Olver urges district redraw

Jack Dew
August 12, 2008

Monday, August 11 Facing the possible loss of a congressional seat, he says the four Western Mass. counties should speak as one.

CORRECTION

U.S. Rep. John W. Olver, D-Amherst, said that, if congressional districts must be redrawn after the 2010 census, there is a logic to creating a single district that represents the four western counties. He is not urging that the district be redrawn. Also, state Sen. Benjamin B. Downing, D-Pittsfield, said the Western Massachusetts delegation needs to speak with one voice on redistricting. This information was incorrect in a headline on a story in Monday's Eagle.

Berkshire Eagle Staff

If the looming 2010 census costs Massachusetts a congressional seat, the sparsely populated 1st Congressional District will be vulnerable, according to U.S. Rep. John W. Olver, who said there is a "logic" to forging a new district that would cover the four western counties.

Olver, an Amherst Democrat, has held the 1st seat since 1991. The sprawling district is already spread-eagled across four counties, from the Berkshires all the way to Pepperell, encompassing 110 cities and towns and covering roughly a third of the state's land.

The 2010 census is expected to show that Massachusetts' population failed to keep pace with booming regions like the Southwest and Southeast. The commonwealth's loss will be another state's gain, with one of our 10 congressional seats moving to warmer climes.

According to the Census Bureau's most recent population estimates, Massachusetts has gained fewer than 100,000 people since 2000, while Arizona added nearly 1 million, Florida more than 2 million and California roughly 2.5 million.

Within Massachusetts, Berkshire County is one of only two counties to have lost population, according to the Census Bureau, dropping from 134,953 in 2000 to 131,117 in 2006.

During a meeting at The Eagle last week, Olver said his district will have about 640,000 residents after the 2010 census, as will the 2nd District, represented by Richard E. Neal, a Springfield Democrat. Nationally, the average congressional seat will represent about 700,000 constituents.

"There is a logic ... to end up with one seat that sits in the western four counties" of Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden, Olver said, with some communities joining a new district headquartered in Worcester County to balance the population numbers.

That redistricting would create a massive power shift in the 1st District, with Springfield becoming the population hub and threatening to marginalize the more rural Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin counties.

"But the Legislature is the one that is in charge of this, and they can do whatever they want," Olver said. "You would not have thought there was much logic to the way these districts were set up. In fact, part of the map (of the 1st District) looks pretty strange."

It may look strange, but there is a method to that madness, said state Sen. Benjamin B. Downing, D-Pittsfield, who represents 48 cities and towns in the state Legislature.

"It may look geographically seductive to say the four counties of Western Massachusetts should all be together, but I think Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin share a great deal of commonality," Downing said. "When you put Hampden County in the mix, it completely changes the ball game. Springfield is a huge population base, and it would change politically how the seat is run."

If Massachusetts should lose a congressional seat, Downing said, "it is going to be difficult. There are going to be winners and losers." He added that it would be in the Western Massachusetts delegation's "best interest to speak with one voice that we continue to have two congressional seats to cover Western Massachusetts."

Olver, 71, faces a primary challenge on Sept. 15 from Stockbridge resident Robert A. Feuer. The survivor of that race will run against Republican Nathan Bech of West Springfield.

If Olver wins a ninth term, he will continue to wield considerable influence through his position as chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, where he has been able to secure funds for projects like the expansion of the Pittsfield Municipal Airport, the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail that runs from Adams through Lanesborough, and the Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center in Pittsfield.

Olver said he has tried to spread earmarks among his district based on each community's share of the population. "Berkshire County has a little more than 20 percent of the population, so it gets a little more than 20 percent of the goodies," he said.

"There are others who take care of their hometown to the detriment of their district, but I thought it was necessary to (spread the money) because of the very nature of the district," he added.

There are eight daily newspapers, he said, and "each one has its own character, and each wants to have stuff that is going on, and they don't want to be left out of the game, so to speak. By (spreading the earmarks), I think I have been able to fend off the possibility of a serious campaign (challenge) in part because, when you have all of these very independent-minded ... groups, it is hard for somebody to get into all areas all at once."

A redrawn district could mean a new system for doling out earmarks. Asked what impact that would have, Olver said it "depends on who has (the seat) and what committees that person happens to serve on."