The Pennsylvania Supreme Court's ruling this week upholding a revised legislative redistricting plan will mean changes effective with the 2014 election for some municipalities in Northumberland County.
The approved plan keeps the Shamokin-Mount Carmel area in the 107th House district, where it has been for almost four decades. However, Shamokin Township, which was previously in the 108th district, will now be moved to the 107th, as will Jordan, Upper Mahanoy and Washington townships in Northumberland County and Locust Township in Columbia County. Kurt Masser, who is serving his second two-year term, now represents the 107th district in the state House of Representatives.
Effective with the 2014 election, the revised 107th district includes: All of Montour County; part of Columbia County, including Cleveland, Conyngham, Franklin and Locust townships, Centralia Borough and the part of Ashland that is located in Columbia County; and part of Northumberland County, including the city of Shamokin, the boroughs of Kulpmont, Marion Heights and Mount Carmel, and the townships of Coal, East Cameron, Jordan, Mount Carmel, Ralpho, Shamokin, Upper Mahanoy, Washington, West Cameron and Zerbe.
The revised 108th district, now represented by Lynda Schlegel Culver, will consist of the remainder of Northumberland County, including the city of Sunbury, the boroughs of Herndon, McEwensville, Milton, Northumberland, Riverside, Snydertown, Turbotville and Watsontown and the townships of Delaware, East Chillisquaque, Jackson, Lewis, Little Mahanoy, Lower Augusta, Lower Mahanoy, Point, Rockefeller, Rush, Turbot, Upper Augusta and West Chillisquaque. Also included in the 108th will be six municipalities in Snyder County, including Freeburg and Shamokin Dam boroughs and Chapman, Monroe, Union and Washington townships.
All of Northumberland will remain in the 27th Senatorial District, which is now represented by John Gordner. The 27th will also include all of Columbia, Montour and Snyder counties and part of Luzerne County.
Legislative districts are redrawn every 10 years to reflect the latest U.S. Census figures. Each House and Senate district must contain roughly the same population, within a 4 percent variation. An earlier legislative redistricting plan was rejected by the state Supreme Court in 2012.