Letter to the editor: Nordenberg will ensure redistricting is fair, equitable

Your editorial “Census numbers chance for fair redistricting” (Aug. 15, TribLIVE) was right on target in every category of logic you used to make the point that if ever necessity for equity and fairness in a critical process needed to be paramount, it is in redistricting voting districts.

Pennsylvania has been victimized by both parties and, depending which party held the critical majorities, the result was gerrymandered districts where neither fairness nor equity was in any way apparent in the process. Even when the courts got involved in the process, the heavy hand of one jurist or another was evident.

This time, however, the commonwealth and its citizens can be relatively certain that the redistricting process will be about as fair and equitable as possible because the redistricting commission chair is former Pitt Chancellor Mark Nordenberg. He’s one person whose ethics, intellectual capacity and ability are generally unquestioned. He is also generally characterized as being unchallenged in his success in resolving critical, controversial issues — fairly! There may be some who might disagree with my conclusion and that of the Trib’s, but they would be a damn small group.

Finally, one thing is for certain: If the hierarchy of either the Pennsylvania Senate or the House think they can either outsmart him or schmooze him into generating anything but a fair result for the constituents of the commonwealth, best they think again. We all win with this choice.

Gerald R. Shuster

Kittanning

The writer teaches political communication analysis and presidential rhetoric in the University of Pittsburgh's communication department.