Redistricting

Marsha Hart, KP News

Flemming districted out, remains committed to KP

Though the redistricting of Pierce County had a controversial outcome, and District 7 Representative Stan Flemming has been districted out of the area he represents, everything is status quo for now.

“The people of the Key Peninsula, Gig Harbor and University Place elected me, and those are the people I represent,” Flemming said. “For the next three years, I can tell you nothing will change on the peninsula or the Gig Harbor area in terms of representation and having voices heard.”

After each census, the Pierce County Council appoints members to the districting committee. That committee is made up of two members of each major party, and those four members then appoint a fifth member who serves as chair. Retired judge Karen Seinfeld was appointed as chair.

Mike Abernathy, a Republican who lives on the Key Peninsula served on the committee.

The committee must appoint a districting master to draw district boundaries based on population numbers, with the goal of keeping each district equal. This entire process has to be completed within 60 days, and in those 60 days, districting master Steven Garrett submitted nine different maps for consideration. The target was a population of 113,600 in each district.

The committee received a final version of the map June 28, and had to approve a map by midnight on July 13 or the final map would become the map by default. Garrett’s final map was approved by the committee with a vote of 3-2 on July 12. Abernathy and Deryl McCarty, the other Republican on the committee, voted no.

The final map redrew lines that moved University Place within District 4, which is where Stan Flemming, a Republican, resides. University Place is now represented by Democrat Tim Farrell. Farrell’s term will end in 2012. Flemming will continue to serve District.