Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 21, 1991 TAG: 9103210123
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
"We are not concerned with incumbency," said Linda Byrd-Harden, state director of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Byrd-Harden told the House Privileges and Elections Committee that the nine majority-black seats in the House now should be increased to 13. Federal law requires that Virginia and other states with a history of racial discrimination create as many black districts as possible.
She said the 1990 census shows that black majorities could be created by redrawing the districts of Dels. Robert Ball, D-Richmond; Franklin Hall, D-Richmond; and J. Paul Councill Jr., D-Franklin.
The fourth majority-black district would come from taking parts of the districts of Dels. Thomas Forehand, D-Chesapeake; William Moore, D-Portsmouth; and Randy Forbes, R-Chesapeake.
Ball is a 19-year House member who is chairman of the Appropriations Committee. Councill has been in the House 17 years and Hall 15.
Del. Lewis Parker, D-South Hill, who represents a Southside district that is 39 percent black, accused the NAACP of trying to divide the races.
"I get very upset about this," Parker said. "I believe that all of us are people."
"You have not always been disenfranchised as African-American people have been in the state of Virginia," Byrd-Harden responded. "If we cannot accept our history, then we cannot plan for a better future."
Republican and Democrats on the committee, meanwhile, had testy exchanges over plans for redrawing the 100 House districts. GOP members complained they have not been consulted about a draft redistricting plan that Democratic members plan to unveil today.
Democrats hold a majority in the House but Republicans have been making gains and now have 39 seats.
Republicans complained that Democrats have been meeting secretly to draw up the redistricting. Del. Vince Callahan, R-McLean, said he heard that some committee members met until 1 a.m. Wednesday.
"Is this the ploy that's going to be taken in the operation of this committee?" Callahan asked the chairman, Del. Ford Quillen, D-Gate City.
Del. Glenn Croshaw, D-Virginia Beach, who will present the Democrats' plan, declined to say whether it would put some GOP incumbents in the same district.
Republicans were worried about that prospect. Del. James Dillard, R-Fairfax, said he easily could be placed in the same district with Del. Robert Harris, R-Fairfax.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB