RALEIGH -- The legislature's redistricting process kicked off in the Senate on Wednesday with a schedule of public hearings and a flap over who would draw the lines.
At the first meeting of the Senate redistricting committee, Senate Minority Leader Martin Nesbitt complained that the chairman, Republican Sen. Bob Rucho of Matthews, refused repeated requests to put two Democrats experienced in redistricting on the committee.
The Asheville Democrat had sought to get Sens. Dan Clodfelter of Charlotte and Dan Blue of Raleigh, both lawyers, on the panel.
"Sen. Rucho reminds this chamber again and again about his desire to have ... a 'fair and open' redistricting process," Nesbitt told his colleagues. "When you deny people with the most expertise and the most knowledge the opportunity to assist ... theonly conclusion I can draw is that there is no intent to have a fair and open redistricting process."
Rucho replied that he had selected members for a statewide, geographic balance - and to have more "normal people."
"For the first time in a long time, we're going to try to have normal people lead this," Rucho said. "The last thing I want to do is replace non-attorneys in this process."
Rucho, a former dentist, alluded to the years of legal challenges that have cloudedmany earlier redistricting efforts in North Carolina. Voting districts, drawn at least every 10 years after a census, have been the subject of a half-dozen cases over the last three decades that have reached the U.S. Supreme Court.
Blue was speaker of the House during one redistricting challenge. Clodfelter led a 2003 Senate remap that was not challenged.
House Democrats also complain about the make-up of their redistricting committee. Democrats there sought to put at least three members experienced in redistricting - Reps. Martha Alexander of Charlotte, Grier Martin of Raleigh and Mickey Michaux of Durham - on the committee. They were denied.
One Democrat on the Senate committee, Charlie Dannelly of Charlotte, told The Charlotte Observer that he plans to resign soon because of scheduling conflicts. If Dannelly does, Rucho said he'll replace the senator.
"It ain't gonna be somebody Martin chooses," he said. "Why would I do that?"
Legislative staffers briefed the panel on court decisions that will guide the redrawing of congressional and legislative districts.
Since 2000, population growth and changes have left districts unbalanced. The state's 13 congressional districts, for example, each had about 619,178 people in 2001. This year they'll have 733,499. Some, like Republican Sue Myrick's 9th District, will lose people. Others, such as Democrat G.K. Butterfield's 1st District, will gain.
Rucho also released a schedule of 12 public hearings. Most will take place at a central location and be hooked up to satellite locations by video conference. The first is in Wake County on April 13 at the N.C. History Museum and two other sites. An April 30 hearing is scheduled in Mecklenburg County, with satellite hook-ups in Cabarrus, Cleveland and Catawba counties.
Rucho said he hopes to complete the process by June1, including the required approval from the U.S. Justice Department.
"The people of North Carolina are expecting us to draw fair and legal districts that they can be proud of and we can be proud of," he said.
