Thumbs Down to the Dallas delegation to the State Legislature for concentrating its redistricting efforts on taking care of incumbents loyal to House Speaker Billy Clayton instead of being concerned that Dallas gets fair and effective representation. Legislative kingpin Bob Davis of Irving was intent on punishing Clayton foe Rep. John Bryant by drawing him into a predominately black district with black incumbent Rep. Lanell Cofer. Davis apparently didn’t care about whether Bryant’s constituents were represented by a legislator from their own community. The primary function of redistricting is supposed to be to enhance the effectiveness of representation as population trends shift. What district lines do to the political careers of incumbents is not supposed to be a consideration. That’s just a bad joke in Austin, where, once again, politics wins out over good government.
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