Republicans Call New Supervisor Map "a Debacle"

Two Polk County Republicans told a breakfast group of conservatives Wednesday morning that the redrawn map of Polk County Supervisor districts is a "debacle." 

Matthew Whittaker, former U.S. Attorney and the Urbandale resident who filed a complaint about the map, called it "the most gerrymandered map you've ever seen."

Polk County Supervisor Robert Brownell of Clive, who would be thrown into the same district as the board's only other Republican, E.J. Giovanetti,  told the West Side Conservative Club, that a decision Friday by the Iowa Ethics & Campaign Finance Disclosure Board to continue to investigate was a big victory.

"In the words of that immortal poet Mick Jagger: 'Time is on our side'," said Brownell, noting that if the dispute goes past Oct. 15 and some map is not resubmitted to Secretary of State Matt Schultz, Schultz is charged with redrawing it. 

Brownell said he doesn't believe Schultz would redraw the map to skew it for Republicans, but he does believe that having the Iowa Legislative Service Agency redraw county political maps is the best way to get a nonpartisan map.

"We're just looking for a fair map," said Brownell, "so maybe the Republicans can take back control of that (Polk County Supervisors) board for the first time since 1948."

Assistant Polk County Attorney Michael O'Meara, representing the county redistricting commission, filed a brief with the disclosure board calling Whitaker's complaint about the map without factual and legal basis.

Brownell, however, said that "no computer would ever draw that map. You don't get neighborhoods in Ankeny and neighborhoods around the Des Moines zoo in one district without a little effort," he said.

The disclosure board, which met in closed session last Friday to discuss the complaint, had the option of dismissing it or finding that there was enough evidence to schedule a full hearing on the merits of the complaint.

The board, however, asked its executive director Megan Tooker to do some additional before it makes a decision.