New boundaries seen as ‘clearly political’

Adrienne Packer

Thursday, July 5, 2001 | 10:44 a.m.

For months, Clark County planners have erased and redrawn new commission district boundary lines only to have board members adjust them.

Meanwhile, potential commission candidates such as Esther Quisenberry were left dancing the political hokey-pokey.

Quisenberry, who hopes to run against incumbent Erin Kenny, showed up at Tuesday's Clark County Commission meeting expecting her home to be placed back into Kenny's district after last-minute changes had moved it out.

Like the handful of political hopefuls in the audience, Quisenberry didn't know what to think when she left the commission chambers.

The board boiled the controversial and heavily political process down to two district maps. On one, the Republican Quisenberry's home was in Kenny's district. On the other, it was out.

A 5-2 vote to approve the map in which Quisenberry's home is placed in Commissioner Chip Maxfield's district didn't deter the candidate. She said she plans to move into District F to challenge Kenny.

"This is clearly political," said Quisenberry who, despite Kenny's denial, insists the Democratic commissioner had a hand in nudging her precinct into Maxfield's district. "If you see the way the numbers break out, it's clearly political."

Quisenberry wasn't the only District F candidate who showed up Tuesday to make sure they still lived in Kenny's jurisdiction. Insurance agent Heidi Vasas and resident Devin Smith plan to challenge the two-term commissioner.

Others who attended the public hearing questioned the jagged boundaries and varying populations in each district.

Wisconsin-based consultant Fred Kessler assured commissioners and residents the redistricting methods and boundaries complied with federal laws. The main concerns of commissioners didn't involve population numbers, but political affiliations instead.

Just days after some board members said party affiliations don't matter because they rarely creep into commission decisions, the board voted 5-2 not to postpone redistricting discussions. A move to delay action was proposed by Republican Maxfield and backed by Bruce Woodbury, the only other Republican on the board.

Woodbury and Maxfield provided the two dissenting votes on the final motion.

Just as Quisenberry's precinct was pushed into Maxfield's district while Maxfield was on vacation, a chunk of Kenny's district between Tropicana Avenue and Blue Diamond Road was placed in Woodbury's district while he was out of town.

Woodbury said he wasn't aware of the change until he saw the maps when he returned.

"I understand the process is political," Woodbury said. "But other considerations should be taken into account other than packing as many Democrats into one district and Republicans into another."

Woodbury also was bothered that the precinct in which Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson lives was kept in his district. Woodbury said Gibson, who has been named as a potential commission candidate to fill Dario Herrera's seat, wanted to be in Herrera's district. A last-minute change put Gibson in Woodbury's district.

"He asked me not to make it a subject of dispute even though he is disappointed," Woodbury said of Gibson.

Despite news reports that the Hispanic community is upset with the redistricting maps, Andres Ramirez, a Hispanic activist who represents the community, said that is not the case.

"I want to thank the County Commission on a great job dividing the districts," he said.