Wednesday, June 6, 2001
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Wednesday, June 6, 2001 |
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Summer's political reshuffling puts Collins, Hecht in rumor mill By DAVE HAMRICK
Rumors are rampant about who is jockeying for what position as the Georgia Legislature prepares to redraw both state and federal district lines this year. Two new congressional seats will be up for grabs, and the borders of every state Senate and state House district will be redrawn as a result of population shifts identified in the 2000 Census. Among the rumors are that: F U.S. Rep. Mac Collins will vacate his 3rd District congressional seat in favor of a bid for Max Cleland's place in the U.S. Senate; F State Sen. Greg Hecht is hoping a new congressional district will be to his liking so he can run for that post; F State Rep. Kathy Cox of Peachtree City will drop out of the House and run for state commissioner of education. Cox admitted she considered seeking the higher office, but told The Citizen this week she has definitely decided not to (see related story). Collins press aide Doug Graham said a run for Cleland's Senate seat is definitely on Collins' radar screen. "He's been on the record as saying that he is looking at it," said Graham. But the results of redistricting won't have any big effect on that, he said. "I know there are rumors of people's districts becoming untenable," said Graham, "but that doesn't seem to be the case with Mac. His support is pretty broad throughout the district. He works hard and represents his constituents well." Collins will look at all the options before deciding whether to run for reelection or seek other office between now and election year, Graham said. Hecht, who represents north Fayette along with portions of three other counties, is on the state Senate committee that is working to develop a new map of Senate districts. "Nobody is going to know what the congressional districts are going to look like until after reapportionment," said Hecht, adding that he won't rule out running for a seat in Congress if he ends up living within a new district. "I have not closed any doors, and I have not jumped through any either," he said. Many members of the state House and Senate are concerned that after reapportionment they will find their districts changed so much that reelection becomes an uphill battle. For instance, a formerly Democratic stronghold might be flooded with Republicans, making the Democratic office holder less likely to be reelected, or vice versa. Or in some cases, two or more veteran members of the Legislature may find themselves in the same district, a much tougher reelection prospect than facing a newcomer. Whether that's going to be the case won't be known until the full Legislature convenes to take up reapportionment in August, Hecht predicted. "When we get to August, that is when you'll figure it out," he said. His committee is looking at numerous maps, he said. "Everybody's got a different agenda. It is unbelievable," he added. And when the full body gets together, the committee's work will probably be thrown out the window anyway, he added. "There are no hard and fast rules," he said. He promised to oppose the rumored division of Fayette among three congressional districts, and predicted the county will probably remain divided between two state senators. "That helps at the Senate, having two votes instead of one," he said.
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