SB826 - I hear Rep. Butler's words - "We don't need this because Sangamon Co. administers Township funds very efficiently". Slave masters- “It’s ok slaves are 3/5 of a person; our plantations are running very efficiently.” Plantation mentality doesn't work for any of us in 2021!
- Almost the Weekend - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 11:42 am:
When trying to go viral and become a social media star fails.
I feel bad for Springfield and Sangamon County. Any legislation to help improve the capital city will be undercut by politics and toxic relationship between these legislators.
As the state with more units of local government than any state in the nation, I’m quite confident saying that this state needs less township government, not more. And to invoke slavery and plantations over this? Really? Wow.
- Formerly known as Mike - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 11:58 am:
Fred
3/5 compromise was a concession to the south to get them on board. The north was fighting for slaves to not be counted at all from the perspective of not letting the south have their cake and eat it, too. The south wanted every slave to count as a whole person so it would increase their voice in the house of representatives. It was a fight over political power.
In the end the south got a louder voice in congress, and once the slaves were freed and counted as full individuals the south got an even louder voice and they followed up by silencing black citizens with Jim Crow laws.
Indeed, it would be nice if people knew their history. Recommended reading: “Let the People Pick the President” by Jesse Wegman.
- Larry Bowa Jr. - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:03 pm:
“Remember it was not the Slave holding South but the Free State North that wanted their fellow human beings to be counted only as 3/5 of a person in order to have more representation in the Northern States. I wish people knew more about history before making statements about history”
My God. I thought this wasn’t facebook? Because this is one of the dumber and more ahistorical things I’ve ever read anywhere.
Got it right with the last sentence though.
- The Real Downstate - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:03 pm:
The GOP will do or say anything in their quest to justify all types of voter disenfranchisement. That was the point I think she was trying to make, although the slavery parallel comes off as a heavy-handed reach.
I present to you TacticianTim. This whole thing just reeks of a patronage scheme to establish more of the same old-school machine stuff in Springfield. Good government is good politics, don’t subvert the will of the voters and cry wolf when it ends bad for you Senator
That is an absolutely twisted revisionist take better suited for Yahoo comments! Please tell me what “War of Northern Aggression” history book you are pulling this out of because it is patently wrong.
- Lord of the Fries - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:11 pm:
Really sad this is a go to counter on any piece of legislation the left doesn’t like. It delegitimizes actual racism in the world.
Capital Township is the most racially diverse township in Sangamon County. Why shouldn’t they be allowed to elect their all of their township officials?
==The GOP will do or say anything in their quest to justify all types of voter disenfranchisement. That was the point I think she was trying to make==
Oh wait. I thought it was her fellow Dems who were all voting “present” on her bill. There is no justification or excuse. None. For that horrible Turner tweet.
- The Real Downstate - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:33 pm:
My understanding is that her tweet was referring to what Republican members said during debate, not the present votes.
Capital township resides entirely within the boundaries of the City. The County has been attempting a hostile takeover for years. Tantrum Tim touts the efficiency of county government? Anyone who knows Sangamon County government knows how laughable that is.
If you’re screaming for an elected school board in Chicago but voting against an elected Capital Township hierarchy, you’re part of the problem.
How is it disenfranchising voters in Capital Township to allow those same voters to chance to have a binding referendum that would codify what they overwhelmingly supported in 2018?
Rep. Scherer was completely wrong on the floor when she said the entire county voted on the referendum in 2018 on merging with the county. Only Capital Township voters voted on that. The bill put forth by Senator Turner would go against the will of the voters expressed at the polls in 2018. Not a single precinct in the township voted against the referendum. This should be something that unites the two parties but instead we are seeing politics as usual.
This seems like important background for people to be aware of:
Sangamon County voted 51.1% for Trump in 2020. The local GOP officials in Sangamon County also have been incredibly supportive of Trump and some of the false statements he has made after the election.
Letting countywide elections administrate Capital Township really does prevent the township voters from having their own representation. I think the people who voted present have made a mistake, and I think residents of Capital Township should file suit.
And a piece of cloth covering your mouth and nose to prevent the spread of a deadly disease is exactly like the Holocaust. Dumb comment. Delete your account.
