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Everyone has their own priority list

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* The BGA’s David Greising writing in the Tribune…

When the legislature gets back to business one day, it will take real leadership from Pritzker to do the people’s work. The immediate to-do list will include coronavirus-related responses, including health care needs and bagging all the federal help available.

A budget must be passed too. And, for now, there is a May 3 deadline for passing a bill for electoral-map reform.

There will be a temptation to set some urgent issues aside — or, worse yet, pass so-called reform bills that amount to nothing but window dressing.

It will take leadership by the governor, working with the legislature, to decide how to navigate this traffic jam of urgent needs. A special session may be a good way to proceed.

Thoughts on a special session for remap reform?

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 3:47 pm

Comments

My God, can you be more tone deaf?

Comment by Southern Skeptic Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 3:48 pm
Best idea I have heard in a long time. It would go a long way to restore public confidence in the system.

Comment by Jack Sprat Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 3:49 pm
Big fan of remap reform. But we need to be realistic about what government is going to need to focus on and this isn’t it.

Comment by OneMan Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 3:51 pm
== Thoughts on a special session for remap reform?==

BGA and Greisling are completely tone deaf. They all need to take a long walk off a short pier. While practicing social distancing, of course

Comment by Lester Holt’s Mustache Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 3:53 pm
They are teaching a masterclass in how to not win people to ones side.

Comment by PeoriaDem Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 3:53 pm
“I got a bill that’s real important, too,” said everybody else and their uncle.

Comment by Socially DIstant watcher Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 3:53 pm
Getting everybody together to sit and wait on an agreement to be worked out would be a waste. If you can, work out an agreed bill first and don’t get together until you have to get down to the horsetrading for the last few votes needed to pass it.

Comment by RNUG Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 3:54 pm
JB’s been clear that he plans to enforce a fair remap through his veto.

Comment by Marquee Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 3:55 pm
The very next person who decides “crisis creates opportunity” like this…

This is why the Goo-Goos fail to read the room that their “priorities” are important, but make themselves look utterly trivial in a crisis.

Congratulations, I can’t you seriously as someone who cares.

I enjoy when folks tell me who they are.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 3:56 pm
Too many real things need to be done instead of the Bga and Tribs little quests

Comment by Morty Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 3:58 pm
Completely tone deaf? You have it completely backwards

The people of Illinois overwhelmingly support redistricting reform. An independent poll by the SIU’s Paul Simon Institute found that 67 percent of Illinois voters want an independent commission to draw our legislative lines.

https://www.changeil.org/policy-priorities/redistricting-reform/

Comment by Lucky Pierre Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 3:58 pm
Marquee: good luck with that thought.

Comment by Wow Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 4:00 pm
The legislator who decides, in this crisis, to push the envelope on map reform… woe be you during a crisis that we may be building… temporary hospitals…

Show me that legislator.

I wanna see that legislator.

Hold a presser while you’re at it. Right after the governor talks about staffing and hospital beds and vaccines…

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 4:04 pm
remap not high on the list of things we need to do now. we may, however, have to have a realistic discussion of money needed, what is essential, what is not, and if more money is needed. taxing those most able to pay may be needed now more than ever.

Comment by Amalia Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 4:07 pm
David Greising I am happy to hear you have solved the pressing pandemic and we can now get to other business. Oh,please share with the class the solution to the pandemic.

Comment by FormerParatrooper Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 4:10 pm
“Thoughts on a special session for remap reform?”

If anyone still thought that the best interests of Illinois or its citizens were ever foremost in the minds of the BGA, then this tin-eared, self-intererested suggestion should have cleared things up.

– MrJM

Comment by @misterjayem Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 4:13 pm
Priority 1. Stuff that can prevent people from dying.
2. Budget.

Everything else comes way after. No special session for anything else.

Comment by Ron Burgundy Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 4:17 pm
Special session? Before May 3rd? While the legislature is scheduled to be in regular session but can’t be because of an epidemic?

I support map reform, too. But c’mon. What’s this guy smoking?

Comment by Roman Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 4:18 pm
Mapping reform is important but it is going to be a footnote of this legislative year if it is going to be anything at all.

Comment by Candy Dogood Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 4:20 pm
Their timing sucks.
Plus, no single member district solution can be devised that can be passed.

Comment by Last Bull Moose Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 4:25 pm
Can we redo the map that relocates people further apart?

