Broward GOP Chair: Allen West’s Re-Election Threatened by New Districts
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Save U. S. Rep. Allen West!
That’s the cry of the Broward Republican Chair Richard DeNapoli.
The GOP-controlled Legislature has been unfair to West by carving him a district that is filled with unfriendly Broward voters, DeNapoli says in an urgent e-mail sent to Florida lawmakers in Tallahassee and GOP activists today.
DeNapoli wants more of the district shifted into Palm Beach County.
A Republican chair complaining that the GOP Legislature has been unfair!!! A Broward Republican chair wanting to shift more of a Republican district to Palm Beach County!!!
And his excuse? West’s district is in violation of the Fair Districting Constitutional Amendment – the very amendment the GOP fought against.
Hmmmm.
The GOP must really believe that West is on the ropes. Now all the Ds have to get a decent candidate.
Here is a portion of his e-mail:
An Open Letter to the Florida Committees on Reapportionment
Regarding the Redistricting of
Florida’s Congressional District 22,
Currently Represented by Congressman West
To the Florida House and Senate Committees on Reapportionment and concerned voters in Florida,
I am writing as a follow up to Broward Republican Party Vice-Chair Colleen Stolberg’s email entitled “Save Allen West,” regarding the redistricting proposals for Congressional District 22. She has created a website called www.saveallenwest.com. A lot of us serve in political and non-political capacities, but my intention here is to express my concern as a citizen and registered voter of Florida that the proposed maps for Congressional District 22 do not meet Florida’s constitutional requirements.
In my opinion, none of the proposed Florida Senate or Florida House maps for Congressional District 22 conform to Florida’s constitutional requirements contained within Amendments 5 and 6 that districts be compact and, where feasible, “utilize existing political and geographical boundaries.”[1] Florida’s redistricting is very important and the maps eventually decided upon will control our districts for the next 10 years.
The primary problem is that all of the Florida House and Florida Senate proposed maps for Congressional District 22 go through great pains to include western portions of Broward County in the new district while excluding large portions of northern Palm Beach County that would form a natural political and geographical boundary. Congressman West’s district should extend to the Palm Beach county line (a political boundary) or at least the geographical boundary of the Jupiter Inlet, as the existing District 22 almost reaches. It should not include these portions of western Broward County.
The apparent official rationale for excluding these northern Palm Beach County areas is that a single person sent on behalf of the Palm Beach County Commission stated at the Stuart redistricting hearing that “some of the northern municipalities of Palm Beach County share some similarities with our friends in the ‘Treasure Coast’. … So long as the districts are compact and follow municipal and geographical boundaries then it’s OK if there is certain overlap in these communities of similar interest.” Quite a few others at the same hearing simply expressed concern that the “Treasure Coast,” which they identified as “Indian River, St. Lucie and Martin counties,” be “kept together.” [2] Many statements were made by members of the public at the Boca Raton meeting about keeping “coastal communities” together. [3]
“Communities of interest” is not an official standard for redistricting under Florida law. While it may be considered, it cannot conflict with or take precedence over the requirement that we use existing political and geographical boundaries.
These northern Palm Beach County coastal regions are in the existing Congressional District 22, and no existing or even proposed State House or State Senate seats remove such large portions of northern Palm Beach County and place them within districts to the north. Amendments 5 and 6 impose the same requirements across State Senate and State House districts. The proposed State Senate District 25 (currently represented by Sen. Bogdanoff) map actually extends the northern boundary of the current State Senate district from Juno Beach to the Jupiter Inlet. The Congressional District 22 map does the opposite.
There does not seem to be any legal rationale or testimony supporting the inclusion of the western portions of Broward in the new district. One may guess that this was done so that Congressman West, who resides in the City of Plantation slightly outside ofthe current District 22, would now live in the newly drawn district.
