The Leflore County Board of Supervisors hired a demographer and attorney Monday to assist with redistricting but not without some controversy.
District 3 Supervisor Preston Ratliff said the board’s majority passed over the best candidate to flex its political muscle, but Robert Collins of District 5 said he simply wanted a neutral candidate who didn’t have to answer to anyone when changing the county’s political boundaries.
The board voted 3-2 to hire demographer Slaughter and Associates of Oxford to compile the initial numbers and attorneys from Butler, Snow, O’Mara, Stevens and Cannada, PLLC of Jackson to do the actual redistricting.
Collins made the motion, and the votes fell along the supervisors’ normal lines: Collins, Phil Wolfe and Wayne Self for and Ratliff and Robert Moore against.
Ratliff said Jerry Wilson of Decatur, Ga., who handled Leflore County’s redistricting following the 2000 census, clearly presented himself as the best candidate. He said the other supervisors just wanted to show their power by selecting the other firms.
Wilson had shared a district-by-district population breakdown with the board Monday and discussed specifics about when the process could be completed. He said it could be done by June.
Mike Slaughter didn’t provide specifics about how long the process would take or district populations. He said he didn’t want to provide the information by supervisor district without checking the boundaries used by the Census Bureau against legal descriptions. Slaughter said he could have that information by Friday.
Collins said Wilson called him the day before the vote at Moore’s behest. He said he thought Wilson was a good candidate but added that he thought it would be best to have someone without ties to certain supervisors. “I just thought it would be more fair to deal with somebody that nobody knew,” Collins said. “We just want a fair shake at it.”
Wilson said former board attorney Willie Perkins asked him to help with the redistricting in 2002 and 2003. Since then Wilson has continued to consult with County Admini-strator Sam Abraham and Circuit Clerk Trey Evans about precinct lines, he said.
Abraham said all three candidates presented good cases and that he was more than happy to work with whomever the board chose.
“I’ve gotten along well with Mr. Wilson over the years. He worked well with me,” Abraham said this morning. “As far as who was the best candidate, I have no clue.”
Abraham said he didn’t know yet how much the consultants will be paid but will find out after today. Slaughter said it would cost $1,000 to $1,500 to do the initial phase.
Both consultants agreed that redistricting will almost certainly be necessary and that it can’t be done before the March 1 candidate qualifying deadline. The process includes drawing the new lines, holding public hearings and getting U.S. Justice Department pre-approval.
The difference in the variance from the ideal between the highest- and lowest-populated districts was 38.5 percent. The courts have established 10 percent as the threshold for whether redistricting is required to stay in compliance with the constitutional “one man, one vote” principle.
Dissatisfied candidates could sue the county if it proceeds in the Aug. 2 primary and Nov. 8 general election using the old boundaries. However, Wilson said since the racial composition of the board was mostly settled 30 years ago, someone would probably only bring suit if they were “devout enemies” of a particular supervisor.
Wilson said Monday that Self’s and Collins’ districts would have to lose people and Ratliff’s would gain them. He said Moore’s district would remain about the same and supervisors would have to work out differences behind the scenes.
Collins said he doesn’t want to give up anyone from his district but must abide by the law. He said he suspects losses in District 3 were caused by an enrollment drop at Mississippi Valley State University. Supervisors will learn for sure when they look at individual census blocks with Slaughter on Friday.
Leslie Scott of Butler, Snow said she had concerns about using the old districts in the upcoming elections. But she said supervisors wouldn’t have authority to reopen qualifying after new districts are drawn. She said a possibility would be to go to federal court and have a judge reopen qualifying.
• Contact Charlie Smith at csmith@gwcommonwealth.com.
