* Y’all have just been tremendous this week. I always say I have the best commenters in the business and you proved it once again. Whether it was helping dissect the new maps or finding the file buried in the House Democrats’ redistricting website, I have just been amazed at how smart and sophisticated you are. Thanks for all the help and the hard work. But it sure was fun, wasn’t it?
I really couldn’t have done it without you this week. And I will need your help at least one more time very soon. I’ll be reopening comments if the new congressional map is released this weekend. Hopefully, I can borrow your brains once again.
This is more than just a political website. You proved once again that we’re a real community. Thanks so much for everything.
* Regular commenter “Corvax” posted this video earlier today. It’s Dolly Varden doing a live version of “The Wheels Have Left the Road,” which seems appropriate for those folks who got the short end of the stick during Redistricting Week. Have a listen…
I’ve seen you wake up screaming
I’ve seen you shaken up for days
* Google Earth (Right-click and save to your computer)
*** UPDATE 1 *** The Democratic congressional delegation will reportedly be in Springfield Saturday morning at 11 o’clock to take a look at their maps in the Stratton Bldg.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Statement from House Republican Leader Tom Cross…
“It is disingenuous for the House Democrats to release this map late in the afternoon on a Friday with very limited access to demographic data and an analysis that explains why they drew the boundaries where they did. How can the residents of our state have time to access the information (online or by written request), digest it and be prepared to testify at a hearing in Chicago on Sunday afternoon? A hearing in Chicago and one in Springfield is not enough; we are calling for more statewide hearings in the next few weeks before a vote is taken.”
The next few weeks? That ain’t gonna happen, but nice try.
Illinois House Democrats posted a map of newly drawn legislative districts Friday but refused to offer any demographic information showing how minority-population shifts influenced their mapmaking.
The 118 House districts that comprised the map were shaped using 2010 U.S. Census data that showed marked declines in African-American populations and a significant uptick in Latino populations.
An aide to House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) would offer no insight into how the map was drawn or into the demographic make-up of each district, insisting only that the once-a-decade exercise in legislative mapmaking adhered to the Constitution and federal law.
“It follows the law. That’s what I know. That’s the way it’s always been done,” Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said.
* Gov. Pat Quinn was adamant during a Chicago press conference today that if the state is going to expand gaming, then he wants to keep it as narrow as possible. He strongly indicated that Chicago could get a new casino, but here’s what he said when he was asked what he’d say to the mayor of Danville, who also wants a new casino…
“I would tell him not to hold his breath.”
Downstate casinos are seen by some as a way to find votes for a Chicago casino. Sometimes, casino bills are too big to pass, but sometimes they can be too small. Time will tell.
* The governor has said time and time again that he opposes any education spending cuts in the budget. Asked whether he would veto a budget which cut education spending, Quinn wouldn’t go that far…
“No. What I’ve seen so far needs improvement.”
* The governor also indicated that he would sign a bill which passed today that protected the identities of FOID card holders. Gov. Quinn danced around questions about whether the newly proposed Senate district map was fair, but he did heap praise on the “openness” of the mapmaking process, pointing to the numerous committee hearings held and the upcoming hearings.
* Gov. Quinn tried to get out in front of a story yesterday by announcing a big shakeup at ISAC…
Gov. Pat Quinn [yesterday] shuffled the deck at the agency that oversees the state’s prepaid college tuition program by appointing two board members and dumping a longtime friend.
Out as chairman of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission is Don McNeil, a longtime friend and campaign contributor who roomed with Quinn back when they went to Georgetown University.
May 19, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today named Kym Hubbard and Miguel Del Valle to the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. Del Valle will serve as a member of the commission, and Hubbard will serve as its chair. Today’s actions come as the Governor works to bring a fresh approach to the board charged with increasing the affordability and accessibility of college in Illinois – one of Governor Quinn’s top priorities.
“Kym Hubbard and Miguel Del Valle both bring a fresh approach and a lifetime of public and private sector experience to this important board,” said Governor Quinn. “Access to higher education is a top priority of my administration, and I am confident that these appointments will help continue my mission of ensuring that college is affordable and accessible for Illinois’ students. I thank Don McNeil for his service and commitment to the people of Illinois.”
The move to replace Mr. McNeil comes after a series of stories in Crain’s Chicago Business detailing financial woes at the prepaid tuition plan, which has the biggest funding shortfall of any such plan in the nation. Crain’s also reported that ISAC Executive Director Andrew Davis shifted nearly half the plan’s $1.1-billion investment portfolio into hedge funds, private equity and other “alternative” holdings considered riskier than garden-variety stocks and bonds. Mr. McNeil staunchly defended Mr. Davis’ strategy and supported a 10% raise for the executive director that was approved by the ISAC board earlier this year.
Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) wants to move College Illinois from ISAC, saying he and other legislators “lost confidence” in the way ISAC handled the fund, which is currently under investigation by the state auditor.
College Illinois bills itself as offering Illinois parents a way to lock in today’s tuition prices for tomorrow’s college students, but the $1.25 billion fund is at least 31 percent underfunded. It’s unclear if the state will be able to pay tuition and fees for the 55,000 prepaid tuition contracts currently held by Illinois families.
