WBEZ | redistricting

Veteran Illinois lawmakers try to hang on against ambitious primary challengers

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 19:28:00 -0500

Just over a week to go before Illinois' primary election day. Candidates for all sorts of offices are knuckling down and knocking on doors.

That includes the multitudes running for the 177 seats that're up in the Illinois House and Senate. We looked at a pair of those elections, which couldn't be more different.

DISCUSSION: More on Monday's Afternoon Shift with Steve Edwards

Last year when Democratic leaders drew new boundaries for state legislative districts, they manufactured some match-ups that otherwise would not have been. Take the 24th state Senate District in the Western suburbs: held by Republican Kirk Dillard, a senator since 1993.

"You know, essentially I went Northward, very much like a glacier would move," said Dillard on Sunday in his campaign office, looking at a map of his new district. "You know I think [Democratic leaders] did it because they needed to take care of some senators on the south suburban area."

Dillard could be governor right now if he'd managed to swing a couple hundred votes in 2010. In the GOP primary, he fell just short of beating fellow state Senator Bill Brady, who later fell just short of beating Democratic Governor Pat Quinn.

Dillard v. Nybo

But instead of ruling the state, Dillard is going door to door to fend off a Senate challenge. His campaign is buying no TV ads, no radio. Just mail - and lots of it.

"It is amazing how fast when you really focus on it, you can get mail out the door. But literally in the last weeks, you could be talking upwards to 800,000 to a million pieces of mail," Dillard said.

And that's to a district with about 217,000 residents, by the last Census count.

Most of Dillard's mailings are positive, he says, but one this week will knock his opponent, state Rep. Chris Nybo.

"You know, if you put a sign up, you just mark it down 'Yes,' you know, 'YS" for yard sign, and the notation that you placed it. But it should be a good day out there. I mean the weather's nice so people should be in a good mood," Nybo said in a pep talk Sunday to about a dozen volunteers wearing his green campaign T-shirts.

He's a state representative with little more than a year of House experience. But he's running for Senate against Dillard in part because Democrats drew him into a district with another Republican House member. Nybo chose instead to go for the promotion, against Dillard.

"You know, I mean, Kirk is a nice guy, but he's been down there a long time," Nybo said. "And I think we need some new energy down there. I don't think anybody should be making careers of this stuff."

And with all those votes in Dillard's career, Nybo's found quite a few to criticize. Dillard's campaign, meanwhile, put up an attack website featuring "The Chris Nybo Report Card."

Oddly enough, both these Republicans have ties to the Democratic president. Dillard appeared in a TV commercial for then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama during the Democratic primary for president, praising him for bipartisan work. Nybo volunteered on the congressional campaign of Mr. Obama, who was his law professor at the time.

As you can imagine, both men are quick to deflect blame for their cracks in party loyalty.

"I don't think he should say anything about my 15 nice words about President Obama about an ethics bill he sponsored with me when he was walking precincts and a student coordinator at the University of Chicago," Dillard said.

"Kirk Dillard is criticizing what I did as a 22-year-old college student with what he did as a 50-something-year-old party - acknowledged - party leader," Nybo said.

This is one of four Illinois Senate primaries statewide that feature two current Republican members of the General Assembly. Not an uncommon occurrence in elections following redistricting.

Boundaries changed all over the state, though not all that much in one Chicago Senate district that nonetheless is seeing a big Democratic primary fight. The 5th District is entirely within Chicago - a bit of the North Side, but mostly on the West.

Collins v. Watkins

"How you doing? God bless you," Patricia Van Pelt Watins greeted potential voters in the entranceway of a charter school in the Lawndale neighborhood.

Some parents tell Watkins they voted for her last year when she ran for Chicago mayor. Watkins hears that a lot, but doesn't always believe it.

"Right. Because there's too many of them," Watkins said. "Wait a minute. I only got [9,704] votes. How in the world did all these people vote for me? I guess they wanted to in their hearts."

The state Senate, some voters tell Watkins, is where she ought to be.

"Yeah, because they think this position fits me better," she said.

