BREWER: REDISTRICTING FIGHT'S NOT OVER

posted by Michael Chihak

Gov. Jan Brewer is still bristling over the Arizona Supreme Court's rejection of her attempt to remove Colleen Mathis as chair of the Independent Redistricting Commission.

Brewer said in an Arizona Week interview that she was "a little bit, to say the least, disappointed, maybe outraged" that the Supreme Court ruled against her and the Senate's Republican majority. All 21 GOP senators voted for Mathis' removal.

Brewer said the court's action is a denial of the check-and-balance system built into all facets of government, including the redistricting commission.

"I would not be surprised if we didn' see legislation to address that in the upcoming session," she said, adding that she favors legislative action of some sort to change the process.

Asked if she and other Republicans had created a perception that they didn't like competition in political races, based on their complaints that the commission was emphasizing competitiveness over other factors in drawing district lines, Brewer said:

"I don't think anybody likes competition, but we know that comes with the territory. That's what our primaries are all about, that's what the general election is all about -- competition."

At the same time, Brewer said, she stands by her claims that the commission under Mathis violated the state constitution and broke the state Open Meeting Law.

See Brewer's interview, including her complete comments on the redistricting fight, on Friday's Arizona Week, 8:30 p.m. MST on PBS-HD6.