When it was announced that both the Senate and the House committees on reapportionment would be chaired by folks from North Louisiana, people among the region rejoiced.

Now that the process has be­gun, however, many have stifled that positive energy and watched nervously at what Rep. Rick Gallot of Ruston will try to do to the re­gion’s Congressional seats.

As it stands now, North La. is split into two districts, with Mon­roe and Alexandria being in a dis­trict while Shreveport and Natchi­toches anchor the other.

All three proposals from Gallot, who chairs the House committee on reapportionment, aim to create an “I-20 district” that stretches the length of the state.

The problem is that this will es­sentially eliminate a North La. voice in Congress and give it in­stead to someone from Central or South Central La.

Would a candidate from parish­es like Jackson or Caldwell have a chance when matched against po­tential candidates from places like Beauregard, St. Landry or either of the Felicianas?

If the state’s history or North vs. South plays out, the answer is “no,” and the seat will fall into the hands of the southern delegation.

Why would Gallot, a represen­tative of Ruston, introduce a plan that would seemingly give up a voice of his region in Congress?

The answer could only be that he has his own interests, not his region’s interests, at heart.

Gallot’s proposed “I-20 district” would include Shreveport, most of Monroe, and most of the predom­inantly African-American parish­es in the extreme northeast part of the state, while excluding West Monroe.

These demographics could make for a very friendly vot­ing base for Gallot, who is both a Democrat and an African-Amer­ican, should he run for Congress himself, an idea he has flirted with in the past.

The “I-20 district” would also remove current congressman Rodney Alexander from the dis­trict, as Alexander’s home in Jack­son Parish would fall below the district line.

If Gallot’s plan passes, Alexan­der would be at the mercy of South La. voters.

His bases of Ruston and Mon­roe would no longer be in Alexan­der’s constituency.

As mentioned earlier, Alexan­der would have a tough challenge if he is to keep his seat in Washing­ton.

Still, hope remains for the North. State Sen. Bob Kostelka chairs the Senate committee on reapportionment and has vocal­ized his support for maintaining two North La. districts.

Governor Bobby Jindal has also said he would like to see North La. remain in two districts.

So, as the drama in Baton Rouge continues to play out, voters in North La. will continue to ner­vously watch and see if native-son Gallot ultimately decides who to put first: his home or himself.