In preparation for a 2016 ballot referendum on Illinois legislative redistricting reform, the Independent Maps coalition on Thursday announced the addition of Hilltop Public Solutions as campaign consultant and Dave Mellet as campaign manager.
“With the petition drive on target to meet our goal of 600,000 signatures, we now can begin to gear up for a larger education campaign and the expansion of our statewide network of volunteers,” said Dennis FitzSimons, Chair of Independent Maps. “Our campaign is well underway, and we have added two seasoned veterans of statewide campaigns to help lead us to victory at the polls in 2016.”
Hilltop Public Solutions specializes in coalition building and managing high-stakes, high-profile campaigns by using the strategies and tactics it takes to win modern campaigns.
“Hilltop’s Bill Hyers, who managed New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s 2013 campaign and has extensive campaign experience across the country, will lead the Hilltop team in Illinois for the Independent Map Amendment,” FitzSimons said. “Hyers, who has been named a rising star by Politics magazine, has a reputation as one of the top campaign managers and political strategists in the United States.”
“Its time to bring fair elections back to Illinois, and I’m thrilled to be a part of this talented and experienced team,” Hyers said. “For too long, voters in Illinois have suffered from a partisan process that has called into question the very concept of fair elections. With the gridlock in Springfield, now more than ever Illinoisans need an open, transparent government that puts people before politics.”
Hilltop’s Elizabeth Lucas will be part of the team assisting Independent Maps. Lucas, founder of The Initiative Group, has worked on and advised hundreds of ballot initiatives around the country. She served as Political Director at the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center and field director for the Ohio Democratic Party against the anti-union SB5, a statewide voter referendum defeated by an overwhelming majority in 2011. She also has served as State Director of Organizing for America in Pennsylvania and on several presidential and state-level campaigns in battleground states.
“Dave Mellet, who was campaign manager for former Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon’s 2014 campaign for comptroller, will be our campaign manager and execute the non-partisan coalition’s campaign strategy,” FitzSimons said.
Mellet has worked on state and local campaigns for close to 10 years. After receiving a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Pennsylvania, Mellet started his career working on Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell’s successful 2006 reelection campaign. He went on to staff and manage campaigns for mayor, city council, state senate, and alderman. He has lived in Illinois for several years, working as a staffer for a direct mail firm and as the campaign manager for Simon last year.
Cindi Canary, who has been serving as executive director since June, will continue in that position during a transition period through the end of the year, when she will become a senior consultant to our board.
“Cindi’s leadership has been key to expanding our base of volunteers and putting us ahead of schedule on our signature collection timeline,” FitzSimons said. “She also helped us recruit and interview campaign manager and consultant candidates, and we’re pleased that she will remain very much involved.”
- The Captain - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 1:32 pm:
Mellet is a good hire, level-headed, he can navigate the idealistic types and still manage realistic campaign objectives.
- Anon - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 1:34 pm:
Why no mention that Bill Hyers helped Pat Quinn lose his re-election?
- Ahem! - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 1:35 pm:
I support the concept of changing the redistricting process since the politicians cannot resist the temptation of gaming the system.
Unrelated to district maps, there is another area of concern. As an occasional volunteer, I have passed a few petitions in my day. It is somewhat shocking to see how the signature requirements have increased so much as to discourage participation. Time was when a judicial candidate needed 500 minimum, state reps needed 300 minimum, and state senators had to gather 600 minimum. All of those numbers have increased. Most have doubled. For Cook County judicial candidates (as opposed to downstate), the numbers are through the roof.
It is much harder to get good signatures without a precinct organization. Ballot access is more difficult that in was twenty years ago.
- wordslinger - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 1:39 pm:
Wasn’t Hyers the chief strategery guy for Quinn 2014?
Curious they don’t mention the local connection.
Not really.
- Angry Chicagoan - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 1:39 pm:
No insights, I’m afraid, but I’m concerned when people seem to be more worried about an Illinois map that produces legislators in near proportion to partisan vote share than maps in Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia and elsewhere that are completely out of line.
