Nordenberg pledges open, honest redistricting process
Under the watchful eye of activists who’ve waited years for this moment and facing significant pandemic-induced delays in the delivery of key data, the process of legislative redistricting in Pennsylvania this year is in the hands of someone who says he’s confident he can keep it open, transparent and fair.
Mark Nordenberg, chancellor emeritus at the University of Pittsburgh and chair of its Institute of Politics, says his message to redistricting advocates — groups that have spent the past decade scratching and clawing for reform but ultimately have been left with an unfulfilled wish list and a mostly self-governed process — is that he has a reputation for being fairand nonpartisan.
And that he’s joined by four caucus leaders on his commission who are taking the duty
seriously, too, he said.
“There has been absolutely no sign to this point that they do not share the desire to be open and transparent, or that they will be unreasonable in the positions that they advance,” Mr. Nordenberg said in an interview this past week. “Certainly, there will be disagreement along the way. I think that’s guaranteed. But hopefully we’ll be able to work through that, and I know we’ll be working hard at it.”
Hard work is what it will take for Mr. Nordenberg’s constitutionally guided Legislative Reapportionment Commission to draw the district boundaries for 50 state Senate and 203 state House seats, determining which lawmakers Pennsylvanians will call theirs.
The process would have been more manageable before COVID-19. But since the pandemic wreaked havoc on the U.S. census effort and delayed the delivery of demographic statistics that are required to draw the state maps, there is no longer synchrony between the “constitutional framework” for getting it done and the “statutory framework” for conducting next year’s primary elections on time, Mr. Nordenberg said.
“If you map out our process, if we took all of the time to which we were entitled, there is no way that candidates could begin circulating petitions. There’s no way even that citizens could know which petitions they would sign, because they wouldn’t know what district is going to be their voting district,” Mr. Nordenberg said. “I’m not sure how that will all be resolved.”
Asked for his thoughts on moving the 2022 primary, Mr. Nordenberg said he has no say in the matter and can only focus on conducting the process.
“I am absolutely certain that there is a shared belief by all members of the commission that we should move as expeditiously as possible,” he said.
Rounding out the commission are Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward, R-Westmoreland; Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills; House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre; and House Minority Leader Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia.
Mr. Nordenberg said the commission will move as quickly as it can to complete its job and already has built the foundation for the work. But he added that he knows there is also an expectation that the process be as open and transparent as possible and that citizens get the right to participate “meaningfully.” That can’t be sacrificed for expediency, he said.
And there’s no evidence the members have sacrificed any of that yet. On Thursday, the commission talked up its website that is dedicated to public participation and will be used to accept written comments, advertise hearings and provide citizens the opportunity to craft their own maps — once the data is eventually available — to submit for official consideration. This week, the commission will hold the first of its citizen-based hearings in Harrisburg but opted to cancel one in Philadelphia “because of changing guidelines” on COVID-19 and the uncertainty around entering a space “we don’t control.”
The commission heard testimony from the executive director of the Pennsylvania Legislative Data Processing Center last week that reaffirmed the need for public input. Brent McClintock, the head of the data center that serves the Pennsylvania General Assembly and its map-drawing efforts, told the members that he’s seen the commission continue its commitment to transparency under Mr. Nordenberg and boasted of the website functions.
“I do believe that these new features provide the framework for robust public participation,” Mr. McClintock said. “This direct line of communication between the citizens of Pennsylvania and the commission should be an important part of a process that both supports citizen participation and assists the commission in its very important work of redistricting.”
Mr. Costa requested that the members be briefed consistently on the public comments submitted through the website, and “how to incorporate them in our discussions moving forward.” Mr. Nordenberg agreed.
The actions of the commission are reminiscent of what Harrisburg’s other redistricting committee is doing; the government leaders responsible for redrawing congressional boundaries — 17 of them — recently launched their own website and committed to doing a series of regional hearings. Mr. Nordenberg said he hopes to develop a strong relationship with that committee and that he’s impressed by how they’ve conducted meetings and are approaching the process.
Fair District PA is engaged in both processes, and its chair told advocates this week it is in the “final sprint of a multiyear marathon.” Carol Kuniholm, who has led the organization since 2015, will give testimony to Mr. Nordenberg’s committee on Tuesday about what her group would like to see from the map-drawing process. She urged her members to submit public comments to the new website.
Looking back in time, Mr. Nordenberg said nothing has compared to the citizen interest that there is today around redistricting — a “real tribute,” he said, to groups like Fair Districts
PA, Draw the Lines PA and Common Cause Pennsylvania and their ability to demystify the complex process.
He said he took the job, offered to him by the chief justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which appointed him in May, after the four partisan members of the committee couldn’t agree on a chair, because he believes in democracy and the role that fair elections play.