5th, 6th and 9th districts will expand
General Assembly accepts 11 new district boundaries
July 11, 2001
By MICHAEL SLUSS
The Roanoke Times
RICHMOND--The General Assembly approved new alignments for Virginia's 11 congressional districts Tuesday, hammering out a plan that dramatically expands the boundaries of three largely rural Western Virginia districts.
The Republican-controlled legislature added new territory to the 5th, 6th and 9th districts because population growth in Western Virginia has lagged behind other parts of the state. But the changes are not as severe as some Roanoke and New River Valley lawmakers feared just a week ago, when leaders in the House of Delegates were considering putting Botetourt County and a portion of Montgomery County into new districts.
"It's a pretty good compromise because we got the Botetourt and Montgomery thing straightened out," said House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, who admitted disliking some aspects of the plan. The plan still needs approval from Gov. Jim Gilmore and the U.S. Department of Justice to become law. The plan would expand the boundaries of the 9th District to include portions of Roanoke and Alleghany counties and part of the city of Covington - areas now in the 6th District, represented by Roanoke Republican Bob Goodlatte. Lawmakers also stretched the 9th District eastward to include Patrick County and a portion of Henry County - territory now in the 5th District represented by independent Virgil Goode of Rocky Mount. Goode and Goodlatte took part in Monday night's closed-door sessions with Republican lawmakers to develop the plan. Goodlatte said he was "very pleased" with the plan because "it allows me to continue to represent the vast majority of the people I've been representing." He said he understood the need to lose territory he has represented to accommodate the expansion of the 9th District. Lawmakers in both parties said the 9th District's new configuration should not affect the re-election prospects of Rick Boucher, the Abingdon Democrat who has represented the district for 19 years. Boucher said most of the territory added to his district has much in common with the cities and counties he represents. "The priorities in these counties and portions of counties is consistent with the priorities in the 9th District, such as new job creation, infrastructure development and educational improvement," Boucher said in a telephone interview Tuesday night. Boucher opposed splitting Alleghany County and the city of Covington, an 11th-hour maneuver orchestrated behind closed doors late Monday and early Tuesday. Sen. Malfourd "Bo" Trumbo wanted all of Alleghany County and Covington left in the 6th District, while Griffith wanted to put that territory in the 9th and keep more of Roanoke County in the 6th. The split keeps the Westvaco plant in Covington in the 6th District, though Trumbo downplayed the plant's significance in the decision-making process. "I will say I have had employees of Westvaco call me, both management and workers, saying they wanted the plant in the 6th District," said Trumbo, who was appointed Monday to the Senate committee that crafted the redistricting plan. Trumbo said the split could benefit the Alleghany County and Covington governments by giving them access to two congressmen. But he admitted that voter registrars in those communities won't like the plan because it divides localities and splits precincts. Sen. William Wampler Jr., R-Bristol, wanted all of Alleghany County and Covington kept in a single district, but supported the compromise. "If the senator from Botetourt [Trumbo], who represents that area, knows what's best for the people, I guess I'll support it," Wampler said before the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee approved the plan. The full House and Senate voted largely along party lines. The House approved its own version of the bill 61-31. Dels. Vic Thomas of Roanoke and Jim Shuler of Blacksburg were the only Democrats from the Roanoke and New River valleys to support the Republican-crafted plan. The Senate approved its plan 20-15. Sen. Madison Marye of Shawsville was the only Democrat to cross party lines. Each house approved the other's bill before lawmakers sent the identical measures to Gilmore. Some Democrats predicted the plan would not receive Justice Department approval because they said it discriminates against black voters in portions of Richmond, Hampton Roads and Southside. Sen. Yvonne Miller, D-Norfolk, said Republicans packed black voters into the 3rd District, now represented by Newport News Democrat Robert "Bobby" Scott, to ensure that a black candidate could not win in the adjacent 4th District. Scott is Virginia's only black congressman. Democrats have already threatened a lawsuit challenging the racial composition in the 3rd and 4th districts.
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