From Central Oregon Daily

BEND, Ore. — The newly-drawn map to divide Deschutes County into five districts to elect its expanding board of commissioners has become a divisive issue. So much so that the current board of three commissioners plans to schedule a hearing to get feedback from the public.

The map was formally presented to the board Wednesday and dozens of people packed the meeting with signs to protest the map entirely. Even members of the committee that created the map were split on the final product. This led commissioners to give the public another chance to voice their opinion.

“There’s a lot of misinformation out in the public, so having a public hearing, I think, would be very appropriate,” Deschutes County Commissioner Patti Adair said. A date for that hearing has not been set.

The District Mapping Advisory Committee (DMAC) which created the map used voter registration data to balance populations in the districts. The DMAC was required to create contiguous districts, keep precincts intact, retain communities of interest and prevent any district helping or hurting any political party.

The districts break down like this:

  • Sisters, areas north, east and west of Bend and north, south and west of Redmond
  • Mostly east of Highway 97 in Bend
  • Most of southern and eastern Deschutes County, including La Pine
  • Mostly west of Highway 97 in Bend
  • Redmond and some areas to the east

“You get the people that can be specialized and responsive to their areas,” DMAC member Phil Henderson said. “I think that’s a good thing for all of us. I feel more represented if I have that.”

However, more than 100 citizens submitted comments opposing the map. Some DMAC members agreed.

“The vast majority of those [comments] are against the drawing of districts and prefer the county commissioners to remain at-large,” DMAC member Carol Loesche said. “I happen to agree with them. I care about each community and believe that you do too. Having districts divides us, not unites us.”

During the meeting, dozens protested with signs against what they called a “rigged” map.

“Two members of the commission set up a process and handcuffed the committee and set in motion what is a fundamentally gerrymandered map, Map C, as the only option here,” Sisters Resident Mark Kelley said. “By doing that, they took away the choice of the people.”

Kelley and 50 others signed a letter to the commissioners saying the map is inherently partisan. But the DMAC members say they didn’t use party affiliation at all.

“There was no gerrymandering. We didn’t even consider the [party affiliation] data,” DMAC Member Ned Dempsey said. “We considered a lot of data, but not that particular set. Map C is the best for the county.”

If commissioners approve the map, it will go before voters in May 2026. If the map is shot down, by either the commissioners or voters, commissioners will be vote in at-large as they are now.

There are four seats for the new board up for election in 2026. They will be voted in at-large. If the district map is approved, it will take effect for the 2028 election.