month’s Ar- Published monthly by the lington Democrats First Saturday Breakfast Arlington County Democratic Committee April 2. 2009 North 14th Street, Suite #612, Arlington, VA 22201 Meet as usual at the Bus Boys and Poets Tel: (703) 528-8588 Fax: (703) 528-2321 in Shirlington between 8:30 and 10 a.m. http://www.arlingtondemocrats.org Walter’s County Board term is up this Chair: Mike Lieberman —(703) 408-3940 (h), [email protected] year and he will be running for re-election— Editor-in-Chief: Warren L. Nelson —(703) 243-7867 (h), [email protected] or maybe for the General Assembly! Deputy Editor: Vacant Remember to please bring cash. The or- Views expressed do not necessarily represent those of the ACDC ganizers get one bill and it is so easy if every- unless expressly approved by an appropriate Committee Resolution one chips in cash instead of working a stack Copyright ©2011, ACDC, All Rights Reserved of credit cards. ACDC Voice, April 2011, Page 3 Dems start Next Monthly Meeting year with All Dems Invited Wednesday, April 6, 2011, 7:00 p.m. NRECA Building, 4301 Wilson Blvd more bucks Corner of North Taylor and Wilson, just east of Glebe & Wilson Free parking under building, enter from Taylor Street By Bob Lewis The Associated Press This month, we tackle the issue of faith in politics, and will With elections this fall that will deter- discuss how we can best engage and work with the faith mine control of Virginia’s 40-member Sen- community. Before the meeting, at 6 p.m., The Roosevelt ate, Democrats had more fundraising cash on Society is hosting a reception for Roosevelt Society mem- hand at the start of 2011 than Republicans, bers featuring Democratic National Committee leader Larry but Gov. Bob McDonnell is showing he can Roberts. Come for the reception, stay for the meeting! open donors’ deep pockets for the GOP. In the Senate, Democrats have nearly $1 million more on hand than the nearly $2 mil- lion Republicans have, according to campaign finance reports filed with the State Board of really like to see an increased number of Re- paign finance data compiled by the Virginia Elections. Senate Majority Leader Dick publicans in the Virginia Senate.” Public Access Project, a nonprofit and nonpar- Saslaw alone has $820,000, by far the most The fight over the Senate is the focal tisan tracker of money in Virginia politics. of any legislative candidate. point of the fall elections because Democrats In the past year, McDonnell’s most gen- Despite the larger cash reserves for the hold a 22-18 majority. erous givers have been: the finance and in- Senate’s Democrats, McDonnell gives the If the Democrats lose two seats to the surance industry, nearly $674,000; real estate GOP something it’s lacked since 2001—the GOP, a 20-20 partisan deadlock would be cre- and construction companies, about $580,000; powerful fundraising advantage of the ated, with Republican Lt. Gov. and 2013 gu- power and natural resources companies, governor’s office. He’s made clear his intent bernatorial aspirant Bill Bolling to cast the nearly $521,000; more than $466,000 from to spend the spring, summer and fall helping tie-breaking vote. That would clear the way retail businesses; and nearly $434,000 from a Republicans win the Senate. for the Republican governor and the House’s health care industry firmly opposed to the McDonnell’s political action committees allied GOP leadership to enact their socially Democrats’ federal health care reform law. raised about $4.4 million the past year and and fiscally conservative vision of Virginia. An analysis by the nonprofit also shows had nearly $1.8 million on hand when 2010 In the 100-member House, Republicans, the health care industry gave the most to leg- ended, according to campaign finance reports who hold a 61-39 seat majority, had nearly islative candidates in 2010: $1.53 million. filed with the State Board of Elections. $2.7 million on hand compared to nearly $1.1 That eclipsed the $1.47 million given to “It’s important to me to maximize the million for Democrats. In all, candidates for candidates from partisan political organiza- number of free-market fiscal conservatives this fall’s legislative races had nearly $9 mil- tions, which usually are the top source of can- that get elected to the General Assembly,” lion on hand at the start of the year. didate support. McDonnell previously said. “The majority of The governor has donors with deep pock- Law firms and the legal profession gave those happen to be Republicans, and I would ets and ready checkbooks, according to cam- $1.1 million, the energy and natural resources sector gave $1 million, and real estate and construction interests gave just short of $1 million. The two largest institutional, corporate Bumper Sticker or individual donors were the state Demo- cratic and Republican parties, which gave of the Month $466,484 and $324,906, respectively. The Virginia Bankers Association was third on that list, giving $228,646. The group is trying to scuttle bipartisan reforms now before the House and Senate that would slow the swift pace of mortgage foreclosures and require lenders to record land and loan trans- actions at local courthouses. The state’s giant utility, Dominion, which holds a power monopoly over most of the state, contributed $215,794 to legislative candidates in 2010. The Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association gave $168,264. ACDC Voice, April 2011, Page 4 Might Webb Donkey Ears be defense Listening to the doings secretary? of Arlington’s Dems as overheard by By Wesley P. Hester The Richmond Times Dispatch Dan Steen and Mädi Green March 23, 2011 Departing U.S. