By By Fredie Carmichael/The Meridian Star
Nov. 20, 2001
Lauderdale County supervisors hired Jackson attorney Collier Graham on Monday night to help them redraw their five supervisor districts for the 2003 county elections.
County leaders said they should be finished drawing new supervisor districts by March or April. Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors' attorney Rick Barry said that Graham can help speed the process.
All counties must redraw their supervisor districts every 10 years. The goal: keep roughly the same amount of residents in each district and reflect recent population changes and shifts indicated by the 2000 federal census.
The county action comes less than a month after state legislators met and failed in a special legislative session to redraw congressional districts for the November 2002 federal elections.
State legislators are expected to begin redrawing their own House and Senate districts next spring. Lawmakers will run in their new districts in the 2003 statewide elections.
Lauderdale County supervisors voted 5-0 to hire Graham. Because the county will pay Graham by the hour, they won't pay him anything until his services are used.
District 5 Supervisor Ray Boswell, whose district has more residents than any other supervisor district, said he reluctantly voted yes.
District 1 Supervisor Hank Florey asked Barry if it was possible supervisors won't need to use Graham at all.
Fredie Carmichael is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. Call him at 693-1551, ext. 3228, or e-mail him at fcarmichael@themeridianstar.com.