The seat used to be held by the outspoken Rickey Hendon, until he resigned - suddenly and without much explanation - early last year. Watkins applied for the vacancy, but Democratic leaders chose Annazette Collins, who'd served a decade in the state House.

"Well, if I win [a full term], people will have recognized that we've done a good job," Collins said in an interview last week at her office.

Collins talked of her efforts to overhaul the state's youth prison system. She boasted of bringing lots of state money home to the district, a positive symptom of seniority she said Watkins would be without.

"If I lose, it means that there are people who want change, and they want something different. And our community is upset. People are mad. They're mad at the president because things aren't changing fast enough. They're mad at everybody, except themselves," Collins said.

A loss could also mean that voters gave weight to some of the negatives lobbed Collins' way in recent months. Media reports have questioned whether she really lives in the district, as required by law. Last week the Sun-Times reported she gave university scholarships to people who live outside her district.

"I don't know that [this election is] so much tougher [than in the past], but it's very nasty," Collins said.

Collins had a public showdown recently with Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, a Watkins supporter who compared Collins to former Governor Rod Blagojevich.

But with turnout expected to be brutally low, Collins is counting on a strong get-out-the-vote game. Helping lead those efforts as a paid member of her campaign team: Rickey Hendon, the onetime politician whose abrupt resignation a year ago put this seat in play.

City Council anticipating ward map compromise--and parliamentary maneuvers

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:41:00 -0600

The remap of Chicago's 50 wards was not quite a done deal. The Chicago City Council's rules committee met Thursday morning and they were expected to pass a compromise map. However, it may not get past the full City Council Thursday because at least two aldermen plan to delay a vote with a parliamentary procedure called a, "defer and publish." WBEZ's reporter Sam Hudzik joined Eight Forty-Eight from City Hall and WBEZ's Chip Mitchell joined the show from WBEZ's West Side bureau, near where a public hearing on the map was held Wednesday night. Then, former alderman Helen Shiller (46^th) related her experience of having to go through the process of remaps after the 1990 and 2000 censuses.

Chicago City Council continues to meet on ward re-map

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:56:00 -0600

Chicago aldermen are still hashing out a compromise on re-drawing ward boundaries.

Tuesday the Chicago City Council rules committee is scheduled to meet on changing the city ward map. Aldermanic boundaries are being altered because of changes in population from the most recent census. The Latino and black caucuses of the city council have competing maps.

Third Ward Ald. Pat Dowell said she doesn’t think a vote will happen this week. She said aldermen are still attending public hearings. She backs the black caucus map.

"What I think is happening is great conversation is occurring between the various caucuses. We have been attending these public meetings and hearing feedback from the community about the map," Dowell said.

A redistricting public hearing is scheduled for this Wednesday on the West Side. And the rules committee plans to meet again on Thursday.

At one public meeting last week, residents accused aldermen of trying to protect their own seats.

Last week the leaders of both caucuses said they had reached a compromise.

Public sounds off on ward remap proposals

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 06:41:00 -0600

Frustrated Chicagoans accused aldermen of shattering communities to protect their incumbencies at the first public hearing on the city’s ward remap process Wednesday night.

At least 600 people flooded into DePaul University’s Student Center in Lincoln Park, with many forced to wait temporarily outside closed doors due to concerns that attendance would exceed fire code limits. For three hours, scores of city residents hurled criticism at the more than 20 attending aldermen, and the two maps they created.

“This map is unwise for all Chicagoans, because it not only shatters our communities, it fails to accurately reflect the city’s current ethnic and racial balance,” said Daniel Varanauski, President of the Wrightwood Neighbors Association in the 43rd Ward, where the hearing was held.

Varanauski and hundreds of other 43rd Ward residents came to put pressure on council members against the map that appears to be gaining the most traction at City Hall – The Map for a Better Chicago. That map, proposed by the council’s Black Caucus, would carve the 43rd Ward on Chicago’s North Side into five wards.

“If adopted, as Alderman (Michelle) Smith (43rd) suggested, costly litigation would result,” added Varanauski. “Moreover, it is so gerrymandered that ward services could not be delivered effectively.”

The meeting was heavily attended by residents of Chicago’s North Side, who have felt largely cut out of the political jockeying between the city’s two largest minority groups – Hispanics and African-Americans – on the South and West Sides.