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., is hinting at a future public role but not offer- The Broder Connection: Washington Post columnist David Broder died March 9 ing details. at the age of 81. The New York Times commented that his work was so bal- Visiting Richmond March 22, Webb sug- anced that his own “political leanings and personal biases remained obscure.” gested that his political career wouldn’t end But here in Arlington, his wife, Ann Broder, was active in the liberal commu- with his Senate term. nity and often volunteered helping get out Democratic mailings at ACDC HQ. When a member of the media corps jok- She was also a precinct captain in Taylor precinct. David often joined a brood ingly referred to Webb as a “short-timer,” of Redskins fans to watch games in the basement of Mary Margaret and Tom Webb smiled and said, “Maybe.” Whipple. Mary Margaret commented that Dave “left local politics to Ann.” Later asked to elaborate, Webb would Mary Margaret told Donkey Ears, “Ann introduced me to Arlington Democratic only rule out another term as senator. politics, including gently telling me I needed to make a sizable contribution to “I’m not thinking about running for re- the County Board Campaign Coalition—an earlier version of The Roosevelt election, but I’m not going away, either,” he Society—now that I had been appointed to the School Board. When I ran for said. “I intend to stay politically involved.” the County Board, Ann even hand-lettered a huge banner for me, but said that in Webb, a decorated Vietnam veteran who the future she would only do it for someone with a shorter name!” has served as assistant secretary of defense More kudos for Lucy: The House of Delegates has approved a resolution lauding and as secretary of the Navy, could have a Lucy Denney on the occasion of her 80th birthday. It commends her many Cabinet post in mind. And given his interest contributions to civic life in Arlington and cites her record of public service in military affairs and foreign relations, he could be angling to succeed Secretary of De- ranging from her years as a CIA analyst in the 1950s through her dozen years fense Robert M. Gates. running ACDC Headquarters until her retirement in 2006. Larry J. Sabato, a political-science pro- Check out this vote: Because we have a GOP governor, the Arlington Electoral fessor at the University of Virginia, said that Board (which oversees elections) is now comprised of two Republicans (Allen seems the most plausible option, suggesting Harrison Jr. and Scott McGeary) and one Democrat (Charlene Bickford). that a run for governor in 2013 would seem They got together in March to choose their chairman for the year and unani- out of character. mously elected—Charlene! Other parts of the country may be having partisan- “The good thing about being secretary ship problems, but our Electoral Board seems to know how to work together for of defense is you have an automatic out in the common good. being politically active,” he added. “You’re Perfect score: Congressman Jim Moran scored a perfect 100 percent rating on not expected to go to fundraising events, you the League of Conservation Voters review of congressional voting records don’t go to political events—it fits him to a during 2010. The only other perfect score from the Virginia delegation was T.” Rep. Bobby Scott. Gates has said he will retire before the Paul surfaces: We don’t hear as often from Paul Ferguson since he moved from end of this year so that President Barack the County Board to become clerk of the Circuit Court of Arlington (and Falls Obama will not have to appoint a successor Church). But if you’d like to check in with him, he will be the guest speaker at while he seeks re-election in 2012. this year’s Civic Federation Banquet Friday, April 8. Check the invite and But Sabato noted that Obama has urged reservation form at www.civfed.org/2011banqinv.pdf Gates to stay on through his first term. And Day job: Former Steering Committee member Max Scruggs has become the new even if he does leave, Sabato said, an interim president of the Arlington chapter of the National Active and Retired Federal secretary of defense could take his place un- Employees Association (NARFE). Years ago, Max celebrated the easing of the til Webb’s Senate term expires in January Hatch Act restrictions by becoming a very active Dem. 2013. After an afternoon appearance at Virginia Do As I Say, Not As I Do Department: Rep. Eric Cantor, the new House Majority Commonwealth University, Webb was asked Leader, thinks federal bureaucrats get paid too much. Since coming to Con- directly about whether he is interested in the gress in 2001 and leading the charge to freeze federal salaries this year, he has post. handed out handsome pay raises to his own staff, boosting his office payroll by “Don’t ask ‘what if’ questions,” he re- 81 percent, according to a report by The Associated Press. The comparable plied. private sector hike is 25 percent. ACDC Voice, April 2011, Page 5 Meet our leaders Bree Raum: Counting up the coins There must be something in the water in events, the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner. Prima- sprawl. Frederick, Maryland. The town breeds strong rily, however, money for ACDC operations She notes that you don’t see that kind of women who stand up for democratic values. comes from contributions by members of The development planning in other parts of North- Certainly, Stonewall Jackson had his hands Roosevelt Society. ern Virginia, and credits the difference to the full with Barbara Fritchie when she refused In a transient community like Arlington, foresight of the voters and of the elected offi- to lower Old Glory in the face of Confederate 10 years is a long time. Bree Raum is now a cials in Arlington County. “They are so open firepower during the 1862 Antietam cam- veteran Arlingtonian, able to dazzle newcom- and so wonderful to work with and to know paign. ers with tales of pre-housing bubble personally.” Bree says. “ I am lucky to live Born and raised in Frederick, Bree Clarendon. Indeed, her first favorite water- in a place where I am happy with every one Raum, ACDC’s finance director, is the child ing hole was the late great Whitey’s on Wash- of my elected representatives. They inspire of two Maryland public school teachers. ington Boulevard. (A moment of silence is me to work for the party.” While she does not recall her parents being appropriate here.) Bree has no current plans to run for an- particularly active in politics, she did note that, In reflecting on the changes she has seen, other party position or for elected office, but as the result of the education policies of she admits that the number of excellent wine does plan to be quite active in the upcoming George W. Bush, her mother is now a “raging bars and restaurants in the county has greatly 2012 Senate race to succeed Jim Webb. She liberal.” increased. This thought leads her to laud the declines to name a favorite between oft men- It was the hard fought and long lamented foresight of the County Board’s Smart Growth tioned possible candidates Tim Kaine or Tom 2004 campaign of John Kerry against that urban development program, with its concen- Perriello, although she had high praise for same President Bush that first brought Bree trations of mixed-use business and residen- Perriello.. In any event, she plans to cam- into the ACDC fold. She first moved to Ar- tial property along the Orange Line, leaving paign enthusiastically to keep George Allen lington in 2001, after graduating from neighborhoods intact and preventing urban out of office. Salisbury State University, now Salisbury University, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. In 2004, Bree became active in the Joint Cam- paign, working the Metro stations, canvass- ing and telephoning, and putting in the street time that is so necessary for any successful campaign. Despite the regrettable outcome election night, Bree’s future as an activist was con- firmed. She credits an “old timer” at the ACDC, Christi Fanelli, for giving her guid- ance and fellowship in those days. As her day job, Bree works for the American Gas Association, promoting the uses of natural gas. She has worked in this field since she first came to Arlington in 2001. But she still has had time to serve as a pre- cinct captain, then as a Steering Committee member and Jefferson-Jackson Dinner co- chair. Bree is now finance director for the Ar- lington County Democratic Committee. This includes a seat on the ACDC Steering Com- mittee. The finance director is not the treasurer of the ACDC. The treasurer spends the money—but the finance director must first raise those funds. There are targeted capital campaigns, such as the recent effort to raise funds for a new office copier. There are raffles and social events, such as the Chili Cookoff and the jewel in the crown of ACDC social Bree Raum emceeing the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner. ACDC Voice, April 2011, Page 6

