McHenry County Blog

This is the wish fulfillment of most Republican Congressmen in Illinois.

It was filed in Federal Court today.

Here’s the press release that goes with it:

Statement of Republican U.S. House Members from Illinois on
the Proposed Congressional Map Filed Today in Federal Court

“The Fair Map filed in federal court today proves that it is possible to create congressional districts that respect both constitutional and democratic principles.  More importantly, this map stands in stark contrast to the contorted map passed by the Democrats, which is so gerrymandered that it can have no goal but to maximize partisan advantage by disregarding the will of Illinois voters.

“The Fair Map specifically addresses the problems with the Democrats’ map by providing a second district for the state’s growing Latino population, creating district lines that satisfy the tests for compactness, and protecting communities of interest by keeping them wholly within individual districts.

“We look forward to an impartial hearing in court that exposes the fatal flaws in the Democrats’ Illinois congressional redistricting scheme and recognizes the fact that creating fair, compact, and representative congressional districts is not only possible, but necessary.”

Rep. Judy Biggert (Il-13)                    Rep. Peter Roskam (Il-6)

Rep. Robert Dold (Il-10)                    Rep. Bobby Schilling (Il-17)

Rep. Randy Hultgren (Il-14)             Rep. Aaron Schock (Il-18)

Rep. Adam Kinzinger (Il-11)              Rep. John Shimkus (Il-19)

Rep. Don Manzullo (Il-16)                 Rep. Joe Walsh (Il-8)

Here’s a comparison of map lines in Northeastern Illinois:

The Republican map certainly looks more rational than the Democrats'.

McHenry County would be the center of the 8th Congressional District proposed by Republicans. It looks like a better map for State Rep. Jack Franks (D-Marengo) than what Illinois Democrats handed him.

Joe Walsh, a resident between McHenry and Johnsburg, would be the incumbent.
In the Democrats version of the 14th District, both Walsh and 14th District incumbent Randy Hultgren would reside in the same district.

Joe Walsh would be the incumbent in this 8th Congressional District, the Republican Party's version.

It, however, is heavily Republican, including both Boone County, northern Kane County and going east into and perhaps beyond Barrington Township in Cook County.

Just as with the Democrats’ remap, incumbent Congressman Don Manzullo would lose McHenry County. Unlike in the Democrats’ plan, his district would not encircle the Chicago metropolitan area ending up on the Illinois-Indiana line south of Kankakee.

Don Manzullo would be the incumbent in this GOP version of the 16th Congressional District.

Here is a press release from all of Illinois’ members of Congress, except Tim Johnson:

Statement of Republican U.S. House Members from Illinois
on the Federal Lawsuit Challenging
the Democrats’ Congressional Redistricting Map

“In joining this lawsuit, we strongly contest the Democrats’ congressional redistricting map in Illinois. From the beginning, we have said that this map cannot stand, because it disrespects the will of voters, discriminates against the state’s growing Hispanic population, and fails the tests for compactness and protecting communities of interest.

“While we are disappointed that Governor Quinn chose to rubber-stamp this flawed map, we are confident that an impartial review of the facts in court will expose the serious defects in this map and reverse the naked partisan power-grab contemplated by the Democrats.

“We look forward to the restoration of fairness and Constitutional principles in the redistricting process. The creation of a balanced congressional map is necessary to ensure that the people of Illinois have an opportunity to express their will at the ballot box and elect those representatives who best reflect their shared interests.”

Rep. Judy Biggert (Il-13)
Rep. Robert Dold (Il-10)
Rep. Randy Hultgren (Il-14)
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (Il-11)
Rep. Don Manzullo (Il-16)
Rep. Peter Roskam (Il-6)
Rep. Bobby Schilling (Il-17)
Rep. Aaron Schock (Il-18)
Rep. John Shimkus (Il-19)
Rep. Joe Walsh (Il-8)

A press release from State Rep. Mike Tryon:

Republicans and Concerned Citizens File Lawsuit to

Invalidate 2011 Legislative Map

 CHICAGO…..Today in Federal Court, minority leaders from the Illinois House and Senate, along with many concerned citizens, filed a lawsuit challenging the validity of the 2011 General Assembly redistricting map.

Representative Mike Tryon (R-Crystal Lake) said he supports the effort to challenge the validity of the map. “House Minority Leader Tom Cross and Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno will serve as plaintiffs in the suit,” said Tryon. “The map, drawn by Democrats behind closed doors, protects their party’s grip on Illinois politics for the next 10 years and takes away from many people the most sacred right they have in a democratic society- the right to vote.”

Three state senate and state representative districts meet in Crystal Lake.

