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* A couple of years ago, Gov. Pat Quinn pledged not to link the capital bill to the budget, then did it anyway. He’s now pledging not to link the budget to the remap. We’ll just have to wait and see if he changes his mind again…
Quinn has one huge bargaining chip: his signature on legislation redrawing House and Senate districts across the state. […]
In theory, Quinn could threaten to block the legislation unless he gets some concessions on the budget, but Matsoff said he won’t do that.
“He’s focused on the budget as a separate issue,” she said.
House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego, expects hard feelings over the new political map. It was probably good that the House passed a budget before the redistricting fireworks begin, he said.
I’ve said before that touching that map would be more politically dangerous for Quinn than just about anything else he could possibly dream up. But, we’ll see.
* Speaking of the remap…
According to a report in Tuesday’s Capitol Fax, a political newsletter, legislative Democrats, who are in charge of the redistricting process, have decided to draw a Democratic-leaning district that would connect Springfield’s east side and Decatur.
Springfield Ward 3 Ald. Doris Turner also said Tuesday that she has been working with people, whom she declined to name, about creating such a district. […]
Rep. Adam Brown, R-Decatur, who beat longtime Democratic representative Bob Flider in 2010, said he has not seen a map of the potential new district, but said it sounds like a proposal released by a coalition of Chicago groups, including the Chicago Urban League, the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition and the Cook County Bar Association.
That plan would create a barbell-shaped district with east Springfield, which is currently within Poe’s 99th House District, being connected by Interstate 72 to large parts of Decatur. Most of the Decatur part of the new district now is inside Brown’s 101st House District. Brown and Poe are Republicans.
Thirty-two percent of the population in the coalition’s proposed district would be black, while 64 percent would be white, according to an analysis. Springfield’s black population grew from 15.3 percent in 2000 to 18.5 percent 10 years later, according to the 2010 Census.
Keep in mind that nothing is completely set in stone until we see the map itself. Laura Washington wrote more about that coalition proposal…
The group, African Americans for Legislative Redistricting, is demanding a remap that “would protect the interests of 1.8 million African Americans in Illinois, while proposing three minority-led “influence districts” in Springfield, Rockford and East St. Louis.”
The coalition is led by the Rev. Leon Finney, a longtime black businessman and leader of The Woodlawn Organization, and includes the NAACP, the Rainbow/ PUSH Coalition, the Chicago Urban League and the Cook County Bar Association.
They want a new map that would preserve the same number of African-American majority districts that were drawn 10 years ago.
There’s a lot to lose. According to the 2010 census, Chicago’s black population declined by about 180,000 in the last decade. Latinos have picked up 25,000 residents.
* There is definitely a bit of tension between African-American legislators and Latinos…
So as the June 30 deadline looms to redraw voting districts, blacks, Latinos, Asians and Arabs are working to strengthen their ties, wary of being played against one another in a political game where poor people—of all colors—may be the true losers.
“This is really tough,” said Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, a Cook County commissioner and 45-year resident of the city. “The relationship between Latinos and African-Americans will be quite challenging because Latinos will gain – as their numbers indicate that they should – but you definitely can see patterns of development that don’t bode well for poor or working people, in general.”
* And the census numbers, combined with African-American demands that they keep the same number of seats in both chambers have combined to create some very elongated districts…
[Sen. Donne Trotter’s] district, for example, may stretch south from Chicago’s Southeast Side into Beecher, a rural Will County community of about 2,000 residents. His district would shift from 72 percent black, according to the 2000 U.S. Census, to 51 percent black.
* There will be other changes as well…
Only two members of the State Senate who are black — Sens. Toi Hutchinson (D-Olympia Fields) and James Clayborne (D-East St. Louis) — represent districts that do not have a federally-mandated minimum percentage of African-Americans. That means their new districts can be made up of any racial percentages. Hutchinson, for example, said she expects to pick up Grundy County under the new map, a mostly rural farming and manufacturing community currently represented by freshman Republican Sen. Sue Rezin of Peru.
* State Sen. John O. Jones says he believes the new maps will be released today…
Jones expects the legislative remap to be unveiled on May 18, leading to speculation that the majorities in the General Assembly have completed the Congressional and legislative boundary drawing process. Rumors have circulated the Capitol for months as to how the legislative districts will be drawn to maximize the majority party’s hold on political power.
