It is sad that bipartisanship has become so scarce that it earns its practitioners an award. But that’s where we are.

And today, the City Club of Boise will honor six Idahoans who reworked Idaho’s political map — and in the process, put bipartisanship back on the map.

The six group members faced a grim task when they were appointed in September. They took over from redistricting commissioners who ended their three-month tenure deadlocked along party lines.

The second panel put a map together by October, passing it on a 6-0 vote. And when this plan was rejected by the Idaho Supreme Court, the group went back to work and agreed unanimously on a reworked map that will govern Idaho elections for the next decade.

Since its inception in 1995, Boise’s City Club has espoused the value of constructive dialogue and civic engagement. It’s fitting that the group is honoring six people — Ron Beitelspacher, Dolores Crow, Shauneen Grange, Randy Hansen, Elmer Martinez and Sheila Olsen — who put those principles to work.

“Our View” is the editorial position of the Idaho Statesman. It is an unsigned opinion expressing the consensus of the Statesman’s editorial board.