The 2011 primary ballot—1st Draft There will be at least two Democratic primaries in Ar- If Hope decides to seek the Senate seat, that will open lington this August—and perhaps many more! up his delegate district. The deadline for filing isn’t until July 15, so candidates The other retiree is Del. Adam Ebbin, who is running for still have 3 1/2 months in which to surface. Ticer’s old Senate seat—for which Alexandria City Council- As of now, the two primary races involve the one to suc- man Rob Krupicka and Arlington School Board Member ceed retiring state Sen. Patsy Ticer in the district that takes in Libby Garvey are also vying. the southern third of Arlington plus most of Alexandria and So far, only Stephanie Clifford has announced for Ebbin’s parts of Fairfax County, and the race to succeed Dick Trod- old seat. Originally from Janesville, Wis., Clifford is a nine- den, who is retiring as commonwealth attorney. year resident of Arlington and currently vice president of the There are two other retirees. Mary Margaret Whipple is Arlington Young Democrats. leaving the state Senate. So far, only County Board Member Note that if School Board Member Garvey wins the Ticer Barbara Favola has filed for that seat, but others are known to seat or County Board Member Favola wins the Whipple seat, be thinking about it. Del. Patrick Hope is among those. He is they will resign their current posts, setting up special elec- waiting to see what the Senate district looks like after redis- tions that will probably be held early in 2012. tricting. Here is the candidate lineup—very subject to change. GENERAL ASSEMBLY CONSTITUTIONAL 31st Senate District POSTS (Mary Margaret Whipple retiring) Treasurer Barbara Favola Frank O’Leary (I) 30th Senate District (Patsy Ticer retiring) Commissioner of Revenue Adam Ebbin Ingrid Morroy (I) Libby Garvey Rob Krupicka Sheriff Beth Arthur (I) 45th Delegate David Englin (I) Commonwealth’s Attorney (Dick Trodden retiring) 47th Delegate (Patrick Hope Incumbent) David Deane None announced Theo Stamos 48th Delegate Bob Brink (I)

49th Delegate (Adam Ebbin retiring) Stephanie Clifford ARLINGTON BOARDS County Board (2 seats) Mary Hynes (I) Walter Tejada (I)

School Board Abby Raphael (I) ACDC Voice, April 2011, Page 7 AYD Date Auction rakes in $7,000, lots of laughs & we don’t know how much lovin’ The annual date auction of the Arling- ton Young Dems (AYDs) pulled in more than $7,000, not to mention lots of laughs, as bid-

ders vied to accompany 11 men and 11 women Photos courtesy Carl Cliffor Carl courtesy Photos auctioned from the stage. It was the AYDs’ 10th Annual Charity Date Auction. This year, AYD partnered with the Arlington Street People’s Assistance Net- work (A-SPAN), with half the proceeds from the auction going to help A-SPAN’s efforts for the homeless. A-SPAN brought in several people to be auctioned off for dates, including its own de- d velopment director, Jan Sacharko. The emcees for the evening at the Clarendon Grill were political pundit Liz Chadderdon of The Chadderdon Group and Levar Stoney, former executive director of the Democratic Party of Virginia (DPVA).

HIGHER — Christy-Lee Carter (left) encourages the crowd to bid higher, while (above) emcees Levar Stoney and Liz Chadderdon encourage Chris Bea to display his, ahhh..., dancing skills.

Bidders learned something about the available bachelors and bachelorettes from the emcees. There was a surfer, a personal trainer, a skydiver and several exotic travelers—including one who said the most exotic place he had visited was the Red Line. Ages ranged from 23 to 33. Date gender preferences ranged over other, either or the same. One male looked over the crowd and pointed out the woman he wanted to bid on him. She frowned—but was goaded by her tablemates into bidding. And she won—or maybe we better wait until after the date to find out if she did. Those already attached were not left out. The auction included meals with several politicos. While Terry McAuliffe didn’t show up in person this year, his lunch still pulled down a cool $550. Also auctioned off were lunches with Congressman Jim Moran, former Congressman Tom Perriello, and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida. Liz and Levar kept things moving, adding lots of humor and a little snark to the auction process. So perhaps you can’t teach anyone to surf on the Potomac River, Liz noted. Levar pointed out that if the auction had been held two centuries ago, he, as an African-American, would have been “on the other side.” Before the auction, many, AYD members toured the A-SPAN fa- cilities and participated in a service project to clean, make sandwiches, and sort clothes at A-SPAN’s Shirlington Center. On the night of the Date Auction, a drive was also held to provide new underwear for Arlington’s homeless. To learn more about A-SPAN, visit www.a-span.org or call (703) 820-4357. ACDC Voice, April 2011, Page 8 Redistricting looms in April continued from page one latures this year. The other 46 states can take versity, said it would be possible to draw a elections. When a district is drawn to have a their time as the new boundaries won’t apply second district with up to 40 percent African- solid majority from one party, the November until their 2012 primaries. Virginia has American population, but not with an Afri- election becomes meaningless. An incumbent pushed its primary this year from the normal can-American majority. That, however, could only fears a primary challenge—and in low June 14 to August 23. mean taking black neigborhoods out of Rep. turnout primaries, extremist positions often This all means the General Assembly Scott’s district, opening up another can of prevail. That has the impact of pushing must rush. Senate and House committees worms. Democratic