Pennsylvania lawmakers approve reapportionment map that splits Lehigh Valley

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

Nearly half of Northampton County will be voting for a new representative in Congress in a few months.

The Pennsylvania House this afternoon approved a congressional redistricting plan that splits the Lehigh Valley into different territories, shifting Easton, Nazareth and the Slate Belt out of the 15th Congressional District.

State representatives voted 136-61 to approve Republican leaders’ redrawing of political boundaries. The Senate approved the plan 26-24 last week.

The redistricting plan was fashioned in secret and revealed last week.

Lehigh Valley Republican representatives Joe Emrick, Marcia Hahn and Justin Simmons voted against the measure today. Voting in favor were Republicans Julie Harhart, Douglas Reichley and Gary Day.

Democrats Robert Freeman, Steve Samuelson, Joe Brennan and Jennifer Mann voted against it.

Freeman, D-Northampton, condemned the new political map, which divorces much of Northampton County from the rest of the Lehigh Valley.

Before the vote, Freeman scolded those who would support it.

“A ‘yes’ vote for this horrible plan is a vote to take ownership of this horrible plan,” said Freeman, of Easton. “If you vote for it, it is your plan. You are the one that made it happen and you will have to answer to the voters of your district.”

Twenty Northampton County municipalities and parts of three others, including a piece of Bethlehem, will be in the 17th Congressional District, which will cover six counties.


View full sizeU.S. Rep. Timothy Holden
The 17th District is led by U.S. Rep. Timothy Holden, a Democrat from Schuylkill County.

Moving into Holden's 17th District will be:

All of Easton and the townships of Bethlehem, Forks, Lower Mount Bethel, Palmer, Upper Mount Bethel and Washington
All of the boroughs of Bangor, East Bangor, Freemansburg, Glendon, Nazareth, Pen Argyl, Portland, Roseto, Stockertown, Tatamy, West Easton, Wilson and Wind Gap
Parts of Bethlehem, Plainfield Township and Upper Nazareth Township also would shift to the 17th District, legislators said today. Those parts would be a piece of the 17th ward on South Side Bethlehem; Plainfield Township's Delabole District and the Eastern District of Upper Nazareth Township.
Before today’s vote, state Rep. Mario Scavello suggested criticism of the Lehigh Valley reapportionment was exaggerated. The Lehigh Valley could benefit by having two voices in Washington, he said, much like he said Monroe County did when it was divided into different congressional districts.

The 15th Congressional District is led by U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Lehigh Valley.

“I don’t see it as a negative when you have both sides of the aisle represented,” said Scavello, R-Monroe. “I see it as a positive.”

Samuelson, D-Northampton/Lehigh, said the changes serve to erode 40 years of regional cooperation.

"We should keep the Lehigh Valley united in the 15th Congressional District," he said.

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Holden will have to get to work quickly in the new parts of his district, including Northampton County.

The first day to circulate nominating papers for next year’s election is Jan. 24 and the primary election is April 24.

A new congressional map is required every decade to reflect population shifts. Because Pennsylvania grew more slowly than the rest of the nation, it will lose a U.S. House seat, dropping from 19 to 18 in the 2012 election and ensuring significant changes.

Those changes, known as reapportionment, were controlled this time around by Republicans because they control the state Legislature and the governor’s office.

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/breaking-news/index.ssf/2011/12/pennsylvania_lawmakers_approve.html