This was bad legislation, the tweet was disgraceful and historically inaccurate.
The 3/5ths compromise allowed the south to partially the slave population for representation in Congress when they did not treat them as citizens and obviously far, far worse than that. They were treated as property.
You can have your cake and eat it, you cannot eat your cake and have it.
At a time when we’re trying to streamline townships and the 6,000-plus units of local government in IL (second only to PA), this move to add more township positions is just counterproductive. Democrats should lead on reform.
Now you’re playing the victim? When does your Fox News evening show start? Mutiple people have already pointed out that your statement attempting to pass blame of slavery to Northern states is 100% false. You request that people study history falls on deaf ears when you lead with an unequivocally false statement.
- The Real Downstate - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 1:48 pm:
The Sangamon County GOP didn’t care about township consolidation until a black woman was elected trustee in 2017. Then they started caring about it, but only for Capital Township and not for the many other, whiter townships throughout the county. To suggest that this *isn’t* about race is naive.
- The Real Downstate - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 1:52 pm:
Of course voters want consolidation. I understand and respect the results of the advisory ballot measure from 2018. But if you had the same measure on the ballot and instead of asking about consolidating into the county you asked about consolidating into the City of Springfield, you’d have the same result. The argument for consolidating into the coterminous city are, I think, far stronger than those for combining with the county. This is clearly just a GOP power grab by the old white guys who are afraid of losing control now that Dems can get elected to the township board.
I don’t think it does. Structural/institutionalized racism doesn’t become okay or acceptable because someone who is against those things tweets something that causes some pearl clutching.
I also wonder about the appropriateness of complaining about this tweet while the law which appears to have racial impacts still stands because it seems a lot like the folks that keep wanting to tell people of color that they’re protesting wrong.
The Real Downstate is correct. The referendum was complete BS because it did not ask Capital Township voters if they wanted to consolidate into the co-terminus city of Springfield. It is like asking what do you like better, strawberry or vanilla, even though 90% prefer chocolate!
Merging the township into the county is as undemocrataic as the current system because you’d have the countywide elected county board determining how to spend taxes paid only by 1 of the 26 townships in the county! You go girl…Sen. Turner!
- EssentialStateEmployeeFromChatham - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 6:28 pm:
==The argument for consolidating into the coterminous city are, I think, far stronger than those for combining with the county.==
That has been Mayor Langfelder’s position on Capitol Township rather than either of the Turner or Butler bills. He tried prior to the 2018 election to get the city-township merger on the ballot but was unsuccessful.
If the vote was countywide, it would have been interesting to see the results on that merger question in Woodside and Springfield townships, especially in doughnut hole unannexed areas surrounded by Springfield. If some voters would have actually thought merging Capitol Tonwship with the city would have meant the city swallowing up the donut holes (Laketown and others, and maybe even donut hole munis like Grandview, Leland Grove, Jerome, Southern View).
Selling a piece of legislation within the GA requires a very different skillset and different language than when she is “protesting” as an activist or as a candidate.
- EssentialStateEmployeeFromChatham - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 7:43 pm:
And if the city and Capital Township merged, would all 4 Capital Township trustees be added to the Springfield City Council? Meaning a 14-member council? That would only be fair.
- Broom - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 11:31 am:
She has no business serving in the ILGA. It’s Butler’s fault he was able to kill a bill in the super minority?
- NIU Grad - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 11:35 am:
Yikes.
“with many Democrats voting present on the bill.”
I don’t blame them…after reading this article, this is an issue I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near.
- Lunger - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 11:39 am:
If I had feelings I would be embarrassed for her. Her and Sue should do us all a favor and not run again.
- Birdseed - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 11:40 am:
Democrats mad…
- Almost the Weekend - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 11:42 am:
When trying to go viral and become a social media star fails.
I feel bad for Springfield and Sangamon County. Any legislation to help improve the capital city will be undercut by politics and toxic relationship between these legislators.
- Pizza Man - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 11:46 am:
Rookie issues here? …welcome to the GA upon joining the upper chamber in Feb.
- Downstate - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 11:50 am:
I’ve read the article twice and am still confused by the sponsors desire to go against the voter’s wish.
Doris Turner’s words are a sad reflection of today’s discourse.
