Sen. Smith, Supervisor Martyn discuss redistricting, border fence

Republicans State Sen. Steve Smith and Pinal County District 2 Supervisor Bryan Martyn met with about 25 Maricopa Tea Party members last Thursday at Maricopa Community Church to discuss current political issues.

Organizer Irene Littleton said the group is nonpartisan and she would be inviting both Democratic and Republican speakers to future events. The next one is scheduled Sept. 1.

Martyn lives in Gold Canyon and serves as member of the Government Relations Committee of both the Pinal Partnership and the East Valley Partnership.

He said forming new legislative maps for Pinal County as it expands from three supervisors to five will be cumbersome. County staff and a consulting firm have been going over the new districts to meet the U.S. Department of Justice requirements, which Martyn said would create Democratic majorities.

“They all meet DOJ criteria, but not common-sense criteria,” said Martyn, whose district includes Florence, Queen Creek and Apache Junction.

The other supervisors, Pete Rios and David Snider, who represents Maricopa, are both Democrats.

Martyn said trying to get past the “33,000 lawyers” at the Justice Department is difficult and he is concerned the city of Casa Grande would still be split across two districts.

Martyn expects the maps to be ready in mid-August for public review and anticipates some people will be frustrated by what they see. After a round of public hearings, Martyn expects the maps will be tweaked before the districts are officially drawn.

Despite political differences, Martyn said it was important to maintain a professional relationship with both Snider and Rios “to agree to disagree.” He said personal attacks were not conducive to getting things accomplished.

Smith also addressed redistricting, but on a state level. The board is obligated by Proposition 106 to have one Independent, two Republicans and two Democrats to ensure fairness and competitive balance. Smith, however, indicated the Independent on the board had Democratic leanings.

Smith also gave an update on his legislation to build a border fence. He estimates $200,000 in donations from across the country have come in since www.BuildTheBorderFence.com went live two weeks ago. 

He is contacting other state legislatures asking for donations of $1 million dollars. He called the border America’s problem, not just Arizona’s. Smith criticized the Obama administration for its lack of effort in addressing illegal immigration. According to Smith, Obama claims the “fence is basically done.”