Assembly approves Mat-Su reapportionment plan

MAT-SU -- The Mat-Su Borough plan for reapportionment of the six assembly districts contained within the borough is ready to go before the voters in January, pending a review by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The borough assembly, earlier this month, reviewed the borough reapportionment plan and made a few changes in an attempt to accommodate the desires of the Meadow Lakes community and residents along Spruce Avenue.

The initial plan was presented by the Borough Reapportionment Advisory Board, which worked throughout September to find a common plan that would plot the lines of assembly districts so each district contained as close as possible to 8,475 residents in each district.

The process went off smoothly, according to committee chair Diedre Berberich, who testified at the meeting.

"Everybody on the committee worked very well together," Berberich said. "I don't think anyone on the committee had any background in reapportionment."

Berberich said it was the simple, mathematical approach the board was able to take with the plan that made it easy.

"The process was driven by numbers, and getting those numbers in close range to 8,475," Berberich said, although she said there were some problems. "We all tried to work with District 7 . . . the proposal that we came up with was the closest to addressing those concerns that we could [get]."

It wasn't close enough for Rich Erickson, the representative from District 7. Erickson said he supported the plan himself, but could not vote for it because it was not what the Meadow Lakes Community Council wanted, and his duty was to represent the interests of those in his district.

"I voted against it because of the input from people in my community who said 'No, we don't want to go into Wasilla,'" Erickson said. "[But] I felt it was the best compromise."

Before voting, Erickson took the committee's recommendation to the Meadow Lakes Community Council meeting and discussed the boundary changes. The members present did not like the plan that was proposed, largely because it would mean some Meadow Lakes residents would be brought into the Wasilla-area district, an option the members strongly opposed.

"Although it wasn't an option, most Meadow Lakes residents would choose to change District 7 as little as possible," said community council president Michael Janecek.

After listening to the testimony of committee members and some residents who brought forward objections about certain aspects of the reapportionment, the audience was allowed a recess while the assembly did a little tinkering with the plan.

Not all assembly members supported the line changes that were done during the break.

"We put this committee together, gave them a task and then [change their decision]?" asked assembly member Jody Simpson.

Colberg shared Simpson's view that the amendments were simply allowing assembly members a chance to put their mark on the map.

"It's not like we're in a state legislative district," Colberg said, "to the extent that 79 percent of the people don't even vote . . . most people weren't sure what assembly district they were in."

When the plan was put to a vote, the amendments that had been made resulted in a tie vote, with borough mayor Tim Anderson breaking the tie with a "yes" vote. Assembly members Simpson, Bruce Bush and Talis Colberg voted against the amendments that had been made. The main motion, to accept the plan and present it to the voters, passed unanimously.

The matter will go to the polls on Jan. 15, but borough clerk Sandra Dillon, in her Nov. 19 clerk's report, wrote that early and absentee voting, both by mail and in person at the borough building and Cottonwood Creek Mall, will be available beginning on Dec. 31.