Durkin said that “desperate calls from parents and grandparents” to state legislators about the fate of these contracts motivated him to try to move the agency to the comptroller’s office.
“I think it’s going to be tough but I want the issue out there,” he said of the likelihood the Illinois General Assembly will approve the move before breaking for the summer. “I want changes.”
But not everyone believes a management change will be the panacea to the plan’s problems.
Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FastWeb.com and FinAid.org, a scholarship matching service and free encyclopedic guide to student aid, said he wouldn’t feel more confident in one department over the other.
“You still have this government or quasi-government entity managing it. What’s key is how it’s managed, not who is managing it,” Kantrowitz said.
* 10:20 am - Well, the Google Maps program was up when I did this post, but it’s down now. And I couldn’t figure out how to get the data before they took it down. Check back.
* 10:27 am - OK, it disappeared again. It appears that we’re playing a little game of cat and mouse. I’ll just back off for a bit. Please post anything you see in comments. Go here for the announcement. Clear your cache every so often, however.
* 10:55 am - A reader was able to download the HDems’ Google Earth file before it disappeared. I’ve now posted it. Click here for the file. One big caution: We’re not 100 percent sure yet whether this is the map they’ll formally release. Speaker Madigan’s spokesman denied knowing anything about the map release time.
* According to this map (thanks to a commenter), it appears that GOP Reps. Ron Stephens and John Cavaletto are in the same district.
* From a commenter…
Here’s a strange workaround, but a way to view that Google Earth file without a download.
2) In the “Search Maps” box paste this crazy URL: “http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=211224011660062925886.0004a3b72e644ab4953c3&start=1&num=20000&ll=41.389173,-89.165039&spn=2.299578,4.224243&z=8&output=kml” and hit Search Maps
* According to the map I have, GOP Reps. Dan Brady and Keith Sommer are both in the same district.
* Again, according to the map I have, GOP Reps. Bill Mitchell and Chapin Rose are paired in the same district.
* Another non-Google Earth workaround from a commenter…
Illinois House Minority Leader Tom Cross says hard feelings over Democrat-led redistricting are complicating the last few weeks of the legislative session. […]
Cross says lawmakers still have big ticket items to deal with in Springfield _ from the budget to pension reforms and workers compensation changes.
He says he’d hoped lawmakers would have dealt with those big issues before the chaos of the redistricting maps began.
It’s most certainly a gigantic distraction.
* 12:01 pm - Via a commenter and double-checked with the Google Earth map I have, GOP Reps. Randy Ramey and Franco Coladipietro have been put into the same House district.
* 12:04 pm - Again, via a commenter and double-checked, the map I have puts GOP Rep. Tim Schmitz and Mike Fortner together.
* Two good points from a friend…
These guys are going to be OK. They just have to move.
Madigan and Cullerton will do much to revitalize the housing market.
* Posted in comments by Yellow Dog Democrat…
The 112th District got a nice haircut that will benefit Jay Hoffman, if he decides to run again.
Dunlap Lake, Holiday Shores, and Prairietown have been shaved off. Those were republican-leaning precincts in Kay’s base.
If Jay was only thinking about running before, he’s in now.
* 12:30 pm - I’m told (can’t say by whom) that this map we have is “99.9 percent accurate.” The district pairings we have so far are right. The only differences between this map and the “real” map are extremely minor and don’t impact things like which member is in what district. But, keep in mind, this is not a legal copy.
* 12:38 pm - Drew Veeneman at PrecinctMaps.com told us in comments that he’s created some pdf files with county and township outlines…
* For the Chicago Tribune editorial board, the world is always about to end…
[Redistricting is] a prime opportunity for political gamesmanship, and the Dems did not pass it up. If their map is approved — and there’s scant chance it won’t be — several Republicans will find themselves in diabolically reconfigured districts.
Look, this is a politically harsh map. No doubt about it. And the Democrats went overboard when they put Senate GOP Leader Christine Radogno into a district with another Republican. But does that make the Democrats diabolical? For some reason, that word makes me think of this…
To accommodate Latino growth, the map would create an additional Senate district with a majority of voting-age Hispanics. The four current districts have voting-age Hispanic populations of 53 to 68 percent. The five new districts have voting-age Hispanic populations of 50.3 to almost 65 percent.
“Legal precedent shows 65 percent majority is the precedent we use in terms of ensuring a Latino community can elect a candidate of its choice,” said Isabel Anadon, of the Latino Policy Forum. She said the proposal fell far short of what a Latino coalition was seeking.
Currently, there are eight Senate districts with populations of voting-age African-Americans ranging from 56 to 67 percent. But to deal with Chicago’s population loss, the proposed map creates seven Senate districts with voting-age black populations ranging from 50.5 percent to 60 percent. In an eighth district, voting-age blacks represent 48.6 percent of the population.
You can see a comparison of how the districts changed over the past ten years by clicking here.
Republicans scoffed. They noted half a dozen or more GOP lawmakers would be placed in the same districts under the Democratic proposal, forcing them to run against one another, move or step aside.
