Legislators gather in Elgin to hear the public’s remap wishes

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Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM

ELGIN — After each new census comes the chore of redrawing the boundaries for Illinois’ state legislature and congressional districts. And with the Fox Valley growing and becoming ethnically diverse, a public hearing Monday to gather suggestions about that process drew calls for more-compact and racially homogenous districts.

About 75 people attended the hearing at The Centre of Elgin. It was hosted by state Rep. Keith Farnham, D-Elgin, and emceed by state Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago, who heads the state House’s redistricting committee.

Illinois House staffer Travis Shea noted that court decisions and laws require that the new districts should be equal in population, be as “compact” as possible and attempt to combine people with a “community of interest” (same race, same religion, same economic status, etc.).

“Given the great increase in Latino population, we must be assured that district boundaries allowing for greater Latino representation be drawn,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of the Elgin-based Centro de Informacion Hispanic social service agency. Garcia noted that Farnham’s District 43 — which includes most of Elgin, East Dundee and Carpentersville — is now 55.67 percent Hispanic. He said it should not be divided up so as to dilute Hispanics’ influence.

Isabel Anadon, speaking for the Latino Policy Forum and a coalition of Hispanic groups called the Illinois Latino Agenda, said the latter group will submit a proposed new legislative map showing one district (in Aurora) with a majority of Latinos and six — including one in the Elgin-Carpentersville area — with a large number of Latinos.

One state House district that found few fans at the hearing was the 49th. Its seat now is held by Rep. Tim Schmitz, R-Batavia, but extends as far as Hampshire and Algonquin.

“If you look at any middle school textbook, it will describe gerrymandering, and the illustration it will show will be the 49th District, where I live,” said Sue Moylan of Elgin. Dundee Township Democratic Organization Chairman David Reece, another 49th resident, said his precinct on the east side of the Fox River shares few common concerns with people far to the west and south. With Schmitz’s base 20 miles away, “I feel like I live in no-man’s land,” Reece said.

Daniel Kairis of South Elgin said the convoluted shapes of some districts “have nothing to do with representing the people of this state. They have everything to do with getting certain legislators elected.”

Several speakers demanded that the committees unveil its proposed new maps to the public at least two weeks before the legislators vote on them.

“The residents of our community and state want to see the sun shine on this process,” said Elgin Mayor-elect Dave Kaptain. In a letter to the editor emailed to newspapers the same day, state Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady charged that the Elgin hearing and 14 similar ones to be held around the state give mere lip service to such transparency.“No proposed maps will be presented at the hearings,” Brady wrote. “The hearings are a sham. ... Nobody, including the leadership of the Republican Party, will see the map until the 11th hour.”

Comments can be emailed to ILRedistricting@gmail.com.