STATE REDISTRICTING PANEL MEMBERS ARE HOPEFUL ABOUT PLAN

Two members of commissions charged with drawing new boundary lines for Missouri House and Senate districts say they are optimistic their groups will be able to agree on a map before the Sept. 26 deadline.

"I have a good feeling about the commission," said John Lichtenegger of Jackson, who is one of 18 people re-drawing the 163 House boundaries. "We are congenial with each other and there is a friendly atmosphere. I don't think there are any personalities where the two sides can't work together."

Mark Pelts of Kennett, one of 10 members re-drawing the 34 Senate district lines, said everyone on his commission has been congenial. "I think everyone is interested in working toward a plan, but we are now at the point where we have to roll up our sleeves and do hard work," said Pelts.

"I'm optimistic; I don't have anything to base that on except that commission members have been congenial and working well together."

Both panels are at the point now where representatives of each party are finalizing plans to exchange. That will give the groups points for future discussion, conflict, and compromise.

Both Lichtenegger and Pelts believe once the maps are exchanged, serious discussion can get underway. They also agree that while members of each party would like to prepare a final map that benefits their party, from a practical matter it is not easy to be partisan.

Pelts pointed out that the lines are required to be compact and contiguous, and in the case of Senate districts, counties cannot be split unless they are large enough to have more than one district. A deviation of 3-5 percent is usually tolerated for districts.

"When you get down to the practical side, a lot of nonsense goes out the window," said Pelts.

The ideal size for a House district is population of 31,393 and for a Senate district it is 150,502. But Lichtenegger noted those figures may have to be revised some since the Census Bureau has determined there was an error fluctuation of 2.5 percent in figures compiled for the state.

If the commissions fail to complete their work by the deadline, the state Supreme Court will appoint a panel of appeals court judges to draw the lines. But even boundaries agreed to by the commission are subject to being challenged in court over issues such as fairness and compactness.

In 1981, the House redistricting commission was able to agree on a plan, however, the Senate districts were ultimately drawn by judges.

While both Pelts and Lichtenegger are optimistic their commissions will be successful, both admit the hard part remains to be done.

The House commission met last Friday and decided it would be best for each party to prepare a map to exchange by July 15. The Democratic plan is being prepared by Democratic leaders of the Missouri House, while the State Republican Party office is drafting the GOP plan.

"I anticipate Democratic and Republican leaders will come together on a good portion of it before you argue over what the differences are," said Lichtenegger.

He anticipates the next meeting being in August.

On the Senate side, Pelts said his commission has had two meetings and three public hearings, which were attended by just two people.

"I don't really have anything to compare it to," said Pelts. "I don't know if we are moving warp speed or crawling. Others who have been around the process before say it is warp speed.

"But the proof is in the pudding. If we have a plan in September we will have been successful. If we don't, then we are unsuccessful."

The Senate panel will meet Saturday in Jefferson City to trade maps. "We will see where the maps overlap and disagree and go from there," noted Pelts. "I hope that after Saturday we will have a lot better view of this thing."

As part of the process, other groups and some individual legislators are also preparing suggested maps for the two commissions to review. Pelts said he hopes anyone with an idea will present it now and come forward.

But, he added, "the history of this is that no one wants to say anything until a plan is drawn, then everyone wants to criticize."

A key battleground of any map will likely be the St. Louis area where the inner city has lost population and the suburbs have grown. There will also be efforts to insure adequate black representation.

Pelts said at this point, he has no firm feeling on how lines should be drawn for Southeast Missouri Senate districts. "As a commissioner, I have a totally open mind," said Pelts. "I kind of want to compare maps."

Lichtenegger said it is clear that the Bootheel has lost enough population to lose one House seat, however, he said adjusting for that loss in population will be insignificant when compared to adjusting for population losses in St. Louis.

In Cape County, he noted it is likely that Representatives Mary Kasten and David Schwab will maintain districts solely within the boundaries of the county.

Lichtenegger explained the process would be a lot easier if the commission simply drew 163 districts without paying attention to previous boundaries and incumbents.

But he said it is clear a majority of the commissioners want to consider present lines and incumbents. Politically, Lichtenegger added, "the input is so great that it looks to me like the incumbents will be protected where possible."

Members of the Senate have gotten together and drafted a plan they will present Saturday that satisfies most incumbent senators, Pelts said.

"The Senate goal is to come up with a plan that satisfies all incumbent senators, but the commission goal is to come up with a plan that is fair and meets constitutional muster," observed Pelts. "I don't know if those two goals are inconsistent or not."