“This proves that the way we draw maps is corrupt, political and kind of despicable, really,” said Sen. David Luechtefeld, R-Okawville, whose home would not be included in the new Democratic version of his district.
Just an FYI here, legislators can run in any district that includes even a little section of the district they currently represent. They do have to move, however. Most GOP districts weren’t redrawn with big partisan changes, just residency issues…
Political analyst John Jackson said it could be worse for the GOP.
The 54th District includes counties that typically vote Republican.
The 58th, which was changed only to carve Luechtefeld out and brings Jones in, has elected a republican for the past 20 years, Jackson pointed out.
In the proposed districts “[Luechtefeld and Jones] can win and essentially are the incumbents… they’re just not the districts they’ve been representing,” he said
Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, dismissed GOP objections to the lines.
“I think they should introduce amendments if they want to change it,” Cullerton said.
It’s not at all clear yet whether the Republicans will follow through with changes. Nobody would clearly - or even obliquely - answer my questions about that topic yesterday.
Luechtefeld said Thursday he thinks his district was shifted in order to have a House district where Jerry Costello II, son of U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Belleville, can run for office.
“I think Jerry Costello Jr. would like to have his dad’s job someday, and feels like he has to get into government,” Luechtefeld said.
The congressman’s spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment. Jerry Costello II did not immediately return a message left with his spokeswoman.
Luechtefeld said it’s his understanding that Rep. Dan Reitz, D-Steeleville, will retire, and Jerry Costello Jr. will be appointed to the 116th House District seat or will run for the seat.
“I think this is a shocker map,” state Sen. Larry Bomke, R-Springfield, said.
Bomke, who was one of the few downstate Republicans who said they liked their new district, said he expected another, less dramatic map, to come out soon.
One reason for a “shocker map” could be to get some GOP votes on tough issues. It’s a lot easier for a Republican to make an uncomfortable vote and keep his or her old district than to make the easy vote and have to start again somewhere else, Mooney said.
* Roundup…
* Suburban senators get a look at new political map plan
* Senate redistricting map cuts Springfield into thirds
* Empty state Senate seats: 51st Senate District: As you can see, there are two incumbent House members (Republicans Bill Mitchell and Chapin Rose) who live in this district, but no incumbent senators. Most of this Senate territory belonged to either Republican Sen. Dale Righter of Matoon or GOP Sen. Kyle McCarter, who lives in the Metro East but whose current district stretches up to Decatur. There are also chunks of Champaign and Vermillion counties that used to belong to Sen. Mike Frerichs, a Champaign Democrat.
* Want to run for Illinois Senate? Here’s where you should go.
A legislative oversight panel does not have the authority to block individual health insurance contracts for state employees, Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office determined.
The decision appears to make it more difficult for lawmakers who want to reverse state government’s controversial decision to drop two popular health maintenance organizations offered to state employees and replace them with new health plans.
The General Assembly’s bipartisan Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability sought the opinion because it was unclear if the commission could simply vote to reject the new health contracts negotiated by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services.
Madigan said COGFA can review the health plans, but state law “does not authorize the commission to approve or disapprove individual health benefit provider or administrator contracts.”
An opinion issued by Attorney General Lisa Madigan notes [COGFA] cannot nix individual contracts, but it could attempt to block the implementation by looking at the state’s overall system of insuring workers.
This situation has been very poorly handled. Five weeks after the announcement, more information should be available. While it’s unrealistic for state employees to believe their health benefits and costs should remain the same when no one else’s are, they need and deserve the chance to make an informed decision - with full details on how much they’re being asked to pony up, plan options, physician choices, etc., as well as more time to make a call that may impact them and their families in critical ways. With the added context of what’s occurring in Springfield between possible pension changes and budget cuts that may impact their very job security, many can be forgiven for feeling overwhelmed. A delay in implementation here is warranted until the state can get its act together.
Ultimately, what’s the harm in delaying a few months - temporarily extending the existing contract, perhaps - in order to hash this out and publicly justify the monetary and service benefits, if in fact they do exist, to taxpayers as well as employees? Take the time, think this through, demonstrate that this is the right move, restore some confidence in the state’s competence.
Health Alliance covers nearly 100,000 state workers and retirees, who would have to change providers under the proposal. Last month, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services announced it was dropping Health Alliance from the state’s list of health care providers, with an estimated savings of $1 billion over the next 10 years.
“The administration’s numbers are a bunch of bunk, quite frankly,” said state Rep. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet.
State Rep. Jason Barickman, R-Champaign, said the governor’s decision would cost the state more instead of saving money.
* The scheduled end of session is just days away, the remap process is cranking up to full blast, the budget isn’t finished yet and a whole host of knotty issues resist untying. People are understandably tense, including me. For whatever reason, this song appeared to help…
Living like a gypsy queen in a fairy tale.
* I think maybe our brains need a little break before crunch time crushes us all. So, please post YouTube links in comments to songs which you think might help brighten the mood a bit. It won’t change anything, but we still might feel a little better about our situation. Thanks.
Also, try to keep the songs clean, please. We don’t want to get anybody in trouble at work. Thanks.
