Advocates ask lawmakers to slow down remap process
By PETER HANCOCK
Capitol News Illinois
phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com
SPRINGFIELD – Voting rights advocates and minority community members urged Illinois lawmakers on Thursday to take more time in redrawing legislative district maps so the general public can have more time to study whatever new maps will be proposed.
“We’re joining other advocates today in asking for more time to provide an efficient analysis of the 2020 census numbers, and to present a map to this committee and to the legislature that can be considered when making these adjustments,” said former state Sen. Miguel del Valle Jr., who is now with the Latino Policy Forum.
His comments came during a joint hearing in Chicago of the House and Senate Redistricting Committees just days ahead of a special session of the General Assembly on Tuesday, Aug. 31, to redraw state legislative district maps for a second time.
But Roberto Valdez, also of the Latino Policy Forum, urged lawmakers not to vote on any new maps before the general public has had a reasonable amount of time to review any new proposal.
“It would be ideal to have a minimum of 30 days, again, not only to conduct the analysis, produce a map, but also try to conduct discussion groups with our community-based organizations,” he said. “Ideally 30 days, we know that that’s maybe a stretch.”
Lawmakers approved new maps in May, and Gov. JB Pritzker signed those into law. But those maps were based on population estimates using five years’ worth of data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey because the release of official, neighborhood-level data from the 2020 U.S. Census was delayed by several months.
Those detailed numbers were finally released Aug. 12, and many analysts have said it shows the districts lawmakers approved in May were vastly unequal in population, thereby violating the U.S. Supreme Court’s “one person one vote” standard.
The state’s urban areas, and particularly Chicago and Cook County, gained more population than was originally estimated while rural areas and small towns in downstate Illinois lost more population than expected, according to staff testimony.
Kendall County, on the southwest edge of the Chicago metropolitan area, added more than 17,000 people since the 2010 census, or 15 percent, according to the data, making it the fastest-growing county in the state. Alexander County, which includes the town of Cairo at the southern tip of Illinois, lost 36.4 percent of its population, lowering it to just 5,240 people.
But while the Census Bureau has released detailed population figures, it still has not released detailed racial, ethnic and other demographic data that some advocates argued should be factored into the map-making process.
“The next level of demographics based on ethnicities has not been released and will be released soon,” said Dilara Sayeed, of the Illinois Muslim Civic Coalition. “We urge you to wait for that. If you choose not to wait for that, we urge you to continue to use community organizations like ours to provide you with more information so that you can be as accurate as possible.”
The mapmaking process that lawmakers have used is already the subject of two federal lawsuits being heard by a three-judge panel in Chicago. One, filed by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, or MALDEF, argues that the maps lawmakers passed in May dilute the voting power of the state’s Latino population. Another filed by Republican leaders in the General Assembly argues, among other things, that lawmakers failed to enact legal maps by the June 30 deadline set out in the Illinois Constitution and, therefore, should be thrown out and redrawn by a bipartisan legislative commission.
Republicans on the committees, meanwhile, alleged Thursday that Democrats who control the General Assembly have already started drawing new maps behind closed doors and that the public hearings now taking place are only for show.
“I literally witnessed with my own eyes a member of the General Assembly looking at the map, talking to staff about whether it was square enough or not, which is what I overheard,” said Rep. Tim Butler, a Springfield Republican. “There was many members of the majority in that room, looking at the maps. And I would ask you, the people who are going to testify today, have you been invited into those meetings so far to look at the maps? Are you having solid input on what these maps are going to be? No. They’re being drawn by the majority as we saw in the spring with partisan intent.”
Later, when asked what data was being used to draw the new maps, House committee chairwoman Lisa Hernandez, D-Cicero, said she didn’t know and that she hadn’t seen the maps that Butler was talking about. But she said Democrats were determined to draw new districts that would reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of Illinois.
Ami Gandhi of the Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, said there are still many communities of color in Illinois that remain apprehensive about the process.
“We’re hearing time and time again, even in today’s hearing, communities of color themselves, and ourselves, are saying loud and clear that we’re uncomfortable with this redistricting process, with this huge rush, with this lack of transparency, and people do not feel reassured that their rights are being respected,” she said.
