would be justified . But I treated all those people fairly .”
Rhode Island politicos love to tell this story . Of course , there ’ s the charming alliteration , but also the satisfying plot twists at the end . These decennial sagas have enough ambition , revenge and rebellion for at least one season of “ Game of Thrones .”
“ Redistricting is always a blood sport — more exciting than the Olympics , but you have to wait ten years for it ,” says Steven Brown , executive director of the Rhode Island American Civil Liberties Union ( ACLU ).
Once again , that time is upon us . In mid-August , one day before the Census released its most current population counts , General Assembly leaders announced the eighteen-member commission . Two-thirds are legislators and , of the six members of the public , two are former legislators . Stephen Ucci represented voters in Cranston and Johnston for sixteen years and co-chaired the last redistricting commission . Democrat Harold Metts served a combined thirty years in the House and Senate . Metts was also the lead plaintiff in a 2002 redistricting lawsuit that led to the creation of the Senate District 6 , which he held until he was defeated in the 2020 primary by Tiara Mack .
“ The General Assembly chose to run the same play that it ’ s run for the last thirty years , which is to create a commission that they control completely — whether by putting members of the assembly or putting public members who are really partisans ,” says John Marion , executive director of Common Cause Rhode Island . “ It ’ s a remarkable thing ; for six public seats , they managed to find two legislators who haven ’ t been out of office for a year . The current maps reflect decades and decades of gerrymanders that were created to settle political scores in the state house .”
Metts says he is no threat to any legislator ; he ’ s advocated for the Black community for thirty years in many capacities unrelated to politics .
“ I respectfully disagree with their assessment . I want to make sure that we have some community representation on the issues important to us ,” he says . “ They don ’ t take you seriously unless you have a seat at the table .” >>
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RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY l NOVEMBER 2021 29