- AlabamaShake - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 1:40 pm:
Bill Hyers - as someone already mentioned, he did a bangup job with Pat Quinn. He’s also doing great work with O’Malley right now. **rolls eyes**
Hyers is the mastermind of Quinn’s 1 or 2 county strategy.
- Team Sleep - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 1:42 pm:
Ahem! - excellent point and, given the likelihood of “challenges”, it almost forces anyone facing a primary or passing a reform measure (like this) to gather an almost unnecessary amount more than the minimum.
I just got done passing a decent amount of petitions for a candidate. I have done it enough to know that is one of the most difficult and thankless tasks imaginable.
- Pawnee - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 1:43 pm:
Better get a darn good lawyer, because it’s all going to rest on the legal challenge that will be vigorously pursued by the Democrats.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 1:44 pm:
From a pal via text: “The Pat Quinn campaign team has taken over Bruce’s remap effort… lol!”
Heh.
- Precinct Captain - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 1:45 pm:
Hiring Democrats to target Democrats.
- Tom - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 1:52 pm:
not to speak ill of any of the hires–but what have they won recently?
- Team Sleep - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 1:56 pm:
Tom - sorry to be cynical, but my assumption would be “will work right now!” caught the eyes of those perusing their resumes.
- Come on Man! - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 2:05 pm:
All I have to say is everyone has a mortgage. Interesting to see this PQ and Shelia Simons people doing this.
- Century Club - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 2:19 pm:
Tough to hire people with statewide experience when you can’t hire Republicans, and Dems with any connection to the party aren’t going to touch you with a 10 foot pole.
Also, I’m not sure knocking Hyers for Quinn’s performance is warranted. What was he going to? Advise him to wear a disguise and run as someone else?
- burbanite - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 2:22 pm:
Who or what is footing the bill for this?
- Blago's Luxurious Grey Mane - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 2:22 pm:
All these brilliant, generous good government types — with whom I agree on this issue — hired a miserable team to run the last effort and wasted a ton of time and money.
Let’s hope they got their act together this time. I wish I had more confidence.
- Anonin' - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 2:25 pm:
Does this mean someone figured out where Cindi lives?
BTW…Hyers, who has been named a rising star by Politics magazine….is a RisingStar bigger, better, brighter than a SuperStar?
- Retired FF - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 2:29 pm:
I know it’s written in the State constitution, but I wish the Senate was not based on the house districts. I would rather it be like the US Senate and gave every part of the state an equal representation.
- Team Sleep - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 2:29 pm:
Given all of Rauner’s emphasis on this, I think Blago’s Mane makes a great point. Wouldn’t it have been prudent for Governor Rauner to have maybe pulled someone (or maybe a few people) off staff to work on this?! He’s got plenty of high-level advisers and liaisons who’ve worked for his campaigns and others, so there’s plenty of talent that could be spared around the holidays (when, quite frankly, not much is going on).
Also - given the sheer amount of resources they’ve pulled in, why weren’t these personnel moves made much sooner?!
- Chicago Cynic - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 2:31 pm:
Don’t know Dave. As to the rest of it? Meh.
- titan - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 2:34 pm:
There were 2 Constitutional petitions filed last year. One was extremely poorly done and one was very well done.
Getting the same people who did the good one (or people who would implement the same game plan equally competently) would bode well for them.
- AlabamaShake - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 2:38 pm:
**Advise [Quinn] to wear a disguise and run as someone else?**
How about advise him to have a field program?
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 2:40 pm:
===How about advise him to have a field program? ===
lol
Yeah. How about street money? How about a campaign issue to attract suburban women? How about a freaking clue?
Oh, and how about not pulling strings in the primary to get labor to back away from Kirk Dillard because the big brains preferred to run against Rauner?
That rising star exploded last year.
- Century Club - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 2:46 pm:
Sleep, I don’t think they can have Republicans running this. The net result of an independent map is very likely to be fewer Democrats elected. Undoubtedly, the lines of attack on this will be (a) it dilutes minority representation and (b) it is a Republican power play. They just fuel those attacks if they don’t have Dems running the campaign.