According to Tryon, the group who filed the suit believes the new map is in direct violation of the Federal Voting Rights Act of 1965 and other elements of the U.S. and Illinois Constitutions. Specifically, the suit claims that African Americans and Latinos have not been provided a fair opportunity to participate in the political process. It also claims that the map violates the 1^st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution because it dilutes the voting power of Republican voters throughout the state.

“For years we have pushed for a redistricting process that takes the redrawing of legislative maps out of the hands of politicians so that a fair map can be computer-generated,” said Tryon. “That effort was blocked by the Democrats and today we renew our belief in a fair map that protects all residents’ rights for the next decade and beyond.”

If the plaintiffs are successful, the court could direct the General Assembly to redraw the district boundaries of all or parts of the state within a specific deadline, it could direct a “Special Master” to redraw the lines, or it could direct a Legislative Redistricting Commission, as provided by the Constitution, to draw the boundaries with equal appointments made by the four legislative leaders of the Illinois House and Senate.

Now that he has jettisoned the people of Spring Grove from his 63rd District, State Rep. Jack Franks sees no need to participate in their 4th of July Parade. Click to enlarge.

Now that Democrat State Rep. Jack Franks has dumped the Spring Grove precincts he lost to Republican John O’Neill, Franks has no need to press the flesh prior to the next election.

When you’re part of the majority, a representative can keep the parts of his district where he did well and get rid of the precincts he lost.

So, Spring Grove is no longer in Franks’ new 63rd state representative district.

And Franks is skipping the parade.  Nothing else on his schedule on Independence Day.

John O’Neill, however, will be in the parade.

I checked with him and he says he plans to be in the Spring Grove parade on July 4th.

He will be there for Ray Chevrolet in Fox Lake and wants everybody to know that when you are looking for a vehicle,

“If you want a deal, see John O’Neill.” 

Hmm, whom would I rather have represent me in Springfield, a lawyer or a car salesman?

And in Congress, Melissa Bean or Joe Walsh?

And as President, Barack Obama or some Republican?

I’ll keep my John O’Neill bumper sticker.

Candidates, start your engines. The new McHenry County Board district lines have been approved.

In an 18-4 vote, the 24-member McHenry County Board approved a redistricting that was recommended by its Legislative Committee.

In generator-produced lighting, District 1's Anna May Miller from Cary presents her map, which included all of the northeastern part of Algonquin Township in her district.

The four on the minority side of the question were

• Anna May Miller, who presented an amendment to include all of the Algonquin Township part of Cary in her District 1, while shifting other districts in a counter clockwise direction into other districts,
• Bob Bless from Fox River Grove, also from District 1,
• Marc Munaretto of Algonquin, from District 1, and
• Ken Koehler of District 2, who beat Munaretto for McHenry County Board Chairman.

Had the District 1 board members succeeded, the Algonquin Township part of Cary-Grove High School catchment area would have been in that district.  The population lost from those precincts was made up in the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills area west of Randall Road.

Since it wasn’t District 3 remains a Nunda Township-based district.

Discussion ranged from

• the parochial interests of keeping the Cary community more unified to
• dissatisfaction with having no one from Districts 3 and 6 present at the rump meeting when the District 1-initiated changes were discussed to
• dismay at “a very blatant circumvention” of the Open Meetings law, as Donna Kurtz put it.

“No one stood up and said, ‘We may be violating the Open Meetings Act,’” she said, arguing for the amendment’s defeat.

Democrat Kathy Bergan Schmidt was so disgusted with the process, she began by saying,
“Oh, where to begin.”

She pointed out that Miller’s first amendment request was inadequate because it did not make necessary changes in other districts.

And, “if you do that, you create districts that are more unequal in size.”

She said the variance would be 4.3%, when the board had set a guideline of 3%.

Schmidt also was caustic about board members needing “to learn the concept of a walking quorum.”

McHenry County Board members present for the redistricting debate.

Three members of the Legislative Committee, Munaretto, Nick Provenzano and John Jung took part in a meeting which may or may not have violated the Open Meetings Act (the Northwest Herald has filed a complaint with the Public Access Counselor of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office).  While the law is clear that a majority of a committee quorum may not meet without giving public notice, no more than two of those three were in the meeting with Koehler and Miller at one time.

At about this time, Commonwealth Edison started supplying electricity again and the level of lighting in the room went back up.

Provenzano defended the process of allowing non-committee members to have input in the remap process.

“To call that something created in secret is disappointing,” he said.

District 6 member Ersel Schuster and District 4 member John Hammerand weighed in with the view they would have liked to have been included in the meeting.

Kurtz re-entered the debate.

“The culture of this board has to change, if any of you don’t think the Open Meetings Act was seriously violated.

