Baltimore County Council Democrats want to throw out a new map of redrawn council districts that was part of a compromise to get the proposed council expansion on the November ballot.
Republican Baltimore County Council members say the Democrats are going back on their word and that it could lead to partisan conflict and chaos on the council.
In July, Council Democrats cut a deal with wary Republicans for their votes to get the proposed expansion of the council from seven to nine seats on the November ballot. Republicans were concerned Democrats would use the expansion to strengthen their 4-3 hold on the council so a redrawn nine district map was included in the legislation the Republicans could accept.
Now there is follow up legislation from Democrats, introduced Tuesday night, to repeal that map.
Republican Councilman David Marks is crying foul.
“We’ve largely avoided partisanship,” Marks said. “We’ve largely avoided partisan conflict. This sort of action I think really erodes a sense of trust on the council.”
In a statement, Republican Councilman Todd Crandell said, “Apparently the political winds got the best of certain members who are conveniently ignoring their word and are now drawing their integrity into question.”
Democratic Councilman Pat Young, who was the lone “no” vote against the original council expansion legislation, is sponsoring the bill to repeal the map.
“We shouldn’t be drawing maps behind closed doors with limited, and in my opinion no public input related to those maps,” Young said.
Opponents of the map have threatened legal action. In a letter to the County Council, the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland said the map violated the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 because it was “not adopted through the County’s ordinary redistricting process, which is undertaken through involvement of an appointed redistricting commission and includes extensive opportunity for public review, comment, and analysis.”
Young said while discussions about repealing the map were already under way before the Council received the ACLU letter, it did play a role in proposing the legislation.
“This would also help prevent a lawsuit,” Young said. “Why are we putting the county in this position?”
Council Chairman Izzy Patoka, a Democrat and a co-sponsor of the legislation to toss the map, said if voters agree to expand the County Council, the Republicans would have a key role in the redistricting process that would follow.
“We want to have absolute trust,” Patoka said. “No matter what we do to create a new map, it’s going to require five votes (on the County Council).”
Patoka said since the council is split between four Democrats and three Republicans, “It will require a bipartisan effort to create a new map.”
“What this sets up is partisan conflict and chaos, that’s what this creates,” Marks said.
The map repeal may not pass.
Three Democrats, Patoka, Young and Councilman Julian Jones support the repeal. Marks expects Republican Wade Kach will join him and Crandell in opposing it. That would leave Mike Ertel, a Democrat, the deciding vote.
In a statement Ertel said, “This is an unnecessary bill that will divide the Council at a critical time.”
Ertel said he does not support the legislation “in its current form.”
The County Council will hold public hearings on the legislation on September 10 and October 1. A final vote is scheduled October 7
