House Republicans unhappy with reapportionment vote

The Government Operations Committee of the Vermont House of Representatives has been working on the reapportionment bill in a non-partisan manner since last fall. Late last week committee Democrats voted through a bill that would reduce GOP numbers in the House as currently constituted.
House Republicans voted "no" on the reapportionment bill in committee Friday afternoon, and House GOP Leader Don Turner issued the following statement:
"Our goal for reapportionment was to ensure that all Vermonters received fair representation in the House for the next decade.
"We approached this process knowing that it could become partisan at any given time. Unfortunately, this is exactly what occurred when House Assistant Majority Leader Willem Jewett proposed a plan yesterday that divided the Town of Castleton in half and will put three long time Republican legislators in the same two seat district.
"Our committee members Rep. Devereaux, Rep. Higley, and Rep. Hubert worked tirelessly on developing an alternative plan to accomplish the same objective in Rutland County, an area that saw a decrease in population according to the census.
"The committee received numerous messages expressing concern from the Castleton area prior to the vote, but the super majority was unwilling to negotiate an amicable resolution that would have worked for all. They chose instead to flex their muscle and divide a community in an ongoing quest to gain more seats in the 2012 election.
"Vermonters deserve to be represented in a fair manner. That's why House Republicans fought to preserve their rights.
"It is unfortunate that the super majority refuses to work in a collaborative manner for the betterment of the state. Single party rule does not produce the best legislation, is not good government and is bad for Vermont!"