Tuesday's Internet Edition, September 07, 2010.
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| Three-and-half-year-old Hailey Phillips backs into the pool at City Park for her daily swimming lesson. Cove kids meet every day for two weeks at City Pool in five different levels, and there are six two-week sessions planned – Photo by TERRY BEEKMAN |
News editor - Texas Governor Rick Perry recently announced a 30-day special session of the Texas Legislature to address congressional redistricting. Gov. Perry called for the special session, saying that Texas legislatures, not federal judges, should be responsible for drawing district lines.
The departure of 53 Democrats from the regular session killed the redistricting discussion in May. House Democrats fled the state for Ardmore, Okla., in May during the regular legislative session, breaking a quorum and killing any chance that a redistricting plan had for passage.
The proposed new congressional districts would have split District 11 and given part of Fort Hood to someone other than Chet Edwards.
Ramsey Farley, a Temple businessman who has twice ran for the 11th Congressional seat, said he doesn’t believe in the submitted plan that cuts off part of the district and gives in to someone in San Antonio. “I think Killeen, Copperas Cove and Fort Hood should be kept whole and there are maps that allow that,” he said.
Farley said he doesn’t know what will happen in special session. “But I really think they’ll come out with another plan,” he said.
Lawmakers during the 2001 legislative session could not agree on how to draw the map so federal judges drew the current map. The map gives Texas Democrats a 17-15 majority in Congress.
Republicans have argued that results in state elections show that Texas should have more GOP representatives in Congress. A Republican rules every statewide elected office in Texas. A plan approved by a House committee during the regular session would have moved the balance of power in Texas to the Republicans.
Sid Miller, Texas House representative, District 59, said the same federal judges who drew the lines in 2001 mandate redistricting. However, he said he would support a plan to keep Killeen, Copperas Cove and Fort Hood intact. “I would like to keep them together as communities of interest,” he said. Copperas Cove and Killeen have common interest, while Cove and Lampasas have little, he said.