Court rejects plan for reapportionment

The Pennsylvania State Supreme Court denied a petition protesting the reapportionment plan that divides University City into four State House seats and into two State Senate seats, drastically reducing students' influence in state politics. According to 27th Republican Ward Leader Matthew Wolfe, the Supreme Court announced its decision to deny the petition and 23 others like it filed across the state late Friday afternoon. Wolfe filed a petition against the new reapportionment plan, which splits University dormitories into three State House districts, because, he said, the plan is "unconstitutional." The state constitution says voting district lines should not be drawn across ward boundaries or any other political boundaries unless absolutely necessary, Wolfe said. And, Wolfe added, carving up the 27th Ward is not necessary. "It was outrageous that Supreme Court denied our petition," Wolfe said. David Hochman, the interim 27th Democratic Ward Leader, also expressed dismay at the decision. "That [the decision] is very disappointing, but not unexpected," Hochman, who is also the president of the Spruce Hill Community Association, said. "The Court has a history of throwing out these types of cases." Reapportionment is done every ten years after the national census is taken to ensure that voting districts have equal populations. The 1982 reapportionment plan was also petitioned because it divided the ward, but, according to Wolfe, was also denied. Many other wards in the city have been unecessarily divided into different voting districts, Wolfe said. In addition, Wolfe said he thought the new redistricting will be an advantage to the Democratic party. "[The plan] means that the districts have been stacked in such a way that Democratic incumbants will be elected," he said. "They [members of the Supreme Court] have left University City impotent in having influence over legislatures." Wolfe said the redistricting committee was predominately Democratic, and the State Legislature just "rubber stamped" the plan. In addition, the majority of Supreme Court justices are Democrats, he said. He also added that local Democratic leaders did little to protest the plan "Local Democratic leaders are willing to sacrifice the community interest in order to increase their chances of electing Democrats," he said. But Hochman said the redistricting "is a handicap for both parties." And former 27th Ward Democratic Leader Kevin Vaughan said earlier this month that such charges are unfounded, since "there is no Republican vote to break up." The Supreme Court has also extended the deadline for filing nomination petitions for State House and State Senate seats from today to March 6 as a result of the petition. (CUT LINE) Please see PLAN, page 5 PLAN, from page 1

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