News from the Oakland County Democratic Party
For Immediate Release:
Thursday, January 31st, 2012
Frank Houston
(248) 808-7166
GOP COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ILLEGALLY MOVE FORWARD ON REDISTRICTING POWER GRAB
Pontiac, MI – Republican County Commissioners are illegally moving a new redistricting process forward for Oakland County over the strenuous objections of Democratic County Commissioners and lawyers.
“Republicans in Oakland County apparently can’t even follow their own power grab law,” said Frank Houston, Chairman of the Oakland County Apportionment Commission and the Democratic Party. “It is outrageous that they are acting on a process, which has not been approved by the majority of the County Commission, violating current state statutes, let alone that the process there starting isn’t even a law at this point.”
Houston is one of several plaintiffs against the so called “Republican Power Grab Act” (Public Act 280 of 2011) that is scheduled to go into effect March 28th – that requires the Republican controlled Oakland County Commission to redo redistricting in Oakland County within 30 days of the Act taking effect; in effect circumventing the official redistricting plan that was upheld by the Courts, December 28th of 2011. It is widely speculated that the proposed Act will not survive a court challenge that will be heard February 8th in the Ingham County Circuit Court.
In the meantime, Oakland County Commissioners have proposed a resolution in January that would empower 3 Republicans and 1 Democrat from their “Government Oversight Committee” to develop a process and adopt a final draft plan by February 29th – nearly a month before the Act becomes law.
Additionally, Republican Commissioners have begun holding meetings and taking actions on redistricting as if the Resolution was adopted, when in fact it isn’t scheduled for a vote before Wednesday’s (February 1st) meeting and law will not take effect for nearly two more months. County Commissioner Tim Greimel (D – Auburn Hills) walked out of a meeting on Friday of the Government Oversight Committee meeting in protest.
“These proceedings are illegal, improper, and invalid,” said Greimel. It is unclear if democrats will participate in meetings scheduled this Wednesday and Thursday to continue the blazing speed of the new Republican lead redistricting process in Oakland County.
Concerns cited by Greimel and lawyers representing Houston, include:
- Miscellaneous Resolution #12006 (which seeks to give the Oversight Committee the authority to work on redistricting) has not been approved by the County Board of Commissioners;
- HB 5187 (Public Act 280) made the county apportionment commission in Oakland County the entire Oakland County Board of Commissioners. It does not allow for the Board of Commissioners to delegate any part of that responsibility to a committee or other subset of the entire Board; and
- HB 5187 does not take effect until March 28, 2012. As a result, the Board of Commissioners, including the Oversight Committee, has no authority to act under the state law until March 28, 2012.
Before Public Act 280, takes effect, state statute prescribes that the County will defend the existing redistricting plan – despite the fact that County Executive Brooks Patterson has admitted to spending County taxpayer dollars to overturn the plan and lobby for the new law.
In the event that PA280 survives legal challenges in State and potentially Federal courts, the act states that the, “county apportionment commission shall be the county board of commissioners.” In letters advocating for passage of the law from Patterson to Governor Snyder he states the law will only impact Oakland County.
“The illegal actions by Brooks and Oakland County Republicans get more absurd every day,” said Houston. “The sooner the courts rule on the legality of the Republican power grab Act the better for everyone in Oakland County,” Houston concluded.
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