Let’s ratchet the language up to DefCon 3 and expect the other side to respect our reasoned intellect. /s/
- Southern Skeptic - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 11:53 am:
As the state with more units of local government than any state in the nation, I’m quite confident saying that this state needs less township government, not more. And to invoke slavery and plantations over this? Really? Wow.
- Formerly known as Mike - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 11:58 am:
Fred
3/5 compromise was a concession to the south to get them on board. The north was fighting for slaves to not be counted at all from the perspective of not letting the south have their cake and eat it, too. The south wanted every slave to count as a whole person so it would increase their voice in the house of representatives. It was a fight over political power.
In the end the south got a louder voice in congress, and once the slaves were freed and counted as full individuals the south got an even louder voice and they followed up by silencing black citizens with Jim Crow laws.
Indeed, it would be nice if people knew their history. Recommended reading: “Let the People Pick the President” by Jesse Wegman.
- Responsa - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:02 pm:
What an embarrassing waste of the ILGA’s time.
- Larry Bowa Jr. - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:03 pm:
“Remember it was not the Slave holding South but the Free State North that wanted their fellow human beings to be counted only as 3/5 of a person in order to have more representation in the Northern States. I wish people knew more about history before making statements about history”
My God. I thought this wasn’t facebook? Because this is one of the dumber and more ahistorical things I’ve ever read anywhere.
Got it right with the last sentence though.
- The Real Downstate - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:03 pm:
The GOP will do or say anything in their quest to justify all types of voter disenfranchisement. That was the point I think she was trying to make, although the slavery parallel comes off as a heavy-handed reach.
- ILLannoyed - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:04 pm:
I present to you TacticianTim. This whole thing just reeks of a patronage scheme to establish more of the same old-school machine stuff in Springfield. Good government is good politics, don’t subvert the will of the voters and cry wolf when it ends bad for you Senator
- Chicago Blue - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:09 pm:
@ Fred
That is an absolutely twisted revisionist take better suited for Yahoo comments! Please tell me what “War of Northern Aggression” history book you are pulling this out of because it is patently wrong.
- Lord of the Fries - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:11 pm:
Really sad this is a go to counter on any piece of legislation the left doesn’t like. It delegitimizes actual racism in the world.
- Shield - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:13 pm:
Capital Township is the most racially diverse township in Sangamon County. Why shouldn’t they be allowed to elect their all of their township officials?
- Al - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:15 pm:
What about the other twenty-five Townships?
- Responsa - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:18 pm:
==The GOP will do or say anything in their quest to justify all types of voter disenfranchisement. That was the point I think she was trying to make==
Oh wait. I thought it was her fellow Dems who were all voting “present” on her bill. There is no justification or excuse. None. For that horrible Turner tweet.
- The Real Downstate - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:33 pm:
My understanding is that her tweet was referring to what Republican members said during debate, not the present votes.
- Candy Dogood - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:35 pm:
My apologies, I repeatedly referred to Springfield Township instead of Capital Township.
- Politics ain't pretty - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:35 pm:
Capital township resides entirely within the boundaries of the City. The County has been attempting a hostile takeover for years. Tantrum Tim touts the efficiency of county government? Anyone who knows Sangamon County government knows how laughable that is.
If you’re screaming for an elected school board in Chicago but voting against an elected Capital Township hierarchy, you’re part of the problem.
- NotAnonymous - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:38 pm:
@ The Real Downstate
How is it disenfranchising voters in Capital Township to allow those same voters to chance to have a binding referendum that would codify what they overwhelmingly supported in 2018?
Rep. Scherer was completely wrong on the floor when she said the entire county voted on the referendum in 2018 on merging with the county. Only Capital Township voters voted on that. The bill put forth by Senator Turner would go against the will of the voters expressed at the polls in 2018. Not a single precinct in the township voted against the referendum. This should be something that unites the two parties but instead we are seeing politics as usual.
- Candy Dogood - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:54 pm:
This seems like important background for people to be aware of:
Sangamon County voted 51.1% for Trump in 2020. The local GOP officials in Sangamon County also have been incredibly supportive of Trump and some of the false statements he has made after the election.
