Lawmakers urge public comment on redistricting plan

KINGMAN -- Mohave County legislators are urging a Phoenix judge to rule against a restricting plan that would split the county into three legislative districts.

Maricopa County Judge Kenneth Fields authorized the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission to receive pubic comments until the end of March until a legislature map is finalized for presentation to Fields.

Fields is then expected to issue an order in a hearing held April 15-16 in Maricopa County Superior Court to identify a finalized map to be used in the 2004 state elections.

The map under proposal would split Mohave County into three districts. Kingman, Meadview, Dolan Springs and the Arizona Strip would be part of a district that covers all of Northern Arizona .

Kingman would join Page and the Navajo and Hopi reservation more than 150 miles to the east.

State Rep. Joe Hart, R-District 3 said chances are someone from the Navajo tribe could represent Kingman, someone from Flagstaff could represent Bullhead City and someone from West Phoenix could represent part of Lake Havasu City .

Hart said the Navajo reservation considerably outnumbers Kingman in population.

"I fought for 30 years to get Mohave County to be one district," Hart said. "This is ludicrous. I encourage everyone to write to Judge Fields to honor the existing districts."

Hart also said rumors persist that the commission intentionally made the new maps so obscure the judge would not honor the new redistricting proposals.

Bullhead City , Mohave Valley , Golden Valley and the northern section of Lake Havasu City would join a district with Flagstaff .

Bullhead City Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Mike Conner said the long term costs of additional legislators and their staff could be much higher.

"It would have a domino effect in later years," he said of the redistricting proposal.

Conner said comments from most of the chamber members is, "don't touch it, don't fix it."

"We don't have the same issues as Flagstaff ," Conner said. " Bullhead City 's issues are unique to us. If it goes through, we won't have the representation that we have now."

The southern section of Lake Havasu City would join a district that encompasses the western part of Maricopa County including Peoria .

State Sen. Linda Binder, R-District 3 said it was unconscionable to split the three cities.

"It is totally unreasonable," Binder said. "This is unfair to the city of Lake Havasu City . We need to keep our cities together."

Fields ruled Jan. 16 that the Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission, which established new legislature and congressional districts in 2002, was in violation of the state Constitution.

The Arizona Minority Coalition for Fair Redistricting filed a suit against the commission in an attempt to create state legislative districts that protect minority's rights. If the judge rules for the redistricting plan, it would be in effect for state legislature elections held from 2004 to 2010.