Redistricting panel to begin deliberations soon

The Legislature?s Joint Committee on Redistricting, tasked with recommending how to best eliminate one of Massachusetts? 10 Congressional districts and redraw boundaries for the remaining nine, has completed its public hearings and will soon begin deliberations.The committee is also charged with redrawing boundaries for state representative and state senatorial districts based on the 2010 Federal Census.State Rep. John D. Keenan, D-Salem, one of the 19 House members on the joint committee, planned to meet this week with House Committee Chairman Rep. Michael J. Moran, D-Boston, on how the panel will proceed.Keenan noted in an email, however, “It has been our intent to do local representative districts first as there is a requirement to live in the district for a year to run for office (as compared to Congress where you do not have to live in the district to run – I believe only have to live there when sworn in). Thus, local seats must be done first.?I would expect later in the fall we?d get to Congressional maps,” he noted.Certainly the most contentious challenge before the committee is to eliminate a Congressional district and evenly divide the population among nine remaining districts.Massachusetts is losing a seat in Congress because of a drop in population based on the 2010 Census, which reflected 21,500 fewer residents than the 2000 Census, for a total of 6,547,629.The joint committee held a dozen hearings over the spring and summer, including the heavily attended hearing at Lynn City Hall that drew hundreds who argued in favor of preserving the 6th Congressional District.Keenan said the committee has not created any maps of its own to date, nor has it deliberated on any potential maps.?At this point, it is still wide open,” he said. “While there are no public hearings left, we will still certainly accept any additional input folks want to present to the committee including reports, recommendations or even maps.”He added, “Every hearing I attended, I would ask folks not to just tell us what we shouldn?t do (eliminate their district?s seat), but propose a solution to this math problem. Ten seats must become nine and we have to add approximately 75,000 to each district. Tell us the cities or towns that should be added. Tell us how to increase minority majority districts – both congressionally and at the state level.”The Web site of 187th General Court of Massachusetts has a direct email link to the joint committee at http://www.malegislature.gov/District/Contact. The site also has external links to programs that allow residents to draw their own district maps at http://www.malegislature.gov/District/CreateDistricts.Suggests/recommendations can also be sent to the committee by conventional mail, addressed to either the House Chairman, Rep. Michael Moran, State House, Room 320, Boston, MA 02133; or Senate Chairman, Sen. Stanley C. Rosenberg, State House, Room 320, Boston, MA, 02133.