New Mexico's redistricting committee criticized for lack of diversity

Jun. 8—New Mexico lawmakers and State Ethics Commission members charged with appointing the state's new redistricting committee got the job done over the past few days.

The committee's seven members, scheduled to start work July 1, include a teacher, two lawyers, two former state lawmakers, a former judge and the state demographer.

With just one woman and no Native Americans in the group, however, the selection already has raised questions about a lack of diversity.

Kathleen Burke, project director of Fair Districts for New Mexico, an Albuquerque-based advocacy group, said said her organization is "concerned about the lack of cultural and geographic representation on the committee."

She said she hopes the committee will address the issue "to ensure equitable representation in its work plan."

The redistricting committee is tasked with redrawing electoral district boundaries for Congress, the Legislature and the Public Education Commission based on census data, with a goal of making those districts as equal as possible in size and population.

The stakes are high all over the country, as redistricting can determine which party holds political power.

The State Ethics Commission announced its three choices Friday: Edward Chávez, a former New Mexico Supreme Court justice who will chair the committee; Joaquin Sánchez, a teacher; and Robert Rhatigan, the state demographer.

Four state legislators — two from each major political party — announced their selections between Friday and Monday.

Sen. Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, chose Albuquerque attorney Lisa Curtis, a former state senator, while House Speaker Brian Egolf, D-Santa Fe, chose former state Sen. Michael Sanchez.

Sen. Greg Baca, R-Belen, chose Albuquerque attorney Christopher Saucedo, while Rep. Jim Townsend, R-Artesia, appointed Ryan Cangiolosi, who once served as deputy chief of staff for former Gov. Susana Martinez and later was chairman of the state Republican Party.

The committee must move quickly to use U.S. Census Bureau data to come up with three possible maps for congressional, legislative and Public Education Commission districts in a public process.

The census data is not expected to be released until late September, which creates a tight deadline for the committee.

The Legislature plans to convene a special session late in the year to adopt a final map.

"I have confidence we will pull it off," Chávez said Monday. "It's doable as long as we get notice out to the public. What's really key to me is we give the public a full and fair opportunity to participate in this process."

He said even before the committee officially begins its work, it has to set up a website and schedule public meetings with the required 30-day notice.

Joaquin Sánchez, a math teacher at South Valley Academy in Albuquerque, said he thinks most people "don't understand this is gonna have a big impact."

He said often the first question people ask about redistricting is how to make sure it is fair to both major political parties.

"I think that has to be the last question asked," he said. "The first question has to be, 'How do you make it fair for communities and grow democracy?' That has to be the primary question."

It's unclear how many people in total submitted letters of interest to serve on the committee. The State Ethics Commission listed 69 applicants on its website.

Daniel Marzec, a spokesman for Egolf, said 24 names were submitted to the speaker.

Michael Sanchez, who served in the Senate when the state last went through a redistricting process, said he did not apply for the job but was approached by Egolf to join the committee.

Chris Nordstrum, a spokesman for Senate Democrats, said Stewart received eight to 10 emails of interest.

Joaquin Romero, a spokesman for state Senate Republicans, said Baca received 12 official inquiries, two of which were ineligible under the membership criteria.

Senate Bill 304, the legislation creating the redistricting committee, includes specific guidelines to follow when choosing a committee member.

It prohibits the appointment of anyone who serves in public office or has served in the past two years. Lobbyists are not eligible. Other provisions prohibit family members of state officials and government employees.