Written by Michael A. Monks and Mark Payne for LINK Media
Editor’s note: There is an apparent contradiction in the visual of the maps provided by Kentucky House Republicans and the corresponding precincts list, particularly as it relates to District 67 and District 68. The proposed map illustration suggests that Bellevue and Dayton would be removed from the 67th District while the precinct list shows that Bellevue and Dayton would remain in that district. We are working to nail down officially, but as of publication time, we have not. This story is presented with the information that Dayton and Bellevue would remain in District 67 as part of the proposed maps.
The Kentucky House Republicans, in their first crack at drawing legislative maps since assuming control of the legislature’s lower chamber in the 2016 election, presented their proposed districts on Thursday morning, bringing potentially big changes to the makeup of the Northern Kentucky delegation.
“We have only one chance to draw it the first time, so it was important to us that we get it right,” said House Speaker David Osborne (R-Prospect). “This proposal represents a committed effort to meet all legal considerations while maximizing every community’s influence to the greatest extent possible. We worked to make districts more compact, while still maintaining as much continuity as possible for constituents.
“We’ve accomplished those goals. This plan does not split a single precinct in the entire state. By comparison, redistricting plans passed by previous general assemblies included as many as 153 divided precincts.”
The Kentucky constitution requires lawmakers to redraw legislative district boundaries to reflect population shifts since the last census.
“Redistricting is tedious, detailed work and requires a thorough understanding of often conflicting legal and constitutional considerations,” said Rep. Jerry T. Miller (R-Eastwood), chair of the House State Government Committee and the plan’s primary sponsor. “When it became clear that Census numbers would be late, we sought input from a number of stakeholders and looked at our current map to see what areas could be improved. In addition to talking with the NAACP, we heard from the League of Women Voters and considered their plan.”
The proposed map will be considered by the full General Assembly when it convenes for its 2022 session next week.
The Senate, also controlled by Republicans, is working on its own senate district and congressional maps.
“Legislators are ready to get to work as soon as we convene on Tuesday,” Osborne said. “We’re giving members enough time to review the House plan and they will have additional opportunities to vet it and discuss it next week. This will allow us to move forward and continue our work on the budget and take a look at what needs to be done to address both disaster recovery efforts in West and Western Kentucky and pandemic relief.”
In addition to filing redistricting measures, lawmakers anticipate filing legislation that would extend the deadline to file for public office until Tuesday, January 25. It is currently set for January 7.
Major changes to current Northern Kentucky districts:
The two Democratic members of the Northern Kentucky legislative caucus would see major shifts in their boundaries.
Rep. Buddy Wheatley (D-Covington) would lose the northern tip of his urban 65th district to Rep. Kim Banta (R-Ft. Mitchell) of the 63rd district. Banta’s district is currently made up of Ft. Mitchell and other suburban Kenton Co. cities as well as part of northeastern Boone Co. Under the proposal released by the House Republicans on Thursday, her district would shift northward and eastward, claiming Ludlow, West Covington, and precincts along Covington’s riverfront.
Wheatley would also see his district reshaped to lose Covington’s eastern neighborhoods which would be made part of the 64th district, represented by Rep. Kim Moser (R-Taylor Mill), whose district would shift northward to include a total of ten Covington precincts.
The 65th would be moved westward and made more suburban. It would now include seven precincts in Edgewood, three in Ft. Wright, and one in Crestview Hills.
The 67th district, represented by Democrat Rachel Roberts, of Newport, would also see significant change. The district currently stretches from Wilder and Highland Heights in the west along the Licking River northward to Newport and along the Ohio River to Silver Grove. Under Thursday’s proposed changes, the 67th would lose its eastern boundaries along the Ohio River and would stretch further south into Campbell Co. along the Licking.
The eastern portion of the current district would be ceded to district 68, currently occupied by Rep. Joe Fischer (R-Ft. Thomas), who is not seeking reelection and is instead running for the Kentucky Supreme Court.
Another significant change involves district 61, occupied by Rep. Savannah Maddox (R-Dry Ridge). Her district includes all of Grant Co. currently, along with rural southern Kenton and a piece of southern Boone Co. Thursday’s proposal removes the 61st from Kenton Co., pushes it further into Boone, and places all of Gallatin Co. in it. Gallatin would be removed from the 47th district, occupied by Rep. Felicia Rabourn (R-Turners Station), which would pick up Owen Co.
Owen is currently part of the 62nd district, occupied by Rep. Phillip Pratt (R-Georgetown), who would see his district confined to most of Scott Co., a chunk of which is currently part of Maddox’s 61st district.
The 78th district, occupied by Rep. Mark Hart (R-Falmouth), would stretch into southwestern Campbell Co. (with the southeastern portion in the 68th), and southern Kenton Co., as well as all of Pendleton Co. The district was previously made up of Pendleton and Harrison counties, with a sliver of Scott.
The 60th district, occupied by Rep. Sal Santoro (R-Union) simply shrinks but still stretches from the Boone-Kenton county line in the east, through Florence, to the Ohio River in the west,
The 66th district, occupied by Rep. Ed Massey (R-Hebron) would stretch further south, and would still encompass most of northern Boone.
Rep. Adam Koenig, a Republican from Erlanger, would see his 69th district still mostly centered around his home city on both sides of the Kenton-Boone county line, but yielding some ground to the re-routed 65th, which is proposed to be pushed further out of Covington.
The proposed map, close-up:
The proposed map, wide view:
The existing map, close-up:
The existing map, wide view:
Democrats react to Republicans’ proposed maps
The Democrats are outnumbered in the statehouse by a margin of 75 to 25.
Leaders of the minority party reacted to Thursday’s maps with a statement.
“What we saw today from Republican House leaders is an attempt at fake transparency,” said a joint statement from Rep. Joni Jenkins (D-Louisville), the Minority Floor Leader, Rep. Derrick Graham (D-Frankfort), the Minority Caucus Chair, and Rep. Angie Hatton (D-Whitesburg), the Minority Whip. “If they were sincere, they would have not released their redistricting plan on a state holiday and without the detailed information the public needs.”
The statement continued, “Citizens and candidates alike won’t have that information online until late Tuesday, less than two days before the entire House votes. That gives them precious little time to absorb the many changes and then offer input, something that goes against the very hallmark of the legislative process.
“We will be reviewing this map further with our caucus members and discussing whether the Republican map meets all legal and constitutional guidelines. We also are preparing an alternative that we believe will better serve the commonwealth. It is vital to remember that whatever is ultimately decided will be in place for a decade. The last thing we should be doing as a legislature is rushing something so important and so long-lasting. Kentuckians deserve more time so we can get this right.”
The proposed maps pit eight incumbents against each other in four potential primary elections in May, two involving Republicans in eastern Kentucky, and two involving Democrats in the Louisville area.
-Michael Monks