The requirement was to divide Maine’s population evenly between the two congressional districts.

Having read the Doug Rooks column on congressional redistricting, “Another round of political theater,” Oct. 2, it’s apparent to me that Rooks is misinformed about how a resolution was ultimately achieved in the process. Having served on the Reapportionment Commission, I felt it would be a service to readers to set the record straight.

Rooks states, “Having been routed on all fronts, Republicans threw in the towel, presenting a map that Democrats found not unacceptable.” That is simply untrue.

The congressional redistricting map that was endorsed by the Legislature was one of the original Republican maps that was presented to Democrats on the commission.

Reaching consensus with our Democratic colleagues was not easy. We came up with numerous maps that met the strict guidelines established by the federal court panel that ordered Maine to redraw its congressional lines.

Among those guidelines was the requirement to divide the populations of Maine’s two congressional districts as evenly as possible. We managed to do this with several proposals, including the “east-west” map that was prepared to present to the Legislature, up until the point an agreement was reached on Sept. 26.

Rooks states that the map “would have moved 360,000 people across current district lines.” That conjures up images of people packing up their belongings and leaving their homes.

The reality of the situation is a line on a map is changing, meaning some people will end up voting in the 2nd Congressional District or vice-versa. That happens every 10 years when Maine, along with every other state, is required to change its district lines to reflect the latest U.S. Census figures.

Each time a map was presented to Democrats, they would raise objections. Republicans would present a new map that addressed the objections, and Democrats would move the goalposts by raising new objections.

Finally, on the evening before the special session, Republicans offered one of the original maps to Democrats once again. They accepted it with no change.

The new congressional district line is, indeed, quite similar to the existing one. The major changes include moving Waterville into the 1st Congressional District, where it was as recently as 2003, and moving some other Kennebec County communities into the 2nd District.

And the solution is a good one for the people of Maine.

In addition to meeting the guidelines established by the federal court, the map easily reached a two-thirds majority in the Legislature with a 140-3 vote in the House and a unanimous vote in the Senate.

Unfortunately, Rooks takes a very cynical view of the reapportionment process, suggesting political agendas were the driving force behind the solution. But I would point out that the work was completed by leaders on both sides of the aisle who serve at the pleasure of their constituents.

Both Republicans and Democrats on the Reapportionment Commission worked many hours to reach an agreement that was acceptable to almost everyone. Given the divisiveness that dominated much of the process, it was the best possible outcome for the people of Maine.

For all of the distaste for politicians in Washington these days, people can be proud of the achievements of this Legislature and governor.

Rep. Ken Fredette, R-Newport, was a member of the Congressional Reapportionment Commission.