House Minority Leader Larry Cafero, R-Norwalk, is plotting strategy for the testimony being prepared for an imminent, but as yet unschdeuled hearing before the state Supreme Court on the new congressional map. Cafero and other GOP leaders are not happy that the Columbia University professor named as “special master” following the failure of the Reapportionment Commission essentially approved the Democratic status-quo map, with just a couple tweaks, including putting a small portion of Shelton back into the 4th Congressional District.
“The precedent is unbelievable,” Cafero said in a phone interview Monday. “If you currently like the situation because it favors you, every 10 years your excuse is not to negotiate.” He said that the Supreme Court’s order to do minimal changes pretty much sealed the deal from the start that there would be little change among the current five congressional districts. “This almost guarantees that the Supreme Court will have this in their lap every 10 years,” because it will pay to keep the commission stalemated. He said that coincidentally, while Republicans were the subject of some speculation that holding out and thrusting the map into the courts was a solid strategy, it was the Democrats who actually did it and won. “It was the Democrats who had no motivation to settle.” Cafero said, adding that he hadn’t yet heard when the Court might schedule a hearing, but it will most likely be within the next two or three weeks, prior to their mid-February deadline to make the map official.