“I am an angry citizen tonight. This is a joke of a map,” said 43rd Ward resident Colleen Day, referring to the Map for a Better Chicago. “I will no longer live in my ward. I will live in the 2nd Ward. My daughter will go to school in the 43rd Ward, which is 100 feet from my house. My police station will be in the 44th Ward,” she said. “Who do I go talk to when I have a problem?”

“The Map for a Better Chicago seems to me to be just protecting incumbents instead of reflecting the actual demographics of the City of Chicago,” said Bob Stein of the 43rd Ward. “I don’t understand how this type of old Chicago-style politics, in this day and age, can still be happening.”

Stein and many others said they prefer the map proposed by the City Council’s Hispanic Caucus, called the Taxpayer Protection Map. They said that map conforms more closely with existing ward and neighborhood boundaries on the North Side.

At times Alderman Richard Mell (33rd), Chairman of City Council’s Committee on Rules, responded to comments and questions posed directly to the aldermen. “I don’t think any of these colleagues up here would want a change,” said Mell at one point, gesturing to his fellow aldermen seated next to and behind him on the stage. “If they could keep the ward exactly the way they wanted, they’d be very, very happy to do it.”

Mell told one speaker that the Map for a Better Chicago overpopulated North Side Wards and underpopulated South Side wards, thereby weighting individuals’ votes unequally, because it was necessary to get more aldermen to sign onto the plan.

“I can guarantee you that not one person here is thrilled with these maps that are up here right now,” said Mell.

Other aldermen at the hearing included Joe Moreno (1st), Robert Fioretti (2nd), Pat Dowell (3rd), Leslie Hairston (5th), John Pope (10th), James Balcer (11th), George Cardenas (12th), Toni Foulkes (15), JoAnn Thompson (16th), Latasha Thomas (17th), Howard Brookins (21st), Daniel Solis (25th), Walter Burnett (27th), Ariel Reboyras (30th), Scott Waguespack (32nd), Rey Colon (35th), Nicholas Sposato (36th), Michelle Smith (43rd), Thomas Tunney (44th), and John Arena (45th).

But with aldermen possibly voting on new boundaries for Chicago’s wards as soon as next week, several speakers said the public hearing felt like a sham.

“Is this a fait accompli?” asked Edwin Marshall, resident of the 43rd Ward. “How many are you taking these statements seriously?,” he asked the aldermen. “Is this an exercise in futility?”

Many asked the aldermen to take more time either to create a new map, or to more fully consider the impact of the two main maps on neighborhoods. The City Council plans to hold three additional public hearings before voting on a map.

Are Chicago ward remaps impossible to figure out?

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:48:00 -0600

Last week, we here at WBEZ attempted to add clarity to the ward redistricting process (or #ReMap for you Twitterati).

We were fortunate enough to obtain map data files from each of the caucuses, which allowed us to make our own Google Map versions of the ward maps.

The debate over redistricting is a quintessential Chicago political story, one that involves race, ethnicity, clout and, ultimately, who has access to power. In this case, there are maps from multiple sources, including those proposed by the City Council's Black and Latino caucuses, as well as the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) and the Pro Bono Thinking Society. Each has filed an ordinance with the City Clerk.

The most confusing part of this saga for the public, however, is trying to determine which map is best for the city and what any of them might actually mean for any given household. Why? It's nearly impossible to determine where your house falls in any of the versions released so far.

So we stepped in to try to fill the void.

But first a quick bit of background: In order for a ward map to be officially considered, it must be first submitted as an ordinance to the City Clerk. What that means is that the proposed map is actually not submitted as a map at all; it's submitted as a text document with page after page of street names, directional coordinates, block numbers, etc. Imagine a Google Maps text directions printout - for all 50 ward boundaries in the city.

Within hours of posting our versions of the proposed maps, we received a lot of responses. It was the first time many could determine the extent of the redistricting and what some would call gerrymandering.

We also received some emails and Tweets voicing specific concerns about one of our maps: the Black Caucus, also called the "Map for a Better Chicago". This map currently has 32 alderman sponsoring it, which makes it the leading candidate to win approval, assuming the process doesn't end in a city council stalemate. Such a stalemate would trigger a public referendum, and possibly a court battle.

