Anyone notice a whiff of fresh air wafting through Arizona?

by David Safier

No, I'm not talking about the storm breezes blowing. I'm talking about the action taken today by the screening panel which nominates people to the Independent Redistricting Commission.

They refused to knuckle under to Adams and Pearce.

Rejecting Republican legislative leaders, a special screening panel refused today to strip three people from their list of nominees to the Independent Redistricting Commission.

And how about this from Dewey Schade, a member of the nominating committee:

"It seems to me that if we respond to these shenanigans that have gone on, that is what undermines the public confidence," Schade said.

"Shenanigans." "Undermines the public confidence." Perfect.

There is speculation Adams and Pearce may file a lawsuit. So this thing may not be over. (If there's a lawsuit, expect to see the Goldwater Institute involved.)

NOTE: This is another Howie Fischer article on the subject, and once again, there is not a Democratic voice to be heard anywhere. But just this once, I'm feeling in a forgiving mood, if for no other reason than Fischer's final line. I hope Pearce reads that far. And I hope there's someone around to take his blood pressure.

Here's the setup. Since only one of the Republican nominees isn't from Maricopa, and only one Republican pick can be from Maricopa, it looks like Pima County's own Benny White will be on the commission. However, Fischer says it doesn't have to be that way.

Technically speaking, Pearce would not be limited to choosing White. He could select a Democrat or an independent.

UPDATE: Craig has a complete summary of the meeting at Random Musings. I was pleased to read that Republican members of the nominating committee were hard on Adams and Pearce, including this observation:

Jane Strain, a Republican from Cochise County, advised everyone present "I don't deal well with threats" in response to suggestions that failing to accede to Pearce's and Adams' demand would result in a lawsuit.

And I wasn't surprised that Dem. Chad Campbell had something to say, even though it must have been in a register Howie Fischer can't hear. He told the committee they should ignore what any public official has to say — including him. And . . .

After the meeting, Rep. Campbell summed it up best when he said simply that "[t]he voters of the state won today."