I’m sure they can get Rauner help behind the scenes if they want it.
- Team Sleep - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 2:59 pm:
Century - not saying Republicans should run it. But other than the token understanding that behind the scenes work should happen, Rauner should have “asked” a couple of lower-level staffers to take a leave of absence and do some of the grunt work here. There will be a tough road to hoe to ensure this passes challenges and actually gets on the ballot.
- muon - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 3:00 pm:
Angry Chicagoan - Ohio produced very gerrymandered districts in 2010, but just passed a constitutional amendment earlier this month. The amendment creates new requirements for how to draw the map and forces any plan to have bipartisan support.
- Anon2U - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 3:04 pm:
Retired FF @ 2:29,
An idea that the Chicago machine would never allow. Downstate Dems, please keep voting the way the Chicago bosses tell you to, got it?
- Anonin' - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 3:10 pm:
“independent map” +term limits will make it easier to pack more Rauner Rentals into the GA…show of hands..who really thinks this makes a lot o’ sense ?
- 5th CD Democrat - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 3:16 pm:
Is this the Same Bill Hyers who was the campaign strategist for Pat Quinn’s campaign in 2014 and managed to lose Pat Quinn’s reelection in deeply blue Illinois? Is this the same Bill Hyers who is chief strategist for Martin O’Malley’s presidential bid that currently is operating on fumes? The remap folks, with their new strategist, suddenly are in deep doo-doo.
- Chris Wetterich - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 3:22 pm:
Retired FF:
In addition to what Anon2U said, your idea would be unconstitutional because it violates the one-person, one-vote precedent. The only legislative body in the United States that has each senator representing a different number of people is the U.S. Senate.
As for this crew, the anti-SB5 campaign in Ohio is one of only two major, non-presidential campaigns Democrats in that state have won since 1986 (the other being the 2006 race for governor). They make the pre-Rauner Illinois Republicans look like master strategists.
- low level - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 3:50 pm:
Likely they (the campaign staffers) don’t believe in the thing at all, given that the GOP passed maps just as favorable to themselves in statehouse they controlled.
They were available to start immediately.
It’s at times like these I’m very happy I’m out of “the business” and became a “relatively low level bureaucrat” as a friend said some time ago.
Love it.
- Century Club - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 3:56 pm:
Alabama & Rich - fair enough. I think Quinn was doomed by his own decisions as Governor and the nationally depressed Democratic turnout, so it’s unfair to blame his campaign strategists/staff for his loss. But you’re right, regardless of that, there are plenty of critiques to make of the campaign.
- horse w/ no name - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 4:06 pm:
We need well intentioned but misguided liberals who can’t see far enough past their own self-righteousness to realize they are trying to do long term damage to their own beliefs…get me Pat Quinn’s campaign team.
- Amalia - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 4:08 pm:
Principles over reality. read that Florida study that Rich posted here. this effort is not in the interests of the progressives who are staffing it!
- Mama - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 4:30 pm:
I thought the legislature had to pass a bill to remap before this could be done. Are you saying it is a done deal now?
- low level - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 5:28 pm:
Mama- no. Read the requirements for a proposed constitutional amendment.
BTW- be cautious of anyone using the phrase “done deal” as that is a saying that people who have lost like to use to avoid blame for defeat.
- Jimbo2 - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 6:28 pm:
What Florida study, sorry I missed it.
This initiative, to me, is a form of unilateral disarmination. As long as Republicans continue to gerimander state houses and congressional districts across the country. It’s an idea I agree with in principle. But, not in the current political climate.
- low level - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 6:50 pm:
Jimbo2- agree completely. Well said.
- Illinoian - Thursday, Nov 19, 15 @ 7:23 pm:
IMO redistricting is absolutely essential but will take the utmost care in that it is done fairly. Since we have public universities the obvious solution is to have each University with a GIS curriculum appoint 3 persons to form a committee to redistricting Illinois based on a population gravity centric model. Let the politicians eat cake.