The cynics among us think the maps are done, hidden in the basement of one of the Democratic leaders, ready to be thrown at lawmakers for a last-minute vote.
Democratic lawmakers have been tweaking their districts for well over a week. If the Rockford Register Star hadn’t laid off its Statehouse reporter, the editorial board would’ve known this. But, they do make a decent point here…
The current redistricting gives us only the illusion of democracy. Politicians choose the voters rather than voters choosing the politicians. Maps are drawn so the party in power can have as many like-minded folks within the boundaries as possible, based on the legal constraints.
The process needs to change. Thirteen states have established nonpartisan or bipartisan commissions to take the lead in redistricting.
The Illinois League of Women Voters led an effort to get Illinois to a better system, but failed to get enough signatures on a petition to put the issue on the ballot. That kind of effort needs to continue.
It took six tries before California got redistricting reform.
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, May 18, 11 @ 9:51 am
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Cue the email from Pat Brady/IL GOP with the next whiny online petition in 5…4…3…2…
Comment by just sayin' Wednesday, May 18, 11 @ 9:57 am
Now that he’s made the pledge, Quinn would irreparably harm his relationship with Dem members if he want back on it.
He might just want to take the budget he gets, sign the map and get the GA out of town.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, May 18, 11 @ 10:12 am
Rich, is the QOTD going to be what date Quinn flips on this promise?
Comment by Retired Non-Union Guy Wednesday, May 18, 11 @ 10:19 am
I realize that his question is unrelated to this thread, but is anybody else having trouble viewing the senate online? I have no problem with the house, but the senate is horrible. If I do get in, it fades after 30 minutes or so. Sometimes I get video, but no audio. I constantly reboot, but it doesnt improve. This is a real problem. Is there an IPAD app for ILGA?
Comment by anon Wednesday, May 18, 11 @ 10:33 am
Retired,
Maybe Rich can structure the poll as “over/under.”
Comment by Cincinnatus Wednesday, May 18, 11 @ 10:35 am
In Quinnspeak unfortunately when he says he won’t do something it actually means he will but that it will be because of the bad things that the legislators did that forced him into it.
Comment by Cassiopeia Wednesday, May 18, 11 @ 10:37 am
Technically, it was Mica Matsoff, not Quinn, who said the Governor won’t link budget concessions to the map. But just to be on the safe side, I’d still like to hear it from the Governor himself that these are unconnected issues. If we’ve learned anything from this Governor, it’s that his thinking “evolves” on political issues like this.
This is his last, most important card to play. He can still throw a wrench into the works and keep them here all summer if he wants. Or he can roll over and let Madigan and Cullerton get what they want. Will his ego allow him to not at least threaten to veto the map?
Stay tuned, it ain’t over yet.
Comment by 47th Ward Wednesday, May 18, 11 @ 10:38 am
Rich, When the maps are finally released can you please give us the link to the interactive one if possible? Thanks
Comment by Palatine Wednesday, May 18, 11 @ 10:40 am
Technically, the voters chose the lawmakers who choose their voters. Its a chicken-and-egg question and a moot point.
More to the point is that if voters really hate the new map, they’ll vote the lawmakers who drew it out of office. Don’t hold your breath.
However, there is a real danger that no matter how “democratic” the new incumbent districts are, the fact they are complete unknowns in these areas will present real challenges for them.
Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Wednesday, May 18, 11 @ 11:51 am
What if Quinn vetoes the map? Then Republicans get their foot in the door in the drawing. That seems like a pretty big hammer for Quinn. I’m sure he has things to be scared of if he does this, but Cullerton and Madigan have some things to worry about also.
Comment by Old Milwaukee Wednesday, May 18, 11 @ 12:00 pm
An interesting change to redistricting would be to have the Census results available in the year immediately preceding elections, with it implementation immediately after a legislature is seated after the election. Then we could have redistricting as a campaign issue. As things stand now, the remap is too far from an election to remain on the voter’s radar the next time they vote.
Comment by Cincinnatus Wednesday, May 18, 11 @ 12:01 pm
Quote of the Day by Rep. Adam Brown: Efforts by minorities to improve their representation is “politics at its ugliest.” WOW.
Comment by Al Wednesday, May 18, 11 @ 3:25 pm
== Is there an IPAD app for ILGA?==
You’re kidding, right?
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, May 18, 11 @ 4:08 pm