Proposed Districts: Capital Senatorial District excludes capital

If the legislative district lines drawn by the Special Masters are adopted, what is now called the Capital Senatorial District will no longer include the capital.

The south Washoe County district currently held by Ben Kieckhefer now reaches just into the northern boundary of Carson City, capturing the homes and businesses to a point just south of the airport.

The newly released maps filed with Carson District Court Friday expand Kieckhefer's district to encompass all of Carson City to the Douglas County border - territory that is now part of James Settelmeyer's Capital Senatorial District.

Carson City voters would be represented by Kieckhefer instead of Settelmeyer.

Philosophically, that probably doesn't change much. Both are conservative Republicans.

Kieckhefer said no one yet knows what the Supreme Court will do and whether these maps will become the law but that the district as drawn "would be a good fit for me."

"I represent a part of Carson City now," he said. "Under this proposal I would take all of it. If that ends up being my district, I'm sure I can represent it well."

He pointed out he is a former state employee and very familiar with the needs of the capital's residents.

But Kieckhefer said he can't speak for the other Republican incumbents who may have objections to their new districts.

Settelmeyer could not be reached for comment Saturday.

Nested within Kieckhefer's district are the Assembly districts now held by Pete Livermore and Randy Kirner.

Settelmeyer's district becomes Douglas, Storey, Churchill and Lyon counties. And nested within his area are the Assembly seats now held by Tom Grady and Kelly Kite.

All of those listed are Republicans.

With those boundaries, Kieckhefer's district contains just 108 people less than the ideal population of 128,598. Settelmeyer's district would include 734 people less than the ideal number but that's still less than two-thirds of a percent off, well within guidelines set by District Judge Todd Russell.

The Senate districts currently held by Don Gustavson, Settelmeyer and Dean Rhoads all expand to eliminate Mike McGinness's district - part of the shift needed to move more legislative seats to Clark County which now has 72 percent of the state's population.

In addition, Bill Raggio's old Reno seat is swallowed by expansions of the existing Reno Senators' districts, completing that adjustment.

The new lines have two incumbents in three Assembly and one Senate district. But in all but one case, one of the incumbents is "termed out" by the 12 year term limits amendment.

The exception is Clark Assembly District 10 in central and south Las Vegas where Democrats Joe Hogan and Tick Segerblom both live. Both can run again but there shouldn't be a conflict since Segerblom is planning to run for the Senate seat being vacated by Valerie Wiener, also a Democrat.