Anyway, our Web readers pointed out that many of the boundaries in our Google-created version of the map didn't mesh with the descriptions in the "Map for a Better Chicago" ordinance, the 79-page document signed and submitted by the aldermen. The reason: The map was modified in the rules committee, and no electronic version was yet available.

In attempting to build out a new map, we wanted to answer another question:

How hard is it for the average Chicagoan to figure out their ward based entirely on the ordinances available to the public? For reference, here are links to the proposed ordinances:

Sponsored by aldermen:

Black Caucus
Latino Caucus

Independent submissions:

Pro Bono Thinking Society
MALDEF
Citizen Percy Ross (wants the wards unchanged)

The documents read as if it they were printed on parchment, with language such as "thence northerly" and references to railroad right-of-ways, such as the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, not commonly used in modern mapping devices and websites.

There are also coordinates that are not your of standard longitude, latitude variety. Descriptions identify points not visible by streets or barriers. These are deemed "Nonvisible Linear Legal/Statistical Boundaries" and are denoted with something known a TLID.

TLID is Census jargon for TigerLine ID, or shapes/coordinates that are used for census tracts. These are not run-of-the-mill maps, but rather, sophisticated mapping coordinates that are used by professional cartographers, urban planners and certain government agencies like, well, the U.S. Census Bureau.

Further, some of the language in the descriptions is so vague as to simply say "Alley". Which alley? And in other instances, descriptions refer to "Local Neighborhood Road, Rural Road, City Street" when "continue west on Archer Avenue" would have been much clearer and more helpful.

Wait, Wait . . . Gerrymander South!

Accuracy is paramount when mapping and redistricting, especially when race and population have to be taken into account.

But when we attempted to map the "Map For a Better Chicago," based entirely on the descriptions submitted we noticed a few things. The descriptions, sans 'thence' and the adverb-ification of directions are akin to a car GPS, a TomTom that is geopolitically slicing and dicing neighborhoods.

The maps were generated with the aid of mapmaking software, according to one source. However, it doesn't always seem to get the job done correctly. On the few wards I've been able to draw out manually, I found several directional errors, where instructions say to head north to a street, when the said street is in fact south of the last position.

One proposed ward description runs 5 pages.

Full disclosure: I haven't the resources to deep-dive into the other submitted map proposals, focusing squarely on the Black Caucus as it has the most aldermen sponsoring it, and the lack of updated electronic files to verify the descriptions faster.

Here's a shortlist of errors from the Black Caucus Map after drawing out 11 wards thus far:

12^th Ward

Start Point: W. Cermak Rd. & S. Homan Ave.
Direction: North
Given Destination: 26^th Street

Start Point: Pershing Rd. & Kedzie Ave.
Direction: North
Given Destination: 42^nd Street

Start Point: S. Archer Ave. & Damen Ave.
Direction: North
Given Destination: W. 35^th St.

24^th Ward

Start Point: I-290 & S. Kedzie
Direction: North
Given Destination: W. Harrison St.

Start Point: S. California & Chicago Burlington and Quincy RR (1/2 block south of 19^th street)
Direction: South
Given Destination: W. 18^th St.

14^th Ward

Start Point: Pershing Rd. & Kedzie Ave.
Direction: North
Given Destination: 42^nd St.

Start Point: S. Archer Ave. & S. Lockwood Ave.
Direction: South
Given Destination: 51^st St.

47^th Ward

Start Point: W. Addison St. & N. Western Ave.
Direction: North
Given Destination: W. Belmont Ave.

In short, it took 2 days just to manually draw out 11 wards, some more complex with others. (Progress shown on the right.) There are 50 wards, 5 map proposals, and mounds of census data to sort.

Is it easy? No.

Is it possible for anybody without a computer to figure this data out? No.

Is it possible for seasoned political reporters and community activists to easily sort this data without help, a lot of time, Google Earth/Maps and a lot of monitors? Not really.

Is it possible that, despite the many errors found on the descriptions, that aldermen signed it without double-checking the boundaries? Yes.