“No, you don’t wish you had been invited to the meeting.  (The committee) was the place to have input.

“I see a real opportunity for us to engage in some serious training and respect each other.  We need to follow the law and not flirt with any violation of it.”

“If Ms. Kurtz thinks we should not have (the opportunity) for two members to talk to each other, (business could not be conducted).”  He explained how members talk to each other all the time out of the view of the public.

“I think Mr. Provenzano didn’t hear my comment,” Kurtz immediately retorted after being recognized for a third time in the debate.

“We all know that three people from any committee have to be talking about an issue for that act to be violated and that’s exactly what happened.”

JoAnn Osmond at work on the House floor.

When Illinois Democrats sliced up McHenry County, giving Crystal Lake parts of three state representative and senate districts, State Rep. Mike Tryon’s home was put in the 66th District.

Osmond served as head of Lake County Republican Central Committee, so she has contacts through the new 61st District.

Antioch State Rep. JoAnn Osmond’s home was assigned to the 64th District. She was the only resident incumbent.

The district is comprised of about 51% Lake County voters and 49% McHenry County.

Osmond had to decide where to run.

Today I received the following answer to my question of where:

I have and I will be running in the 61st which means that I will have to move, but that will be two years off and only subject to my winning again.

She is going to try to retrain the district which she now represents, the 61st.  If she wins, the state constitution says she will have to move into the new district in order to run in 2014.

The 61st District is seen below.  Click to enlarge.

The 61st Illinois state rep. dist. Map prepared by Elgin-based political consultant Drew Veeneman.

That leaves the 64th district without an incumbent.  You see the boundaries below:

The 64 state rep. district. Click to enlarge. Prepared by Elgin-based political consultant Drew Veeneman.

A press release from State Rep. Mike Tryon. announcing that he will run for re-election in the southernmost of the three districts into which Crystal Lake was divided.

Rep. Mike Tryon to Seek Re-Election to House of Representatives

Crystal Lake Republican will run in District 66 in 2012

CRYSTAL LAKE….. State Representative Michael W. Tryon (R-Crystal Lake) has announced that he will seek re-election to the Illinois General Assembly in 2012 in the newly-drawn district where he currently resides.

This map of the 66th state representative district was created by Drew Veeneman, a political consultant based in Elgin.

Tryon, who has served as the State Representative for District 64 since 2005, will seek the seat in District 66 since he will no longer be a resident of District 64 when the new legislative map takes effect.

The new District 66 encompasses the southwestern portion of Crystal Lake, and portions of Lakewood, Algonquin, Lake in the Hills and Huntley.

About 30% of the new District 66 area extends into Kane County and includes portions of East and West Dundee, Carpentersville, Sleepy Hollow, Gilberts, rural Pingree Grove and Elgin.

Mike Tryon

“It appears that the new map will allow me to keep between 65% and 70% of my current constituents,” said Tryon. “While I am disappointed to be losing most of Crystal Lake, the Sun City portion of Huntley, the older section of Lakewood and a few other parts of my current district, I look forward to working hard on new issues with my new constituents in Kane County.”

When the new map takes effect, District 64 will include most of Crystal Lake, the northeastern edge of McHenry County and a significant section of Lake County up to the state line. Representative JoAnn Osmond (R-Antioch) currently residents in what will become District 64.

Tryon’s announcement ends speculation that he will seek a new state Senate seat that is being created through the new map.

“While the Senate seat was tempting, I’m quite content in the House of Representatives,” said Tryon. “I believe that through the relationships I have built and the knowledge I have gained since becoming a legislator, I will best be able to serve residents of McHenry and Kane Counties by remaining in the House of Representatives.”

In addition to maintaining his work on behalf of current District 64 constituents, Tryon will spend the next several months learning about the issues that affect Kane County and developing relationships with the stakeholders and elected officials there.

Political consultant Drew Veeneman prepared this 2012 congressional map for Illinois. State Rep. Jack Franks is certainly correct in saying it is gerrymandered.

I commented on State Rep. Jack Franks’ having criticized the reapportionment process, but voting for the terribly gerrymandered map his Democratic Party leaders concocted for the Illinois General Assembly.

The article was entitled,

“Jack Franks Wants It Both Ways on the Remap”

When the congressional map came up for a vote yesterday, Franks voted, “No.”

He reversed course.

The Sun-Times had this quote from this only Democrat who voted against the new map:

“It seemed to me to be blatantly gerrymandered, and I didn’t want any part of it.

“You look at how these districts were drawn to protect incumbents in both parties.

“It was just pure power politics.

“I don’t know who cut the deals in the back room.”

You see below the Chicago area map of state representative districts which Franks voted for.

