June 28: House D's go to the mattresses

Cathy Shaw

The gloves are now off in Salem. In an unprecedented move, the House Republicans tried to push their redistricting maps forward without the Executive Branch of state government. The idea was to place the Republican redistricting maps in a resolution, rather than in bill format. This action would allow the redistricting maps to bypass both the Governor's Office and, assuming a veto, the Secretary of State. Wow.

Frankly, we all should have seen this one coming. After all, the Governor said early on he would veto any redistricting plan that did not have bipartisan support. When Republicans showed no interest in getting input from across the aisle, it should have been clear that they had a plan up their sleeve. Sure enough, during a Saturday session on June 23 it came out-implement redistricting by resolution.

Forget even any appearance at bipartisan leadership in the state. Obviously, House Republicans believe it isn't necessary. By circumventing the Executive Branch, House Republicans appear to think redistricting can be done with no more than a straight party-line vote. This is not only illegal but it is also no way to run state government.

Needless to say, the Democrats were outraged at the Republican ploy. In response, they walked out in mass, thus denying the House Republicans the quorum necessary for business. In a press conference, House D's said they would return to work after July 1st or when the Speaker of the House guaranteed (in writing) that the resolution would go away. This is the legislative equivalent of "going to the mattresses." By denying a quorum until July 1st, redistricting automatically goes to the Secretary of State.

The House Democrats have walked out in protest before but always over philosophical differences. This time the walkout was more fundamental. This time it was about protecting our form of government. Our system of shared responsibility between coequal branches of government has served us well for over 100 years. The House Republicans' actions call into question their commitment to our system of government.

Further, this walk out was intended to demonstrate belief that all branches of government must be actively engaged for representative government to truly work. This was not intended to be an idle gesture-walking out means declining salary and per diem for the week. However, in doing so, Democrats hoped to maintain the focus where it should be-on the blatant assault by the House Republicans to our democratic process and our constitution.

It is sad commentary that with all of this political posturing the most important aspect of redistricting-keeping neighborhoods and communities with common interests together-is in danger of being lost. The House Republicans' maps separate neighborhoods, communities, cities, and counties. While some of this is inevitable, there appears to have been no effort made to keep populations of shared interests together.

For example, Salem, the Legislatures' backyard, is broken into four districts, fanning out into the country. If I've learned anything from my time in politics, it's that those who live in urban areas have very different concerns and interests from those living in rural areas. Redistricting should be about providing for representation that understands the interests of a district so that those interests can be articulated in the statehouse. It should not be about safeguarding the power and control of political parties.

The House Republicans are betting headlines declaring "House Democrats Stall State Government" will sell more papers. While that may be true, the events surrounding the House Republicans' attempt to redistrict by resolution speaks to a more grave issue-trust. On June 23 what little trust there was between the D's and the R's in the House was lost-perhaps, lost in such a way as to never be regained.

What's next?

Will Oregon now be governed by "resolution" and "initiative" in an effort to circumvent the Governor and his veto power? Is this how we want our state government to function?

At the very least, the Republicans elected to serve us in Salem should remember they are there to represent all of us, not just big business and self interests. If not, we'll all need to fasten our seatbelts for a very bumpy ride.

Cathy Shaw is chief of staff for Rep. Alan Bates, D-Eagle Point; an author; and the former three-term mayor of Ashland.