Thursday, March 22, 2012
1:03 PM
Voces de la Frontera exec director says group 'vindicated' by redistricting decision
Christine Neumann-Ortiz, executive director of Voces de la Frontera, said today the court's redistricting decision is a "momentous act" and "we feel we have been vindicated."
The group sued over the composition of Assembly districts 8 and 9, which the court today found to be unconstitutional.
Neumann-Ortiz said at a news conference at the group's office on Milwaukee's south side that the lesson to be learned from this is that the kind of secrecy employed by the GOP denied the true participation of the community and could have been avoided.
"This is a vindication that we were right," she said. "If the Republican Party had chosen to honor the pubic process instead of operating in secrecy, there would have been the opportunity for a meaningful discussion and debate," she said. "Instead, it only serves as a lengthy and costly lesson."
Peter Earle, the lawyer who argued to case for the group, said the GOP actions, particularly the meeting in a lawyer's office were "unconscionable" and that Republicans were attempting "to privatize the legislative process."
"There is no place for secrecy agreements," Earle said. "Most importantly, the 8th Assembly District must have a Latino citizen voting age majority of 60 percent."
State Rep. JoCasta Zamarippa, D-Milwaukee, said the Democrats are "ready to get back to Madison and correct what they did wrong." She said she would like to see the map redrawn beyond the 8th and 9th districts.
The resignation of Sen. Pam Galloway that left a 16-16 split in the Senate means "there's going to be some push and pull" over the redistricting, she said.
Rep. Josh Zepnick, D-Milwaukee, said "it's our view that the whole thing needs to be redone. We have a lot of work that needs to be done."
Earle said that if the Legislature does not act, the court will do the job.
-- By Marie Rohde
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