Comment by Ok Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 4:27 pm
=== The people of Illinois overwhelmingly support redistricting reform. An independent poll by the SIU’s Paul Simon Institute found that 67 percent of Illinois voters want an independent commission to draw our legislative lines.===

Find me that legislator right now, I wanna *see* that legislator, right now, and schedule a presser, right after the governor is building a temporary hospital and talking national guard… and I wanna *see* with my own eyes that legislator, and *hear* that legislator say…

“I’m going to hold the governor’s feet to the fire on this”

I wanna *know* which legislator wants to do that.

- Lucky Pierre -, the more you want to push this, the more tone deaf and ignorant to the polling people want a governor to lead us out of a pandemic crisis.

This isn’t “walk and chew gum” tom-foolery.

Let’s see what legislator wants to “co-sign” on this utterly embarrassing attempt to seem relevant in a global crisis.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 4:30 pm
Seriously BGA? I have a list too that I wouldn’t even think of whispering in the next several weeks, much less saying something like this in public. Did Kass and McQueary email you and suggest this as a strategy?

Comment by Cosgrove Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 4:32 pm
Love it. Just make sure the special session proclamation is broad enough to cover my bill too. I’m trying to get a dog park renamed to honor Studs Terkel. /s

Comment by Monadnock Pigeon Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 4:32 pm
No. People are sick & dying. Businesses shuttered; some may not re-open. When that’s dealt with, there will be time for remap reform. By the way, anyone else think if Greising’s remap “Modest Proposal” works, they’ll be another one related to cutting currently paid pensions?

Comment by Anyone Remember Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 4:34 pm
I will say this for the Covid-19 emergency, we’re finding out quite a bit about who people really are.

After we get past it, god willing, let’s try to remember what we learned about them during the crisis when evaluating anything else they are proposing.

Have some decency Greising. Maybe let us bury and mourn the dead before we start discussing redistricting.

Comment by Moe Berg Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 4:37 pm
At this point in time, I’m very impressed with Governor Pritzker’s real leadership.

Comment by Wensicia Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 4:43 pm
The special session would be in a few months OW.

Don’t the let the crisis be an excuse for avoiding something insiders detest but bipartisan majorities agree is essential to restoring faith in our state government

Comment by Lucky Pierre Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 4:50 pm
===The special session would be in a few months===

The deadline to pass that thing is May 2.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 4:52 pm
=== The deadline to pass that thing is May 2.===

There’s no way I can think of a tone deaf legislator, today, willing in the coming weeks to publicly be the face of this, and “hold the governor accountable” while in April the crisis is continuing.

I wanna see that legislator willing to be that face… in these coming weeks.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 4:55 pm
I don’t see how independents maps is really an issue when there’s many more important issues ahead in 2020.

Comment by Steve Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 5:12 pm
This is just amazing coming from the BGA. I can’t believe I viewed them as being well intentioned do-gooders. That came to a screeching halt today. Now they’re just a notch above the IPI. Just wow.

Comment by Original Rambler Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 5:14 pm
== Completely tone deaf? You have it completely backwards==

Why am I not shocked that you’re the only guy here incapable of reading the room? Our entire state government is going to busy with lots of other stuff in the near future. By all means, pass fair maps - and deal with all the other stuff that was on the radar a month ago - but do it after we’ve dealt with the pandemic and its effects on our workforce

Comment by Lester Holt’s Mustache Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 5:18 pm
=== just a notch above the IPI.===

It’s a tough call.

I don’t think even IPI would be so callous during a global crisis and a pandemic gripping Illinois.

Sure, that’s who Mr. Greising is *now*, but IPI….

You probably have the order right, but a notch might be too far of a difference?

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 5:18 pm
It would be nice to see a remap CA on the Nov ballot, but that hardly seems the right response from the GA with the health crisis in the state.

As alternative, Gov. Pritzker could announce that he would form an independent advisory panel in the spirit of typical amendment proposals. The panel would be charged with drawing a map based on neutral criteria and consistent with the Voting Rights Act. The panel’s map would be presented to the legislature. The Gov would pledge that if the final map were significantly gerrymandered compared to the panel’s plan then the Gov would veto the legislature’s plan.

Comment by muon Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 5:26 pm
How far the Blind Googoo Association has fallen

Comment by WH Mess Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 7:51 pm
Not enough time right now to transcribe all of the laughing/crying emojis this piece warrants.

Comment by Roads Scholar Thursday, Mar 19, 20 @ 9:38 pm
No.

Comment by Lt Guv Friday, Mar 20, 20 @ 12:38 pm

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