All politics is local, said Tip O’Neill, the late former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
So it was no surprise Monday when a vote on forming Jefferson County’s new commissioner districts fell along Republican party member lines.
The remapping carves out a new District 2 out of the Tri-Area, Cape George and Kala Point.
That irked Port Townsend Democrat Richard Wojt, who had argued strongly for another option that would have established a new District 3 encompassing the three communities.
The district he proposed would have had no incumbent — partly because Wojt doesn’t plan to run for another term, but mostly because he doesn’t live in the proposed district.
Port Townsend Republican Dan Titterness argued that the first option would best meet the redistricting criteria.
In that scenario, Commissioner Glen Huntingford, R-Chimacum, would represent the new District 2 spanning the area of Cape George to Kala Point and Tri-Area. That would leave the open District 3 seat covering Port Ludlow, Quilcene and Brinnon.
“Option 1 benefits the Republicans — pure and simple,” Wojt said, citing a Washington state law barring redistricting from favoring one political party over another.
“Neither option provides a political advantage,” Titterness retorted.