The residency of an incumbent is not a standard for redistricting under Florida law, and cannot be used in drawing the new maps. Congressman West has not pushed for the inclusion of these western Broward regions in the new District 22. In responding to questions about living outside of the current District 22, he stated during the 2010 campaign that “The [US] Constitution just says you have to live in the state you’re running in at the time of the election.” [4]
On December 30, 2011, the Senate Reapportionment Committee released revised maps citing some feedback they had received since the original maps were released on November 28, 2011. The reasons for changes included substitutions that
- Follow “city boundaries and decreases the numbers of times cities are split by districts,” and
- Follow “geographic boundaries, including bays, rivers, major roadways, and other recognizable physical features…” [5]
Unfortunately, these revised maps did not revise District 22.
While Florida’s Constitution prohibits the “intent to favor or disfavor a political party or incumbent,” it should be noted that the Democrats are calling Congressman West “a GOP loser in redistricting.” [6] While Florida’s constitution does not require the rough proportionality of Republicans and Democrats in any district, it should be noted that the proposed maps include more Democratic voters in District 22. [7]
By removing the western portions of Broward and replacing them with northeastern portions of Palm Beach up to the Jupiter Inlet or Palm Beach county line that are in the existing Congressional District 22, the newly proposed District 22 will conform to Florida’s constitutional requirements. It would then be a compact coastal district that respects political and geographical boundaries.
I will examine each of these points in further detail below.
Please make your voice heard to the Committees on Reapportionment BEFORE their meetings which begin on January 9th.
Tell the Committees that “by removing the western portions of Broward County and replacing them with northeastern portions of Palm Beach County up to the Jupiter Inlet or Palm Beach county line that are in the existing Congressional District 22, the newly proposed District 22 will meet Florida’s constitutional requirements because it would be a compact coastal district that respects political and geographical boundaries.”
Visit: www.saveallenwest.com to sign a petition
Call: 855-FLA-MAPS
email: redistrictflorida@flsenate.gov
Facebook: Florida Senate Reapportionment Committee
Tweet to: @Redistrict2012
Write: Senate Committee on Reapportionment
103 Senate Office Building
404 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, Fl 32399-1100
January 2nd, 2012 at 5:00 pm
Time for West to move to Kansas and spend his retirement visiting his pal Pollard in Leavenworth. No votes in my house for a disgrace like West. And I know hundreds if not thousands that feel the same way. Lousy constituent service as well. These GOPers get elected then ignore their supporters to suck up to Democrats. Where’s the loss? Dems ignore us just like West did.
January 2nd, 2012 at 5:37 pm
This is the best news I’ve heard in a long time. Get rid of the pest! He doesn’t belong in the U. S. Congress.
January 2nd, 2012 at 6:00 pm
Clever email from DeNapoli.
Buddy: he never says “Allen West’s Re-Election Threatened” or “the GOP Legislature has been unfair” – he just makes the legal argument that the district doesn’t meet the requirements of Amendments 5 and 6.
FROM BUDDY:
No, he doesn’t say that in so many words. The headline is my interpretation of what he is saying.
Would he be writing this frantic note — it is many times longer than what I printed — if he believed West had a favorable district? No. He clearly believes that the GOP has done West wrong….thus, they’ve been unfair. He also refers to a website called Saveallenwest.com three times. Save him from what? Defeat!
January 2nd, 2012 at 6:53 pm
What is the Dem. Club trying to prove? That they don’t like West?
Everyone knows the Dems. don’t like West. Do they really need to tell the media?
Do the Republicans need to show up at a Wasserman-Shultz event for the rest of us to know that the Repubs. don’t like extremists on the other side of the dial?
I’ll call Netflix and stay home instead.
January 2nd, 2012 at 8:57 pm
If West had not acted like a jerk, insulting and imputing bad faith to those on the other side of the aisle, he might have a modicum of cross-over appeal. As it is, he has elevated the level of partisan acrimony to such a level that only his true believers will be in his corner.
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:32 pm
Richard DeNapoli for County Commissioner. Doesn’t he live in LaMarca’s new district 4?
January 2nd, 2012 at 10:48 pm
What an idiot. THe Florida constitution now clearly states that incumbancy cannot be considered when drawing districts. So what does he do? Draw attention to a specific incumbent! Any changes that result now will be subject to increased scrutiny and this letter would be prime evidence of changes being made to favor an incumbent.
