Category: News || By Jason Togyer

* -- This story was edited after publication. See the footnote.

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A new map of state senate districts could eliminate the seat currently held by McKeesport's Jim Brewster.

Under a plan being backed by state Republican leaders, Brewster's 45th Senatorial District seat would be moved to Monroe County, in the eastern part of Pennsylvania.

Most Mon Valley residents currently represented by Brewster would instead be represented by state Sen. Tim Solobay, a Democrat from Canonsburg, Washington County. Residents of Dravosburg and Duquesne would be moved into the 43rd Senatorial District, currently represented by Jay Costa, a Democrat from Forest Hills.*

The northern part of the 45th district would be moved into the district represented by state Sen. Jim Ferlo, a Democrat from Pittsburgh's Lawrenceville neighborhood.

The map was approved yesterday along party lines by the state Legislative Reapportionment Commission, a five-member panel comprised of three Republicans and two Democrats. Since last year's election, Republicans control both houses of the state General Assembly as well as the governor's mansion.

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New legislative maps must be drawn every 10 years, following a U.S. Census. The Pittsburgh area was expected to suffer in this redistricting because of population losses in the western half of the state.

Brewster could not be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon. But Costa called the redistricting a "textbook" example of gerrymandered districts --- like "something you would find right out of a Civics 101 textbook."

"The redistricting proposal which I voted against today was drafted entirely for Republican advantage," said Costa, a member of the commission and the Democratic leader in the state Senate. Along with state Rep. Frank Dermody, an Oakmont Democrat, Costa cast one of the two "no" votes against the proposal.

"The map is a sad display of insider politics and self-interest, plain and simple," he said. "A process designed to improve representation has turned into a purely partisan exercise."

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Costa complained that Democratic committee members were shown the map on which they would be voting "just minutes before the meeting."

"There is no transparency," Costa said. "There is no attempt to govern openly. It is precisely why people are fed up with the political process ... it is partisan politics at its worst."

There will be a 30-day comment period before the map is formally adopted by the state General Assembly.

A similar redistricting process is redrawing the state's House districts, which threatens another local legislator --- state Rep. Chelsa Wagner, Democrat of Pittsburgh's Beechview neighborhood. Under the redistricting plan, her district --- like Brewster's --- would move to the eastern part of the state.

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McKeesport would move into Solobay's district under the plan. Solobay, a former state representative, was elected to the state Senate in 2010, succeeding J. Barry Stout of Bentleyville. His seat doesn't come up for re-election until 2014.

Brewster, former mayor of McKeesport, was elected last year to fill the remaining two years of former state Sen. Sean Logan's term.

Brewster would not be the first McKeesport legislator whose seat was eliminated by redistricting. In 1991 --- after similar population losses in the Mon Valley --- state Rep. Emil Mrkonic's seat was eliminated. The eight-term state representative was supposedly targeted because he had voted against a state tax increase. Also eliminated that year was a seat held by former state Sen. Frank Pecora of Penn Hills.

* Added Nov. 3.