Huberty regains Crosby in latest Redistricting map

By LEWIS SPEARMAN

CROSBY-HUFFMAN – Redistricting has again caught the eye of the public as a judge in San Antonio redrew the lines for Harris County Precincts and State Representatives.

District boundaries are redrawn every 10 years to reflect changes in the census, the legal challenge is from the 1965 Voter’s Rights Act, the act holds that certain states, those held to have been discriminatory, be further pressed and be reviewed into “pre-clearance” before voting can be enacted.

Before the Representatives performed this Redistricting for the State House, Dan Huberty basically had from Atascocita to the County Line and South to Highlands at Interstate 10. After redistricting, the lawmakers had determined that Huberty had to lose some voters in the East and District 128, Wayne Smith, R. Baytown got Crosby and the Eastern half of Highlands. Now the current ruling is that Huberty gets part of Humble, where he was President of the school board for a time, the Northern portion of Atascocita above F.M. 1960 and keeps Crosby down to F.M. 1942 with the exception of Barrett Station.

Barrett Station and the West of F.M. 2100 in Highlands goes to District 143 or Ana Hernandez Luna. Luna was elected in 2005 and her district contains the Port of Houston and runs in a thin area almost to U.S. 59 at I-10. A line also extend her into McNair. Smith while keeping all of Highlands East to the County line is being redrawn South down Highway 146 and will each as far West as Beltway 8’s South side.

When asked to make a statement about keeping Crosby Huberty said, “Late last week, the San Antonio Federal Court issued a proposed redistricting map to use during the interim. This map was issued because the one enacted by the Legislature was challenged. The new map shows the precincts that make up Crosby inside of District 127, meaning I will continue to represent the residents of Crosby. However, this is not a final map. I was excited to learn this because, as many of you know, I consider Crosby to be one of the main communities of interest for District 127. It may not hold the largest population in my district, but as the representatives who have served in this seat before me can also tell you, Crosby is a vital part of this community. The small town feel and rural backdrop of Crosby make it one of the most unique places in Harris County. It has such a sense of community and I am hopeful that I will again have the opportunity to serve the residents of this area. My office will continue to keep you updated on any new information that may come in regarding the maps. But it is our hope that we will continue to represent Crosby after the new district lines are finalized later this month.”

Excuse the brevity here of the redrawing of Harris County Precincts. The case brought to Court as unfair to make a Hispanic Opportunity District resulted in the realization that Precinct 2 shrank in size but picked up slightly more of the concentrated populations toward the center of Houston. All of East Harris County is still Commissioner Mormon’s Precinct 2.