HOUSE REDISTRICTING MEMBERS OPTIMISTIC LINES WILL BE DRAWN

The two members representing the 8th Congressional District on the Missouri House Redistricting Commission say they are optimistic the 18-member panel will be able to come up with a plan.

The House commission met again on Monday and reviewed specific plans for redrawing Missouri's House district lines for the first time. They scheduled another meeting for Aug. 15, less than a week before a preliminary plan must be finished for public review.

A final map must be finished by Sept. 21; otherwise, six state appeals court judges will decide how to align the 163 House districts based on last year's census.

John Lichtenegger of Jackson, the Republican member from the 8th District, and Mel Weems of Bonne Terre, the Democratic member, agreed that the commission has a difficult task and will not come up with a plan to please everyone. But they also agreed that the commission is sincere about trying to complete its job without going to the courts.

"I'm delighted to serve with this group," said Lichtenegger. "The Democrats are congenial and seem to be working well together, although we haven't gotten to any hard negotiating yet. But I think the last thing either side wants to do is have it go to the courts. I'm very hopeful."

Weems said: "I think we got along fairly well yesterday. We go back the 15th of August and hopefully we can get this worked out and avoid going to court."

Weems said big problem areas in the redistricting will be St. Louis and Kansas City, and the key to avoiding the courts will be getting consensus in the metropolitan areas.

"We are resolved to the fact we will have to give and take and not let it go to the court," said Weems. "When I left up there last night I felt pretty good."

Weems said if the matter goes to a judicial panel no one knows what will happen. By using the commission, at least there will be some input into the decision.

Weems said one of the approaches to agreeing on a final plan will be to have the members from each congressional district get together and iron out differences. The Democratic commissioner said he was confident that he and Lichtenegger could agree to a map for 8th District House seats by Aug. 15.

"In the 8th District, we just aren't that far apart," said Weems.

Because of population losses, Weems said it is clear that the district will lose one House seat, probably from the Bootheel area.

Weems is in the 151st District serviced by Rep. Bob Ward, D-Desloge. That district is already within 26 people of being the ideal size of 31,392 people, and Weems suggested a good starting point might be to keep that district intact and work from there.

Likewise, in Cape County, Weems said he had no problem with Lichtenegger's desire to keep two House districts solely within the boundaries of Cape County.

"If the numbers are there to support two districts, I don't see that we have any problems in Cape," said Weems.

The 158th District, represented by David Schwab, R-Jackson, has gained a little population, while the 159th District, served by Mary Kasten, R-Cape Girardeau, has lost some population. Schwab presently has Jackson, the outcounty area, and parts of Cape Girardeau south of Morgan Oak and Bloomfield Road.

Lichtenegger said he favors giving Kasten some of Schwab's Cape Girardeau territory to equalize the districts.

In 1981, for the first time, the county was large enough to support two districts. But some Democratic plans have suggested moving Rep. Ollie Amick, D-Scott City, into southern Cape Girardeau County and even into a portion of the city of Cape Girardeau to help him make up for population losses in the 160th District.

Under that scenario, Schwab's district would be expanded into all or part of Bollinger County. Another proposal would put Schwab in the same district as Rep. James Graham, R-Fredericktown.

Weems said it appears likely that Amick will either be moved into the same district as Rep. Marilyn Williams, D-Dudley, serving her first year from the 156th District, or Williams shifted into the 155th District now served by freshman Republican Mark Richardson of Poplar Bluff.

Other possibilities that have been discussed include shifting Rep. Gene Copeland, D-New Madrid, into the same district as Amick, or putting Copeland in the same district as Rep. Opal Parks, D-Caruthersville.

Weems said a lot of ideas have been presented to him by representatives in Southeast Missouri, but there is no way to please every one. "We want to just try to get the best plan we can worked out, according to the numbers," said Weems.

Lichtenegger said his goal is not to protect any incumbent but to draw lines properly. "I do not feel any state representative should have to represent three or four counties," he said. "Districts need to have as few counties as possible, must be compact and contiguous."

The commission appointed to draw the state's 34 Senate districts gave up last week after reaching a deadlock and will likely let judges draw the map, as was done in 1981.

Ten years ago the House redistricting commission was able to produce a map.