Govan objects to remap plan; committee alters redistricting map

Even so, Rep. Jerry Govan says the change means Orangeburg County will likely have only one resident representative in the future. It now has two.

The Orangeburg Democrat said the new map “does not do justice for the citizens who reside in what is the previous House District 95.”

Govan said he had a proposal that addressed the concerns of urban and suburban Orangeburg residents, as well as residents of rural Bamberg, Allendale and Barnwell counties. Lawmakers rejected it.

The Judiciary Committee approved a redistricting map proposal on Tuesday, with changes suggested by Richland County Democrat Beth Bernstein.

The Bernstein amendment splits the City of Orangeburg into two districts, each with an incumbent representative. Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg, resides in the new House District 95 and Rep. Justin Bamberg, D-Bamberg, resides in the new House District 90.

Bernstein said the map, “enhances the ability of minority groups in the area to elect their candidate of choice.”

There was no discussion of Bernstein’s amendment. The amendment was unanimously adopted by the committee.

Under Bernstein’s amendment, District 90 would have about 10,000 city residents and District 95 about 3,000 city residents.

Cobb-Hunter’s House District 66 is moved to the fast-growing Charlotte suburbs under the current plans.

The House Judiciary Committee tabled an amendment put forward by Rep. John King, D-York, on Govan’s behalf. Bamberg made the motion to table the amendment.

After the meeting, Govan called the Bernstein amendment misleading. The change will still mean there will only be one resident House member from Orangeburg County, rather than the two it has had in the past, he said.

The amendment also places Govan in House District 93 with Rep. Russell Ott, D-St. Matthews.

Govan contends the Bernstein amendment does not address the “cracks” in Orangeburg’s community of interest and gerrymanders those interests into small counties such as Bamberg, Barnwell and Allendale “that have nothing in common with Orangeburg.”

Govan proposes combining Bamberg, Allendale and Barnwell counties into one district in order to maintain a community of interest for those counties.

He also said his proposal meets all redistricting criteria.

Bamberg said King’s amendment, as requested by Govan, “would effectively undo” the Bernstein amendment.

Rep. Micah Caskey, R-Lexington, questioned the difference between King’s amendment and Bernstein’s amendment.

King said Govan’s amendment would physically put Govan back in the district where he would live and “not put him into Calhoun County.”

Judiciary Chair Chris Murphy, R-Dorchester, did note that while Govan would not be in his former district he “would still be in a House district.”

House Redistricting Ad-Hoc Committee Chairman Rep. Jay Jordan, R-Florence, said the ad hoc committee did hear concerns regarding districts being split in the city of Orangeburg during its process.

“The Bernstein amendment helps that tremendously,” Jordan said.

“It splits the city much less severely,” Jordan said.

Bamberg said prior to the 2011 redistricting, House District 90 included some of Orangeburg County.

“That is not an unknown thing. That is how it was for a decade before,” he said.

“There have been people who raised concerns about the commonality of, say, Bamberg County and Orangeburg County,” Bamberg said.

“They already have shared services. They share a hospital, they share a Tri-County Alcohol and Drug Abuse program. The Bamberg, Orangeburg, Calhoun sort of tri-county area has a lot of shared services and their economies are tied directly to one another,” he said.

Bamberg said, “Those counties share a local newspaper, for example, which is the main means of information getting out.”

Following the meeting, Bamberg defended his decision to vote for Bernstein’s amendment.

“It is a very solid plan for our region,” Bamberg said. “Our citizens are walking out of redistricting in a much better position than some parts of South Carolina and our citizens’ voices will maintain strength in Columbia.”

“I know everyone won’t be happy, but it’s impossible to make everyone happy,” Bamberg continued. “We can only do our best and I’ve done that with the best interests of the people living in our area at the forefront.”

Bamberg said the amended map now means District 90 will include Orangeburg and Bamberg counties.

The amendment will also mean that Allendale County will be put back into District 91. The district also includes Barnwell County and a portion of Orangeburg County.

Bamberg said the redistricting process has been complicated because of drastic population and demographic changes across the state.

“It’s not as simple as looking at one geographical area of the state in isolation and saying ‘We should do that,’ because of other dynamics and considerations statewide,” Bamberg said. “What happens in Charleston impacts us. What happens with us impacts up the chain and so forth.”

He also noted the new redistricting map now includes four majority-minority districts in the state, compared to the three before.

“That is important given the demographics and population problems across the state in other areas,” Bamberg said.

Govan is calling for all constituents who do not like the plan to contact the chairman of the S.C. House Judiciary Committee with a request to look at his amendment.

“It would restore the community of interests of Orangeburg and rural counties and their interests,” he said.

Orangeburg County Council also let its concerns be known about the proposed redistricting map’s impact.

Council unanimously agreed Monday to send a letter to Jordan about its objection to the redistricting plan before the Bernstein map was adopted.

Council said the U.S. Census numbers show that Orangeburg County still should have two resident House members, despite the loss of population.

“First, Orangeburg County objects to the draft plan’s treatment of the current District 95 on the basis that from a basic mathematical point-of-view, the Census figures do not justify the change,” the letter states. “The other Orangeburg County House district, District 95, is cracked into pieces and grafted onto districts whose predominate voters are from other counties whose interests are different than those of Orangeburg County’s residents.”

The letter notes that the county’s population “justifies continuing with two House district seats—two House members whose only interests are the needs of the people of Orangeburg County.”

“There is a second, radically disproportional effect of the draft plan: it transforms Orangeburg County’s 10% loss of population into a basis to reduce the county’s number of resident representatives by 50%,” the letter states. “The effect of the draft plan for Orangeburg County is to mute the voice of its residents.”

The letter also says the proposed redistricting plan does not appreciate the interests of the current District 95 residents.

“At a macrolevel for example, Orangeburg County’s highly successful economic development program is the culmination of decades of local political effort,” the letter states. “The pay-off of that laser focus is that Orangeburg County offers its residents more and better job opportunities with enough left over that residents of surrounding counties are drawn here to work.”

“The same can be said for higher education: Orangeburg County is home to a technical college that has the best nursing program in the state and two successful Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” the letter notes. “The three other counties who would inherit the current District 95’s voters have important interests, also, but they are not the same as the interests of Orangeburg County.”