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IRC split on cooperating with AG investigation
The Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission could stumble into another partisan divide, but this time it involves whether members will cooperate with Attorney General Tom Horne’s investigation into whether the commission violated open meeting and procurement laws when it hired a mapping consultant in June.
Attorney General Tom Horne announces redistricting commission investigation
Attorney General Tom Horne has announced his office has opened an investigation into the Independent Redistricting Commission in response to an investigation by Arizona Capitol Times and its sister publication, Yellow Sheet Report, that uncovered possible violations of the state’s open meeting and procurement laws.
There were legal ways to skin that cat
One Republican observer found recent IRC procurement contract revelations and Dem Commissioner José Herrera's statements to be signs of highly suspect commission dealings.
What we’re not IRC-ing: Map-drawing panel spends half its time meeting behind closed doors
Prior to voting to award a lucrative contract to a mapping consultant on June 29, the Independent Redistricting Commission had spent as much time in closed door executive meetings as it had before the public.
And public records held by the commission itself, as well as statements made by commissioners, indicate the IRC may have violated Arizona’s open meeting laws designed to maintain[...]
Free redistricting tool uses incredible power of ‘crowdsourcing’
In regards to the article, “Commissioners eye free mapping software, say it could be used differently than creators intended” Arizona Capitol Times, May 8, we offer the following to address concerns noted by some of the members of Arizona’s Independent Redistricting Commission.
Redistricting panel weighs disclosure requirements
The word “transparency” gets tossed around a lot these days. Activists demand it and politicians promise it. As Arizona’s Independent Redistricting Commission prepares to redraw the lines that will define the state’s congressional and legislative districts, exactly what level of transparency the commission will achieve remains unclear.
IRC budget based on experience and guesswork
The last statement James Huntwork made as a member of the first Independent Redistricting Commission in his last meeting in June 2009 was that the next IRC would need “a lot of money.”
How much money the newly seated IRC will need is a mystery.
But the thinking of those involved with the first one is that the legal disputes, which consumed so much money last time, will be[...]
IRC choice for chairman: Independent Colleen Mathis
The four partisan members of the Independent Redistricting Commission appointed a politically independent chairwoman on Tuesday, and made public pledges to cooperate with each other through what some believe will turn into anything but a nonpartisan task.
Four IRC members meet, delay choosing chairman
The four newly sworn-in members of the Independent Redistricting Commission met for the first time on Feb. 24, then stalled in choosing a chairman from a slate of five independents.
Redistricting panel taking shape, as Adams, Campbell make choices
The top two legislative leaders of the Arizona House of Representatives have selected the first two member of the Independent Redistricting Commission.
Campbell picks Herrera for redistricting commission
House Minority Leader Chad Campbell on Wednesday, Feb. 2, selected accountant José Herrera, a Democrat, to serve on the Independent Redistricting Commission. The decision to select Herrera came on the heels of a press conference held by the Arizona Legislative Latino Caucus, whose Democratic Party members called for the appointment of a Latino to the commission.