Is it likely that the maps are being redrawn in closed-door sessions, with a bigger emphasis on keeping incumbant aldermen and not on maintaining neighborhood integrity and race demographics? That the proposed remaps are so complex that a team of cartographers are needed to figure out which alderman you need to voice your concern to?

But it's not just accuracy that's a concern. Transparency has also been hard to come by in this remap process.

The only "visible" maps that the various groups released to the public contained no streets or neighborhood boundaries. The Pro Bono Thinking Society was the only group to have an electronic version available to determine where voters wind up. The group, however, has received little or no coverage in the media.

Without clear, visual representations of the proposed ward boundaries, however, voters are then left to decode near-Byzantine descriptions to attempt a general understanding of where their ward will be.

Whether intentional or not, one thing is clear: The process keeps the rest of us out of the loop and largely uninformed about the process of determining for whom, how and where we cast our ballots in the City of Chicago.

Judges delay filing deadline for Congressional candidates

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 20:19:00 -0600

Political campaigns can start filing petitions to run for office in Cook County Monday. But some federal judges have ordered those seeking office in Washington, D.C. to wait a while longer.

Candidates running for Congress around Illinois were supposed to start filing petitions with the board of elections today . Now, they have to wait until December 23rd to file. That's a new date set by a panel of federal judges in Chicago.

The decision comes after a group sued over the new Congressional boundaries in Illinois. Illinois Democrats controlled the redistricting process and Republicans say the new congressional districts aren't fair.

Rupert Borgsmiller heads the Illinois State Board of Elections. He said delaying the filing process could complicate how someone's candidacy is challenged.

"When you compact the time frame, it does put a little more pressure on the process to get it completed," Borgsmiller said. "But it is something that I think we can work with and we will make sure that it gets taken care of."

Illinois' primary is March 20th.

Facing new map, some DuPage GOP infighting ahead of primary

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 05:00:00 -0500

Some tough Republican primaries are shaping up in a few Illinois state Senate districts in DuPage County, the result of new political boundaries drawn by Democrats.

State Rep. Randy Ramey, chair of the DuPage County GOP, said that for the past few months, he's tried to figure out ways to avoid difficult primaries for sitting lawmakers. That's a tall order given that the new map lumps incumbents into the same districts.

"We've had various meetings throughout the county, talking with fellow legislators," Ramey said. "We thought we had a good plan in place, but then again, it's always up to the individual to decide if they're going to do it or not."

Ramey's plan had him taking over the state Senate seat now held by fellow Republican Carole Pankau. Ramey said he wanted her to retire, with her pension and a potential appointment to a government board. But Pankau has so far declined.

"There were many things discussed, but discussions are not necessarily reality," Pankau said. "So I am dealing with what is here and now, and I am running again."

There's another contested GOP primary in a neighboring state Senate district. Sen. Kirk Dillard is facing a challenge from Rep. Chris Nybo.

Republican leaders have challenged the new legislative map in a federal lawsuit, alleging it discriminates against minorities. They also said it discriminates against Republicans by putting the party's incumbents together.

Ramey said he does not expect the courts to make things easier for DuPage Republicans, because he doubts the suit will succeed.

"The legislative lawsuit, and you have to look at the past history, has never moved forward," Ramey said.

Ramey adds that if that suit - now in federal court - is bumped to state court, it would face a system dominated by Democrats.

"If it goes through the Democratic courts and gets to the Democratic Supreme Court in Illinois, I don't see how they change it," he said.

Public debate begins over Chicago's ward redistricting

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:51:00 -0500

A stand-off over the racial and ethnic makeup of Chicago's City Council got going Monday with a proposal from its Black Caucus. The group proposed new ward boundaries favorable to its 19 members.

The most recent Census data show that Chicago has lost nearly 180,000 African American residents in the past 10 years. That's the equivalent of more than three seats on the City Council.

But the caucus has drawn a ward map that could protect its members.

"The African American community basically lives in certain areas. So they are still concentrated in particular areas where we were able to draw 19 African American wards," said former Ald. Freddrenna Lyle, the group's lawyer.