Letting countywide elections administrate Capital Township really does prevent the township voters from having their own representation. I think the people who voted present have made a mistake, and I think residents of Capital Township should file suit.
- Numbers Guy - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 1:11 pm:
Why isn’t there a proposal to eliminate all of the other township officials in Sangamon County?
- Ducky LaMoore - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 1:24 pm:
And a piece of cloth covering your mouth and nose to prevent the spread of a deadly disease is exactly like the Holocaust. Dumb comment. Delete your account.
- JS Mill - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 1:32 pm:
This was bad legislation, the tweet was disgraceful and historically inaccurate.
The 3/5ths compromise allowed the south to partially the slave population for representation in Congress when they did not treat them as citizens and obviously far, far worse than that. They were treated as property.
You can have your cake and eat it, you cannot eat your cake and have it.
- west wing - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 1:43 pm:
At a time when we’re trying to streamline townships and the 6,000-plus units of local government in IL (second only to PA), this move to add more township positions is just counterproductive. Democrats should lead on reform.
- Chicago Blue - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 1:48 pm:
@ Fred
Now you’re playing the victim? When does your Fox News evening show start? Mutiple people have already pointed out that your statement attempting to pass blame of slavery to Northern states is 100% false. You request that people study history falls on deaf ears when you lead with an unequivocally false statement.
- The Real Downstate - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 1:48 pm:
The Sangamon County GOP didn’t care about township consolidation until a black woman was elected trustee in 2017. Then they started caring about it, but only for Capital Township and not for the many other, whiter townships throughout the county. To suggest that this *isn’t* about race is naive.
- The Real Downstate - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 1:52 pm:
Of course voters want consolidation. I understand and respect the results of the advisory ballot measure from 2018. But if you had the same measure on the ballot and instead of asking about consolidating into the county you asked about consolidating into the City of Springfield, you’d have the same result. The argument for consolidating into the coterminous city are, I think, far stronger than those for combining with the county. This is clearly just a GOP power grab by the old white guys who are afraid of losing control now that Dems can get elected to the township board.
- Ducky LaMoore - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 2:38 pm:
“To suggest that this *isn’t* about race is naive.”
Even if it is about race, her statement was over-the-top dramatic. It negatively impacts her argument.
- The Real Downstate - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 3:29 pm:
I don’t disagree @ Ducky
- Candy Dogood - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 5:20 pm:
=== It negatively impacts her argument. ===
I don’t think it does. Structural/institutionalized racism doesn’t become okay or acceptable because someone who is against those things tweets something that causes some pearl clutching.
I also wonder about the appropriateness of complaining about this tweet while the law which appears to have racial impacts still stands because it seems a lot like the folks that keep wanting to tell people of color that they’re protesting wrong.
- truthtopower - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 5:25 pm:
The Real Downstate is correct. The referendum was complete BS because it did not ask Capital Township voters if they wanted to consolidate into the co-terminus city of Springfield. It is like asking what do you like better, strawberry or vanilla, even though 90% prefer chocolate!
Merging the township into the county is as undemocrataic as the current system because you’d have the countywide elected county board determining how to spend taxes paid only by 1 of the 26 townships in the county! You go girl…Sen. Turner!
- EssentialStateEmployeeFromChatham - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 6:28 pm:
==The argument for consolidating into the coterminous city are, I think, far stronger than those for combining with the county.==
That has been Mayor Langfelder’s position on Capitol Township rather than either of the Turner or Butler bills. He tried prior to the 2018 election to get the city-township merger on the ballot but was unsuccessful.
If the vote was countywide, it would have been interesting to see the results on that merger question in Woodside and Springfield townships, especially in doughnut hole unannexed areas surrounded by Springfield. If some voters would have actually thought merging Capitol Tonwship with the city would have meant the city swallowing up the donut holes (Laketown and others, and maybe even donut hole munis like Grandview, Leland Grove, Jerome, Southern View).
- Responsa - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 6:59 pm:
Selling a piece of legislation within the GA requires a very different skillset and different language than when she is “protesting” as an activist or as a candidate.
- EssentialStateEmployeeFromChatham - Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 7:43 pm:
And if the city and Capital Township merged, would all 4 Capital Township trustees be added to the Springfield City Council? Meaning a 14-member council? That would only be fair.