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SALT LAKE CITY -- The public has come up with dozens and dozens of maps for four new Utah Congressional districts. They've posted their proposed maps on the website redistrictutah.com and Democrats have come up with some of their own.
But so far, Majority Republicans have rejected them all, and they have yet to agree on one themselves. That has one Democrat saying it's time to hand the job over to an independent
Utah's redistricting process has taken six months to this point, and cost a million dollars. But so far, there's no breakthrough among republicans on a congressional map. Now one top Democratic lawmaker says it's time for another, more independent, approach.
"I think we've had a stalemate now in the Legislature and in the committee today it seemed like a stalemate," said Ben McAdams, Minority Caucus manager. "What I think we need to do is we need to ask an independent voice to look at this. We've got too many personalities who have their egos and ambitions on the line. What I ask is to have an independent group to come to the Legislature, to come back to our Redistricting Committee and make a recommendation."
"We're going to disagree because this is a reflection of the way this process is supposed to work," said Beck Lockhart, House speaker. "The House and the Senate aren't supposed to be in lock-step with each other. This is a reflection of different bodies having different views and making sure that we have enough time and that the house studies this out so that when they make a vote they're comfortable with the vote they're making."
With the GOP in firm control of the legislature--which would to need to okay such a proposal--the idea seems likely to go nowhere. Plus, some political observers suggest, this redistricting effort is already too far down the road and they expect lawmakers to soon agree on district candidates.
Kirk Jowers, director of Hinckley Institute of Politics agrees that an independent group will need to step in.
"Well I've always been for an independent commission. But i think it's too late for this one. We are where we are.
If lawmakers can't decide on boundaries by Nov. 3, the governor will have to call another special session.
Email:jdaley@ksl.com.
