Back to the drawing board on redistricting

Until last Tuesday, it looked like Vernon County's representation was set for the rest of the decade, but then the Missouri Supreme Court stirred up a humongous cloud over congressional and State Senate districts that rained consternation throughout the state.

Citing redistricting lines in the shapes of a "teardrop" around Kansas City and a "lobster claw" at St. Louis, the judges called on a Cole County circuit judge, the Republican and Democratic parties and Gov. Jay Nixon to re-start the process.

State House redistricting will evidently stand, including expanding Rep. Barney Fisher's 125th District to combine Vernon County with most of Barton County and re-number the area to the 126th.

Sens. David Pearce of Warrensburg and Mike Parson of Bolivar said Friday that Vernon County's move from Pearce's 31st District to Parson's 28th next year may also hold, although there are no guarantees.

With the Feb. 28-March 27 state and federal filing periods approaching, Pearce and Parson hope the issues are resolved in time for an orderly progression toward the Aug. 7 party primaries; but they said the State General Assembly could delay the filings if redistricting keeps hanging fire.

Democratic Cass County Prosecutor Teresa Hensley is running against Republican U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler of Harrisonville in the Fourth Congressional District while Republican Northern Bates County Commissioner Randy Pike is in the race to replace the term-limited Fisher.

One of many issues raised by the high court was that the Senate map drawn by appellate judges in December has Sen. Bob Dixon continuing to represent Springfield but with Parson for the first time assigned the remainder of Greene County around Dixon's "circle" in the middle.

However, most of the quibbles pertained to districts in the St. Louis area along with Cass, Lafayette and Johnson counties around Kansas City. Referring to the two maps filed in succession by the appellate panel, Parson said, "The Supreme Court said once the first map was turned in, the judges had no authority to draw the second because their panel was dissolved.

"A lot of things went wrong. The state attorney general's office says there are constitutional problems because there are only so many ways you can split a county. I think there'll be a significant push from the Senate to tell the governor's new redistricting commission, hey, we need to get a map done here so people know where to file and run.

"The last thing I want is for some federal judge who has nothing to do with Missouri to get involved with it. I don't think that's good for the state at all. I hope both parties realize how important this is and don't get to playing political games and keep the Senate from coming out with districts and the people with representation.

"We should have a better idea of where things are going by the end of next week."

Pearce "was very surprised" that all the Senate alignments were thrown into question. "The part I don't like is that it creates a lot of confusion and people aren't sure how the Senate lines will end up," the senator said.

"It might end up back with the appellate court, but I think there is a 50-50 shot the new commission will get it done because there will be a lot more scrutiny with the filing deadline looming. There is also a possibility that we will have the new House districts with the old Senate lines from 2002."

A Hartzler spokesman in Jefferson City will be watching a three-day congressional review starting Jan. 31 by Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green, whose dismissal of challenges by Democratic U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan of St. Louis and others was reversed.

Noting Missouri has been painfully squeezed by the 2010 Census' chopping of congressional districts from nine to eight, Hartzler aide Steve Walsh said the congresswoman is unsure if she will still gain Boone, Howard, Cooper and Randolph counties, the rest of Cass County and part of Audrain County while losing Cole, Ray, Lafayette and Saline counties and parts of Polk and Jackson counties.

"Ray, Lafayette and Saline were going into the Fifth District with (Kansas City) Rep. Emanuel Cleaver," Walsh said Friday. "We were losing Jefferson City and Cole County to Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer in what was the Ninth District. That would now be the Third running from St. Charles to Cole.

"We think the big challenge will be the new version of the Fifth and the old Third with Carnahan. The word I've heard a lot is 'compact.' The judges were asking, 'Are the districts compact?'

"Judge Green could make changes or he could say, 'I have already made my decision and I stand by it.'"