incumbents further to the left and have already been drawing boundaries in pri- According to the 2010 Census, the com- Republicans further to the right. vate. Many expect the two chambers to do monwealth is now 19.6 percent African- All five of these drivers will come to- litle more than endorse the committee prod- American. The following table shows the gether in April as the General Assembly puts ucts and be gone within as little as three days. number of African-American Virginia legis- on its eyeshades and draws the new bound- The maps are expected to be posted on the lators. The first column shows the number of aries based on the 2010 Census. Internet the first week of April. seats, the second shows the number that Afri- There are a few new twists to take into Del. Bob Brink of Arlington said, “You can-Americans would theoretically hold consideration. need a lot more time than that to look at these based on their proportion of the state’s popu- For the first time since Reconstruction, plans that that have been submitted and see lation, the third column shows how many the state has divided government in a redis- what they are.” He was referring to maps pro- African-Americans now actually hold seats tricting year with the GOP having a majority duced by the McDonnell commission and the and the last column shows the percentage of in the House of Delegatres and the Senate hav- student redistricting competition. seats they hold. ing a Democratic majority. Up to now, each The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus Total Theo Act Act % chamber has been working on its own map has called for another majority-minority con- U.S. House 11 2 1 9.0% and many expect each chamber simply to de- gressional district. The 1965 Voting Rights VA House 40 8 5 12.5% fer to the other. Act forces Virginia and other Southern states VA Senate 100 20 12 12.0% As for the U.S. House, the eight Repub- to protect minority-dominant districts. “I have no problem with a second [fed- licans and three Democrats have jointly pro- The only Virginia district that has a ma- eral] district, but how do you draw it so that posed a map to the General Assembly that is jority of minorities now is Rep. Bobby Scott’s it’s contiguous and compact?” asked Sen. widely assumed to emphasize incumbent pro- 3rd District, which snakes 100 miles from Frank Ruff, R-Mecklenberg, whose son is on tection. Norfolk to Richmond, jumping back and forth a University of Virginia team that submitted In recent years, the Democratic major- across the James River to take in African- proposed redrawn district lines. ity in the state Senate has repeatedly approved American neighborhoods on both sides of the Scott’s district got its winding design bills to set up an independent commission to waterway. during the 2001 redistricting when the Vir- draw the boundaries, as is done in a half-dozen Most analysts are saying a second ma- ginia GOP held the majority in both cham- states. The Republican-controlled House of jority minority district isn’t possible without bers and the governor’s mansion. Delegates has buried all those bills. Gov. Bob drawing one shaped like an octopus with arms The purpose was partly to maximize Af- McDonnell supported such a commission in groping around the state. Michael McDonald, rican-American voting strength—but it was his 2009 campaign, but did not support such a redistricting expert at George Mason Uni- continued on next page legislation after his inauguration in 2010. In- stead, he has named a purely advisory com- mission that is holding hearings around the state and will shortly produce its mapping suggestions. Commission members have been surprised at the public interest with more than 100 people showing up in Norfolk and 80 in Roanoke. On top of that, some Virginia scholars have gotten together and run a competition among teams of students from the state’s col- leges to see what maps they could produce with a modern computer program that helps draw boundaries. Their efforts have drawn a lot of media and public attention. In five other states so far—Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Indiana—similar university-driven efforts are now being set up. Virginia is helped into the vanguard by the calendar. Only Virginia and three other states will elect members of their state legis- ACDC Voice, April 2011, Page 9 Redistricting looms in April continued from previous page Students from George Mason University and with neat-looking compact districts while still the University of Richmond took prizes in the abiding by the terms of the Voting Rights Act also intended to render neighboring districts— competition’s category for House of Delegates and trying to respect county and city lines. the 1st, 2nd and 4th—more friendly to Re- districts. “It’s easy to justify to the public when publicans. Winners were chosen by Thomas Mann, you have these very compact districts,” Arlington’s 8th Congressional District, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, Naghmi said. “But Virginia’s not a square— despite its curious shape, does comprise a rec- and