In what looks to be the most geographically bizarre result of the current legislative redistricting process, state Sen. Jeff Piccola would trade in the city of Harrisburg for rural and suburban swaths of Perry, Cumberland and Adams counties.

The resulting proposed layout of the 15th Senatorial District resembles an East-West horseshoe that Senate Democrats argued should get Piccola -- who survived a close-call re-election in 2008 -- the gerrymander-of-the-year prize.

The Senate portion of the Preliminary Plan adopted today by the Legislative Reapportionment Commission (Piccola is No. 15, Sen. Pat Vance No. 31, Sen. Mike Folmer No. 48):

"This is clear and unequivocal gerrymandering for the benefit of preserving the seat of a Republican incumbent that was hotly contested last time and would likely be hotly contested again ... and to maintain and preserve the Republican majority," said Sen. Jay Costa, D-Allegheny, the Democrat floor leader.

Piccola, who spearheaded legislative efforts to increase state control of Harrisburg's recovery from near-bankruptcy this year and faces re-election next year, has a long-established love-hate relationship with city voters.

He was beaten by Hirsh in all city precincts in 2008, so the omission of heavilyDemocrat Harrisburg clearly seems to make the 15th safer for Republican candidates on its face.

But Piccola stated in an interview at his Capitol office this afternoon that he made no requests regarding the reshaping of his district this year, He also said he did not see this plan, adopted as a preliminary map this afternoon, until today.

"I made no requests (about the new shape of the 15th) before I got shown various options, and I made no requests after I got shown various options," Piccola said. "I didn't have a particular agenda that I was advancing."

The state maps adopted today are preliminary at this point. Voters now have 30 days to review the proposed maps and provide public comment or register objections with the Legislative Reapportonment Commission.