Commissioner Cantrell District 2

I want it to be clear that from the beginning of the redistricting process, my goal was to preserve two Republican seats on the Commissioners Court in Dallas County, and I have been consistent and the only one on the Court that has voted that way.

After a closed session meeting on May 3, 2011, staff and our legal counsel were directed to present Map A for public hearing purposes. I did not support this map, but instead it was supported by the Democrat Commissioners and Commissioner Maurine Dickey; Judge Jenkins was absent this day.

It needs to be noted that it was understood by the Court that by voting for Map A, it effectively did away with a Republican seat that could have remained a marginal Republican district for the next two cycles and ultimately, it created a secure minority opportunity district. As a matter of fact, my home and my district office were placed into District 1 on Map A, resulting in both being located outside of a district that I was elected to represent through 2013.

In our first public hearing, a recorded vote of 4-1 was taken on Map A and I continued to oppose this map due to the aforementioned reasons; nevertheless, Commissioner Dickey and the other Democrat Commissioners supported carving my district into a minority opportunity district. I found myself, once again, the lone vote that supported preserving two Republican districts.

During this process of redistricting, and as quoted in a Dallas Morning News Article published on April 15th, Commissioner Dickey announced that she would not seek another term, which is something that no Republican should announce during the redistricting process, especially considering that there is a majority of Democrats on the court. In addition to that, Commissioner Dickey also advised two court members that she did not mind if they put her home precinct (Oak Lawn) into the new minority opportunity district (which was District 2 on Map A).

On Tuesday, June 7th, the day of the vote for redistricting, Commissioner Price presented a substitute version that was basically the same as Map A, however it showed the Oak Lawn precincts being included into the new minority opportunity district and the numbers District 1 and District 2 swapped. This change had the effect of allowing the new minority opportunity district to vote this election cycle to add another Democrat to the Commissioners Court even sooner.

Commissioner Dickey became very upset and stated while pointing at the new District 2 area that it was the district that was “given” to her (apparently through some agreement). She was not upset because the Republicans lost a seat, she was upset because the Democrats on the Court did not honor the deal she thought she had.

Instead of staying and voting against the map with me, Commissioner Dickey left the Court leaving me as the only “no” vote on this proposed substitute map.

Recently, Commissioner Dickey sent out a statement labeling me as Mike “The Team Player” Cantrell and implying that I was a part of this, when in fact she is the one that voted and made agreements with the Democrats and she was perfectly fine with what was being done to me, my district, my constituents, and the Republican Party. However, when the Democrats flipped on her, all of the sudden she was now the one who was being wronged.

I am the only Republican who voted against each map based on it reducing the number of Republicans on the court, maps that ultimately gave the Democrats on the Court the chance to create another minority opportunity district. At no point did Commissioner Dickey vote against either map. Had she done so initially, the outcome could have been different.

Now that the decision about the new district lines has been made, it is time to focus on our future. I am honored and very excited about the opportunity to work with the cities of Addison, Highland Park, University Park, Farmers Branch, Coppell, and Richardson.

It goes without saying that I will continue to work diligently with the cities of Dallas, Garland, Rowlett and Sachse who will remain in my District.

Sincerely,

Mike Cantrell

2011 DALLAS COUNTY COMMISSIONERS REDISTRICTING

The Democrat Commissioners and Commissioner Maurine Dickey voted to use this map as a starting point for public hearings. That decision meant there would only be one Republican district remaining after the final decision was made. “MAP A”	On June 7th, Commissioner Price presented this map as a substitute for consideration. This map placed Commissioner Dickey’s home in the orange shaded area along with the Oak Lawn precincts. It also switched Districts 1 and 2 with each other. “FINAL MAP”

This map shows the approved Commissioner districts shaded in color, and the old Commissioner districts outlined in blue. Every new district will effectively have citizens who are represented by a Commissioner they did not elect, until the next election cycle.