That's a loss of one majority black ward from the map drawn in 2001, though that seat is no longer represented by an African American alderman.

"The goals of the black caucus were to maintain the maximum number that the law would permit us of African American representation," said Ald. Howard Brookins, caucus chair.

The release of these draft boundaries sets up a clash between the Black Caucus and the Hispanic Caucus, whose members say there needs to be a substantial increase in the number of majority Hispanic wards.

The Black Caucus map tentatively includes an increase of two wards where Hispanics have a voting-age majority. That's not enough for Ald. Danny Solis, chair of the Hispanic Caucus.

"I have to study it a little bit more, but I don't think it really reflects the population increase of the Hispanic population," Solis said Monday afternoon.

The city's Hispanic population grew by about 25,000 in the past decade. Solis said his caucus will hold public meetings before unveiling its own map.

These proposals are the opening offers in redistricting negotiations. Ten years ago, most aldermen agreed on a compromise, but past redistricting efforts have ended in lengthy legal disputes.

Boehner visits Chicagoland fundraiser to challenge congressional map

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 19:04:00 -0500

US Speaker of the House John Boehner is visiting the Chicago area to help raise money for a Republican legal challenge to the new Democrat-drawn congressional districts. The fundraiser will take place at a home in Hinsdale, organized by a group called the Committee for a Fair and Balanced Map.

Pat Brady, chairman of the Illinois Republican Party, says Boehner's presence is sure to draw a large audience--and a lot of money--for the cause.

"Speaker Boehner is really good at these events, and I think that a lot of people are really irritated with the way that Mike Madigan and John Cullerton shoved this map down the throats of the people--basically trying to undo the election where we picked up five congressional seats," Brady said.

Republican members of the U.S. House banded together this summer to sue the Illinois State Board of Elections. Though not involved directly with the lawsuit, Brady said the new legislative districts were unfairly drawn, especially for Hispanic voters.

Democratic Governor Pat Quinn has said the map represents the state well and protects the voting rights of minorities.

GOP members of Congress sue Illinois over remap

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 20:54:00 -0500

Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois are suing the state over new boundaries for congressional districts.

According to the lawsuit filed in federal court, the new map is an "outrageous partisan gerrymander" designed to eliminate five Republicans in next year's election.

The lawsuit also makes the case that Latino voting power is being diluted. The map, it claims, packs "an excessive super-majority of Latino voters" into U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez's district.

The complaint was filed by all of the state's congressional Republicans except for U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson.

"While Congressman Johnson believes the redistricting process leading to this map was unfair and a distortion of the people's wishes, these challenges have not succeeded in the past," said Johnson's spokesman, Phil Bloomer. "So Congressman Johnson has decided to devote his energy and his resources to his re-election campaign."

Bloomer added that Johnson is "hopeful that an impartial court will modify the map in a way that's in the voters' best interests."

If the map remains intact, it's likely to set up some incumbent-versus-incumbent GOP primary fights. One Republican House member who finds himself in a complicated political position is freshman Joe Walsh from the Northwest suburbs. He currently represents the 8th Congressional District.

"I know I'm running somewhere," Walsh said Tuesday, before the lawsuit was filed. "I don't know where. I live in what would be the new 14th. My district office is in what would be the new 10th. A big chunk of my district is in what would be the new 6th."

If Walsh does choose to run where he lives - the 14th - it is likely to set up a primary against another freshman congressman, Randy Hultgren.

On Wednesday, the heavy-weight conservative group Club for Growth announced in a news release that if the redistricting lawsuit fails, it will endorse Walsh for that seat.

"In less than a year, Congressman Walsh has distinguished himself as a pro-growth leader," said Chris Chocola, the group's president and a former congressman from Indiana.

Hultgren's staff didn't immediately return requests for comment.

Last week the GOP's leaders in the Illinois legislature, state Rep. Tom Cross and state Sen. Christine Radogno, sued the state over the boundaries included in the map for state legislative districts.

Both lawsuits name as defendants the Illinois State Board of Elections, which will be represented in court by the office of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan.

Regarding both cases, Madigan spokeswoman Robyn Ziegler emailed, "We plan to vigorously defend the state."