Lawmakers have scheduled a series of public hearings in different parts of the state throughout the weekend, and Senate committee chair Omar Aquino, of Chicago, said another hearing will likely take place at the Statehouse in Springfield on Monday or Tuesday leading up to the special session.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government and distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Local News
Hunt man who tried to rob Chase Bank
Spread the love. FBI looking for tips from public . From staff reports FBI officials are appealing to the public for help in finding a man who attempted to rob a Southwest Side bank branch. The bandit tried to rob the Chase Bank branch at 5687 S. Archer (just west of Laramie) at about 11…
Chicago Red Stars and Bay FC to play at Wrigley Field
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Chicago Red Stars forward Ally Schlegel loves Wrigley Field. “I adored Wrigley the second I went to my first Cubs game,” Schlegel said. “I fell in love with it thinking it was the perfect sporting experience with how they built it up down there.” She will go from a…
Trinity Christian College names new hoops coaches
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Trinity Christian officials were busy on April 11 ushering in new eras for its basketball programs. Trolls Athletic Director Wendy Reid announced that Jordan Mast is taking over the men’s basketball program, while Jasmine Porter has been named women’s hoops coach. Mast comes to the school in Palos Heights…
Reavis baseball coach and Hall of Famer Don Erickson to retire after season
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent A deal is a deal. Longtime Reavis baseball coach Don Erickson has said he would retire after his son, Sam, graduates from high school, so he can watch Sam play in college. Erickson doesn’t get to many of his son’s high school games because Sam plays at Downers Grove…
Worth Library offers seeds for free
Spread the loveBy Kelly White A seed library collects and stores seeds and shares them with members of the community for free. Similar to a normal library, gardeners borrow seeds from the seed library at planting time. At the end of the growing seasons, they save seeds from the plants and return a portion of…
Paisans Pizza eyes May opening in Oak Lawn
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle Paisans Pizzeria is a step closer to opening in Oak Lawn with the approval of a liquor license for the establishment that will be part of the Stony Creek Promenade. Plans for the restaurant were originally approved at an Oak Lawn Village Board meeting in March of 2022. Tom Phelan,…
Palos Park residents, mosque reps discuss noise issues at council meeting
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva What could have been an explosive situation was actually quite civil. Some Palos Park residents were angry about loud activity and behavior of some members of the Palos Islamic Center the past two years and sounded off at the April 8 village council meeting. Fresh on their minds was noise…
Comings & Goings: Obbie’s Pizza to stay ‘unique and delicious’
Spread the loveBy Tim Hadac Archer Avenue’s long-time king of pizzerias will continue to rule. Same recipes at Obbie’s Pizza, 6654 W. Archer. Same pizza and ingredients. Same pasta, broasted chicken, shrimp, perch, Italian beef/sausage/meatball sandwiches, sides and pop. Same seasoned, Middleby Marshall pizza oven built in 1947—the type of pizza oven every restaurant owner…
Stickney Public Health confirms measles case in Bedford Park
Spread the loveFrom staff reports The Stickney Public Health District has confirmed that a person with measles related to the ongoing situation in the City of Chicago was at the Walmart Supercenter at 7050 S. Cicero Ave. in Bedford Park on Friday, March 22, roughly between the hours of 2 and 4 p.m. Anybody who…
La Grange cancels Endless Summerfest over higher costs
Spread the loveBy Steve Metsch It turns out the summer is not endless, at least not in La Grange. Endless Summerfest, a three-day event held the first weekend in August at Gordon Park for many years, will not be held this year. The cancelation was announced Tuesday in a joint new release from the La…
Neighbors
Orland Park Library collecting candy wrappers
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Candy has taken on a whole new life at one local library. The Orland Park Public Library, 14921 S. Ravinia Ave., Orland Park, is happy to announce the launch of its very first Trash or Treasure candy wrapper recycling campaign. The Trash or Treasure program helps reduce the waste that…
Hickory Hills adds new police officer
Spread the loveBy Nuha Abdessalam Hickory Hills Police Chief Jason Bray welcomed Andre Showers as the city’s newest police officer during last week’s city council meeting. Aldermen and the community at the April 11 meeting helped celebrate the induction of the Showers, 21. He’s an Army veteran and a 2023 Cook County Correctional Camp graduate…
Marist celebrates cultural diversity
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Marist High School appreciates the wide array of culture that walks its campus hallways on a daily basis. In order to celebrate, the high school, 4200 W. 115th St., Chicago, hosted its second annual Celebration of Culture on March 14. During the free event, students, faculty and staff represented their…
Palos Heights Knights of Columbus donate to GiGi’s Playhouse
Spread the loveGrand Knight John Laskey and Past Grand Knight Brian Mellenthin of St. Theodore Guerin Knights of Columbus Council 14057 presented a check for $1,500 to GiGi’s Playhouse of Tinley Park, one of several donations to local groups resulting from the Knights of Columbus’ Fall Tootsie Roll Drive. One of the most recognizable activities…
Worth police join task force to combat auto thefts
Spread the loveBy Joe Boyle An agreement has been reached between the villages of Worth and Thornton regarding participation in the Illinois Statewide Auto Theft Task Force. Worth Police Chief Tim Denton said the approval of the memorandum to participate in the task force is necessary. “It’s no secret that there has been an increase…
A simple idea for Earth Day
Spread the love. By Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 517-7796 . Moving right along through April, as the days get longer and nicer, time will start to go by faster. We have Earth Day on April 22 and the start of Passover at sunset.…
Bingo at St. Clare was something to yell about
Spread the love. Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 . Recently I mentioned a bingo fundraiser the Augustinian Young Adults of St. Rita of Cascia Parish were holding. This was their first attempt at a bingo and they put on a really nice event. Held…
One thing is certain: life goes on
Spread the love. Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 . I get a lot of calls from residents who are discouraged about our neighborhood. There are so many car accidents, shootings and violent crimes being committed in West Lawn and surrounding areas. It certainly is challenging to stay hopeful and positive. Here is a paragraph…
Biz groups battle over names, logos
Spread the love. UBAM, MCC trade barbs . By Dermot Connolly and Tim Hadac The leader of one Midway-area business association is accusing the other of bad faith, and the leader of the other is scratching her head over the dustup. United Business Association of Midway Executive Director Anita Cummings recently claimed that a rival…