Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on Thursday launched a bipartisan panel to recommend a new process for drawing the boundaries of the state’s eight congressional seats and 47 legislative districts. He wants to strip control of the process from elected leaders and put it in the hands of independent commission, as several other states have done in recent years.
Hogan, a Republican, named seven people to the panel and asked the majority and minority leaders of the state House and Senate to each appoint one more. Here is a list of Hogan’s appointees:
Co-chair Alexander Williams Jr.: A retired judge for the U.S. District Court of Maryland — nominated by President Clinton — and former elected state’s attorney for Prince George’s County.
Co-chair Walter Olson: A Frederick County resident and senior fellow with the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank. He has authored four books on law, government and public policy.
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Michael J. Goff: The president and CEO of the Northeast-Midwest Institute, a liberal-leaning think tank, and an adjunct political-science professor at George Washington University. He serves on the board of directors of Common Cause Maryland, one of the advocacy groups pushing for the state to give redistricting control to an independent citizen panel.
Tessa Hill-Aston: President of the Baltimore NAACP and an activist for more than 25 years, focusing on social change and equality.
Ashley Oleson: An administrator for the League of Women Voters of Maryland, another leading advocate of redistricting reform pushing for the state to create an independent panel to control the process.
Carol Ramirez: A business owner, banker and 25-year resident of Bethesda who regularly volunteers with community, school and church organizations.
Christopher B. Summers: Founder and president of the Maryland Public Policy Institute, a conservative-leaning think tank. He is a Baltimore native and veteran of the Armed Forces.
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