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:11 pm
Hey Ann – maybe if u read the letter you will see the he doesn’t mention West in the sense of a political argument for an incumbent – he says how the Dems are saying West is a Loser in redistricting. DeNapoli only mentions how the district doesn’t meet the standards of amendments 5 and 6. If you read the whole letter you can see that.
January 2nd, 2012 at 11:16 pm
Besides Ann – look at Wests new district as proposed – how do u justify including that western stretch of Broward in what is a costal district. Pointing out this is not a partisan argument but a amendment 5 and 6 argument.
January 3rd, 2012 at 8:58 am
West should have run for U.S Senate back 6 mo. ago and he would have walked into the nomination and given us the best chance of defeating Nelson. Instead, arrogance got in the way and he decided not to take the advice of smart political people in south Florida, and is now staring sure defeat right in the face. So a rising star in the party is going to be one and done, when the sky was the limit not too long ago. Quite possibly one of the biggest political blunders of 2012. The sad thing is everyone saw this redistricting nightmare coming……but Allen.
January 3rd, 2012 at 1:09 pm
He doesn’t live int he district he represents. He hold most meetings in Palm Beach area, and or East Area to listen to citizens concerns.And now GOP wants him to represent less of Broward county….Wild..wild West indeed!
January 3rd, 2012 at 1:47 pm
Hello Folks:
Please learn about Awake Broward.
This is part of a larger statewide campaign called AWAKE the STATE.
Awake Broward is meeting tonight at the Broward County West Regional Library in Plantation at 8601 W. Broward Blvd., Plantation, FL 33324 in order to:
1. Make rally signs for the January 10th Awake the State Rally that is being held outside of State Rep. George Moraitis’s office while he is away in Tallahassee for the start of the legislative session;
2. Honor the 2011 Middle Class Champions in the Florida Legislature: State Representatives Ari Porth, Martin Kiar, and Franklin Sands (who are tentatively schedule to come and receive their Middle Class Champion Certificates).
3. Honor the the middle class!
Please note that State Rep. George Moraitis is a U.S. Naval Academy Graduate, a Navy Veteran and a graduate of the University of Florida Law School.
Please further note the following:
State Representative Ari Porth (Democrat – Coral Springs) is not returning to office and wants to be a Judge in Broward County. He is working all the angles. Run Ari Run.
State Representative Martin Kiar (Democrat – Davie/Weston/Parkland) is not running for his State Rep seat again because he thought he could get term limited State Senator Nan Rich’s (Democrat – Weston, etc, etc.) seat and become a Senator. However, because the State Legislature redistricted Nan Rich’s Senate Seat and he would have to campaign in both Broward and Palm Beach Counties without the help of the Broward Democrat Machine Representative Kiar will be running for County Commission because the Broward Commission drew his house (yeah, that’s right — his house) into the Commission District so that he could run and win with the blessings of Debbie Wasserman Schultz. (Marty is such a “Mensch” — that’s yiddish for you people that don’t know any better).
Finally, there is State Representative Franklin Sands (Democrat – Northern portion of Weston/Sunris) who is term limited out and is running for School Board. He is 70 plus years of age and just can’t get enough of good governance. He lost a ton of money from Bernie Madoff’s ponzi scheme and has to be in office it would seem instead of going out and getting a real job! If he got fleeced by Madoff the thinking is that he will not let the 4.2 BILLION DOLLAR School Board Budget go to waste. No, that was not a typo so let’s go over that again — Four BILLION, Two Hundred MILLION DOLLAR Broward School Board Budget.
For your education you all should look at the Florida House of Representatives Web Site for all of the above and see how many of the above-referenced Democrats have managed to sponsor and pass any legislation.
Go Gators!
January 3rd, 2012 at 2:05 pm
Broward Republicans lack foresight and wisdom.
I am not going to call out names now but it is coming and well deserved.
Stymied in Old-Timey does not even begin to describe it…
January 5th, 2012 at 9:42 am
Interesting…if West keeps looking this weak or if he jumps ship, I’d bet on seeing a third, much stronger Democrat get into the race – and win.