Norman Ornstein, resident scholar at the it’s just not.” ognizable community of interest—Arlington, American Enterprise Institute. Mann said, Still, she said she thinks the maps drawn Alexandria and Falls Church plus areas of “The students have proved that redistricting up by students avoid an inherent bias that will Fairfax County mostly inside the Beltway. doesn’t have to be a closed process.” be present in maps soon to be unveiled by The Shenandoah Valley is recognized as Students used sophisticated software officeholders. a community of interest culturally, socially, newly available to the public to draw districts. “I really, really hope they take this into historically and geographically—but not po- Students drew maps in two categories. In one, account,” Naghmi said. litically; it is divided among three of the they were encouraged to try to make districts The two judges of the student-drawn state’s congressional districts. The indepen- competitive between the two parties. In the maps, Mann and Ornstein, summarized the dent commission has said it plans to create a other, they were to ignore partisan consider- competition this way: unitary Valley district based on the intensity ations and draw districts purely based on try- “The best student plans show that it is of feeling it heard in its regional hearings. ing to keep communities together and compact. possible to create more legitimate and respon- Meanwhile, Hamption Roads, also a distinc- Brian Cannon, a third-year student at sive districts—and that with the right tools, tive area, is divided among four districts. William and Mary Law Scool, said he decided citizens anywhere can create better plans to Quentin Kidd of Christopher Newport to start with the existing boundaries and try choose their representatives than the repre- University and McDonald of GMU organized to modify them. But he swiftly grew frus- sentatives do to protect their own careers. the student competition among 16 teams to- trated and stopped. “They’ve been so gerry- While politicians may fight to keep the pro- taling 150 students from 13 Virginia cam- mandered over the years,” he told The Wash- cess closed, the tools are available to enable puses. ington Post. “It was impossible to do in a way us to do better. Virginia’s college students The students drew 57 legislative maps that genuinely meets the criteria without start- have demonstrated that. The challenge is to without consideration of incumbency. Stu- ing from scratch.” replicate their efforts across the country and dents from William and Mary and the Uni- Hena Naghmi, 21, a student at the Uni- to harness informed and empowered public versity of Virginia split prizes for their maps versity of Virginia, said the exercise taught participation to improve the quality of our of congressional and state Senate districts. her that it’s not always possible to draw maps democracy.” Warner says Gov. borrowing too much In an interview recently on Roanoke’s borrowing makes sense.” makes some sense. I think borrowing against Radio Station WSLS with host Jay Warren, the federal dollars is farther than frankly, I Sen. Mark Warner had some observations on WARREN: “Well there is an immediate would go. It’s not the good classic Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s proposal for funding problem.” way in terms of erring on the conservative transportation improvements. Here is the side.” exchange: WARNER: “But this is not going to fix our transportation problem. Even the gover- WARREN: “Is it fiscally conservative, WARREN: “It looks like that Governor nor acknowledges that. And by borrowing do you think?” McDonnell is on the verge of a transporta- more now, the next governor is going to actu- tion victory, getting a transportation plan ally have even less transportation money be- WARNER: “It’s not. You know, listen, through the General Assembly that has eluded cause they’ve already bonded against the fu- there are different definitions. I mean, I just both you and Tim Kaine during your terms in ture federal dollars. We have helped a bit by have to tell you, when I came in as governor, office. Are you impressed by that?” this effort, but it’s not a long term fix.” my predecessor had done much more extraor- dinary efforts. And we found that a lot of the WARNER: “Well listen, I think there are WARREN: “What grade would you give road projects were basically bankrupt. That parts of the governor’s plan that move for- it? Is it a good grade overall?” money was supposed to be there that wasn’t ward. There are parts, that most of the plan is there because it had been borrowed against still about borrowing money for some imme- WARNER: “I think you won’t see the others. And I don’t think the governor diate action and with interest rates low, and a legislature take the money from schools who [McDonnell] is going that far, but I get a little lot of folks in construction are out of work... are also suffering to pay for roads, so that part worried when we think we can borrow our borrowing some money now or advancing the won’t be included. I think part of the plan way out of problems.”