Racial politics and concerns about community cohesion dominated a three-hour hearing Thursday as scores of people from across Maryland came to Annapolis to condemn, offer suggestions and even praise the new legislative district map drawn by Gov. Martin O’Malley’s Redistricting Advisory Committee.
Read MoreGov. Martin O’Malley said Thursday that he was surprised and “very disappointed” when he learned that Richard Stewart, a member of the Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Committee, pleaded guilty last Thursday to failing to pay almost $4 million in federal Social Security and income taxes for a company he owned.
Read MoreThe two top Democrats in the General Assembly are pretty happy with the legislative district maps they helped draw, safely slicing the pie to protect their super-majorities. Republicans, on the other hand, are not pasting smiley face stickers on the plan submitted Friday evening, which could force some incumbents to run against each other.
Read MoreThe Legislative Black Caucus plans on submitting General Assembly redistricting maps to the Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Committee (GRAC) this week, saying black voters are under-represented in the legislature. “We can’t operate in the same way we’ve operated in the past because we’re going to run afoul of the Voting Rights Act,” said the Black Caucus Redistricting Committee chair, Del. Aisha Braveboy.
Read MoreA Republican official passed along a version of a congressional redistricting map that he was told was one of the top options for Democratic leaders. The map and the accompanying chart of population and voting statistics suggest that this is a credible option for how Democratic officials would redraw the 6th Congressional District to make Republican Rep. Roscoe Bartlett vulnerable in 2012.
Read MoreFormer Delegate Jim King put on a suit and tie for the redistricting hearings in Annapolis and Columbia Tuesday. But earlier in the day, the lone Republican on the Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Committee was in jeans, throwing out $25,000 worth of food from his two restaurants, Rockfish in Annapolis and Kaufman’s Tavern in Gambrills. Both eateries had been without power for three days after Hurricane Irene came through, and King bemoaned the loss of business and spoiled food at one of the busiest times of the year.
Read MoreThe Governor’s Redistricting Advisory Committee’s plan to hold public hearings around the state ran into a hitch in the Baltimore metro area. Of the two hearings scheduled there, both conflicted with the Jewish Sabbath, an unexpected problem that has since been resolved by starting Friday’s hearing earlier.
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