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legislative battles over abortion or public smoking or taxes, the outcome will help shape Virginia’s political realities until after the turn of a new century.
Ten years ago Fauquier County, in for reasons of expediency, was divided up to become part of three House of Delegates districts. That wasn’t done to punish the county for any transgressions, but simply to help accomodate the one-man, onevote edict.
Some argued that Fauquier was being done a favor since it would have three House members looking out for its interests. But irate Fauquier citizens complained, and continue to do so, that in all three cases they were but a small part of the three separate districts and something of a stepchild in each. They would have vastly preferred a single representative who could be held much more accountable to county officials and voters.
Similar cries of outrage will probably be heard once the redistricting dust settles the next time aro»nd. Meanwhile, those 35 increasingly popular P&E members, faced with a demanding task, will find themselves the targets of countless invitations to sit down with colleagues and others to talk about who should get the gold mines and who should get the shafts.
John Goolrick, a former political reporter, is now an aide to Seventh District Congressman D. French Slaughter. Opinions expressed are his own.
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