Democrats’ new map advances
Will County Board would lose 2 districts; officials work on bipartisan compromise
Will County officials from both parties are still meeting to discuss a compromise on new district maps before a planned vote this Thursday, but the board’s Executive Committee meanwhile voted along party lines last Thursday to move forward a map proposed by Democratic County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant.
“This is absolutely the definition of a partisan map,” board member Jim Moustis, a Republican from Frankfort, said before the 7-4 vote in favor of an 11-district map that reduces the size of the board by four members. “It’s a gerrymandered map as it sits. It takes the eastern part of the county, it breaks it all up. It disenfranchises communities.”
Board Speaker Mimi Cowan, a Democrat from Naperville, said members are still interested in compromising and that representatives from both the Democratic and Republican caucuses are meeting.
Every 10 years, the county board must use the latest census data to redraw district boundaries based on population shifts. A bipartisan ad hoc committee put forth a 13-district map, which is how the county is currently divided, and Bertino-Tarrant proposed an 11-district map. In both scenarios, each district would be served by two county board representatives.
The district maps are scheduled for a vote Thursday by the full county board, though they have the option of calling a special meeting. The state deadline for new maps is Nov. 17.
Board member Rachel Ventura, a Democrat from Joliet, defended the 11-district map.
“To say that our communities are being ripped apart is dishonest and disingenuous,” Ventura said. “My goal was to make sure we kept cities and townships together and then, following the law, that we also made sure communities of interest were kept together such as our farmers, such as persons of color and making sure representation was not diluted.”
Several Republicans said they felt the 13-district map was fair and was done with bipartisan support. Republican board members said many of the districts are served by one Republican and one Democrat and that both parties have swapped power over the last 10 years.
Several residents and representatives of the Lincoln-Way area as well as those in rural portions of the county have expressed concern that their districts are not fairly represented in the 11-district proposal. Mayors in Crete, Monee, Frankfort and Mokena and the Will County Farm Bureau were among those who said they preferred the 13-district maps.
Board member Judy Ogalla, a Republican from Monee, said those submitting public comments supported the 13-district plan and the board should listen to those comments.
“Public comments should matter,” Ogalla said. “If public comment doesn’t matter, then why do we have a public hearing, just for the simple formality of it? The public should have a right to have their voice heard and it should matter.”
Ogalla said the mayors who spoke or submitted written comments know their communities best and know where they want the boundary lines to be drawn.
Board Minority Leader Mike Fricilone, a Republican from Homer Glen, said the board should
vote on the 13-district map that came out of the ad hoc committee and feels the 11-district map is being forced by the Democratic Caucus.
“You Democrats have the vote if you want to ram it down the throats of our constituents, you can go ahead and ram it,” Fricilone said.
Residents and representatives in favor of the 11-district map said the move to a smaller board would save money and streamline operations, noting that Cook, DuPage and Lake counties have larger populations than Will County but smaller county boards.
The 11-district map does not raise county board members’ salaries and does not adjust county board staffing levels, said Mike Theodore, director of communications for the county executive’s office.
Bertino-Tarrant has said she worked to keep each district as close to equal as possible with a deviation in population of less than 1%. Under the 11-district proposal, each district contains about 63,062 residents.
Board Majority Leader Meta Mueller, a Democrat from Aurora, said when the county’s population grew 34% 10 years ago, the size of the board was reduced from 27 to 26 board members.
That started the precedent for streamlining government and saving taxpayer money, she said.
According to data from the latest census, the county’s population grew about 1.9% since 2010. A 22-member board would absorb this small growth, she said.
“Progress isn’t made when we resist change,” Mueller said.
“Our board members should not strive to maintain a status quo because it best meets their situation and not what is best for the county.”