In the end, threw was peace if not tranquility.
The State Senate, after days of partisan wrangling, came together Tuesday afternoon on a map redistricting their body starting in 2022. A 31-2 vote in favor of an amended map signaled that the struggle — intense at times — was over.
Only two Democrats, Richard Lindsay of Kanawha and Glenn Jeffries of Putnam, were dissatisfied enough with the compromise to oppose it.
Votes earlier in the week had ended in 17-16 votes by contrast.
After Redistricting Chair Senator Charles Trump of Morgan County meticulously explained the parameters and rationale behind each of the 17 districts, there were only polite murmurs on the floor Lindsay and Jeffries, particularly displeased with how their districts had been divided, expressed opposition to the map. Lindsay noted his opposition to Kanawha being divided among three districts.
The Senate convened today, after the House recessed “until the call of the chair” on Friday.
At that time, senators seemed hopelessly deadlocked having sparred over their map for days. The House had little trouble passing its own new 100-district map.
“I would characterize it (today’s map) as a synthesis of the two amendments we had on the floor yesterday,” Trump said.
As he commented on maps of each district, Trump pointed out similarities and differences from the current districts.
Even though the actual vote near 4 p.m. went smoothly, the Senate had convened and quickly recessed four times after Senate President Craig Blair first gaveled them to order at noon. The supermajority Republicans spent more time caucusing than meeting on the floor.
There were times during the past ten days when both Blair and Trump were clearly frustrated with their fellow party members.
Although even a statement issued by the Democrat caucus was clearly conciliatory after the vote, Lindsay let his displeasure be known.
“I believe this amendment is a disservice to the people of Kanawha County,” he said. “It is the one county that is split three ways.”
Minority Leader Democrat Stephen Baldwin of Greenbrier was critical of the majority’s motives although he eventually voted for the amendment.
“I think the majority had a plan and they were ready to run with it, but it didn’t turn out that way so a little chaos ensued,” Baldwin told a Beckley radio station.
But the Democrat caucus was more gracious.
“After a long and tedious redistricting process, today we passed a West Virginia Senate district map. We want to thank the Redistricting Committee Chairman Trump, committee staff, and our committee membership: Senator Mike Caputo (D-Marion), Senator Glenn Jeffries (D-Putnam), and Senator Mike Woelfel (D-Cabell),” the caucus statement said.
“They all traveled across the state taking input from citizens at public hearings, considering maps, reading public comments, and spent hours in redistricting committee meetings. With their leadership, we submitted multiple maps for committee consideration and published them on the Legislature’s website.
“Most of our caucus voted for the final map because it represented a compromise among the reasonable members of the Senate. Earlier versions of the map split more counties, split municipalities, and split more communities of interest. While this map isn’t perfect, it’s reasonable,” the statement continued.
“Above all else, it keeps communities of interest together in most cases, and that’s vitally important in our state.’
But the caucus expressed concern as well. “We remain deeply concerned by a major rift within the body right now, which this process exposed. The majority of the West Virginia Senate is governed by common sense. It allows us to work together across lines to serve the people. However, a small faction of the majority party threatened at many junctures to hijack the process.
“Instead of considering a map passed out of the Redistricting Committee, the faction created and proposed their own map in the dead of night and tried to force a vote on it without publishing it for public consideration or taking any comments on it whatsoever. Our republic requires compromise, transparency, and decency.”
Separately, Democrat Senators Bob Beach of Monongalia and Mike Caputo off Marion offered comments on the process.
“We are satisfied with the makeup of the Thirteenth District, which we are proud to represent, in the 2021 redistricting map. Chiefly, we are happy that the district keeps communities of interest together,” they said.
“Marion and Monongalia counties have been in a district together in some form since 1917, which is as far back as we can find Senate district records. Both counties have major university presences, with Fairmont State University, Pierpont Community and Technical College, and West Virginia University; they share regional health systems in Mon Health Systems and WVU Medicine.
“Both counties are connected by the High-Tech Corridor; our municipalities are very similar in both counties and work together on many projects; and the Thirteenth District contains both county seats.
Another historical connected area that might have been bypassed from other maps came back together in the map approved today.
Boone, Lincoln and Logan — historically linked — remain as a district unit joined by a part of Kanawha County.
The redistricted map is available at the legislative Website. We will have further analysis as details emerge.