Lawmakers OK Oakland County district bill

LANSING (AP) -- A bill that would reduce the number of Oakland County commissioners and give power to Republicans to redraw district boundaries in the southeast Michigan county has passed the GOP-led state Legislature. Final legislative approval came Wednesday with a 20-17 vote in the Republican-led Senate. The measure advances to Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, and Democrats are asking him to veto the bill. Democrats say the bill is a blatant, partisan power grab by Republicans upset that they had lost some power over the redistricting process in the populous suburban Detroit county. The bill would limit the number of Oakland County commissioners to 21. There now are 25. Boundary lines for seats could be redrawn by the Republican-led commission rather than a bipartisan panel of other county officials. Published: Fri, Dec 16, 2011