Jack Franks thought this map was good enough to vote for. Note the worm-like extensions of state rep. districts coming out of Chicago. No gerrymandinger there. No, Siree. Map by political consultant Drew Veeneman.

You can’t see any examples of gerrymandered districts there can you?

Nothing that snakes out into the suburbs to protect Chicago incumbents from the loss of two state rep. districts because the city lost 200,000 people over the last ten years, right?

So, it’s safe to conclude that Franks’ positive vote on the General Assembly remap followed by his negative vote on the congressional remap had nothing to do with firmly held principals.

I certainly don’t suggest that my pointing out his seeming hypocrisy previously convinced him to vote against the map that drew Franks out of Congressman Don Manzullo’s Rockford-based district and into a district that contains Joe Walsh and Randy Hultgren.

But there might be a reason that my political mind could understand for the flip-flop, the sudden Paul-like conversion on the road to Damascus.

I have been suggesting that Franks wanted to see all of McHenry County in one congressional district.

That would have given him what he would consider a “base” of over 300,000 people out of the 713, 682 people in each congressional district.

Remember that trip to Ireland with House Speaker Mike Madigan, Senate President John Cullerton and other political notables.

That was when Franks was still being coy about running for Governor.

I figured he had cut a deal to run for re-election as state representative in return for a McHenry County-based congressional district.

Shorty thereafter, Franks withdrew from the governor’s race, giving the story to the Northwest Herald.

Only the Galesburg paper noticed.

The U.S. Capitol as seen in 1983.

Talk turned to Congress after Joe Walsh’s narrow 8th District victory over Melissa Bean, someone whom Franks campaigned door-to-door for.

Made sense to me.

Madigan would create a district in which Franks would stand a good chance and there’s a win-win for Madigan and Franks.

Pretty good sources have told me that the relationship between Franks and Madigan are not so hot.

So a favorable congressional map would make Franks happy. He would have a chance for advancement and, at the same time, get out from under the stultifying dominance that Madigan has asserted since Lee Daniels’ lost the Speakership in 1997.

And Franks’ leaving the Illinois House would please Madigan. He wouldn’t have to worry about what Franks was going to do next.

Franks has been acting like he was preparing a run that included the southeaster part of McHenry County.

First Electric Newspaper featured a photo of Franks and Living Waters Lutheran Church Pastor Carol Gates in a short article telling of Franks’ having invited her to give the invocation prior to session in March of this year.  (Franks doesn’t send his press releases to McHenry County Blog.)

That is way, way out of his 63rd legislative district.

And Franks was soliciting campaign contributions in Algonquin Township for a breakfast fundraiser.

Not only was a mailing sent, but follow-up phone calls were made.

Algonquin Township is farther away from Franks’ district than the Living Waters Lutheran Church.

So, why was Jack Franks the only Democrat to vote against the congressional reapportionment map his Speaker put together?

I think it was because Madigan refused to give Franks what he wanted—a congressional district containing all of McHenry County.

Instead of acceding to Franks’ wishes and ambition, Madigan split off the 88,389 people living in Algonquin Township.

Apparently no one was in the “back room” looking out for Jack Franks’ interests, so he voted, “No.”

Did you know that each congressional district but two in Illinois have 712,813 people?

The other two have 712,812.

The newly-approved congressional map, awaiting Governor Pat Quinn's signature.

So, as far as making them of equal size, Illinois Democrats did a superb job.

The current congressional map for Illinois.

Although the ethnic concentration requirements, which have never held much interest for me, even though they will be the basis of any challenge by Republicans, how the electorate was rearranged does pique my curiosity.

The following table shows this information for each of Illinois’ congressional districts:

Where people were under the 2002 Illinois congressional districts and where they will be starting ni 2012. Click to enlarge.

Let’s take a closer look at the three districts into which McHenry County is or will be.

First, Don Manzullo’s 16th congressional district.  Here’s where the 718,791 people in the current 16th District ended up.

Most remained in the 16th District.

314,072, to be exact.

209,889 were placed in the 17th District.

That’s a district that goes to the Mississippi River hooking around the new 16th District’s north-south portion as it pretty much rings the collar counties from the Wisconsin border on its way to the Indiana border south of Kankakee.

It also hooks around the upper part of the 18th District like a cloud forming into a tornado.

The vast majority live in the City of Rockford.

106,441 were from Alden, Chemung, Coral, Dunham, Grafton,Hartland, Marengo, Nunda, Riley and Seneca Townships in McHenry County.

Basically, the western half of McHenry County, plus Grafton Township and the Crystal Lake part of Nunda Township.

88,389 gave been assigned to the 6th congressional district.

That is the Algonquin Township part of the current 16th District.

They will presumably be represented by Congressman Peter Roskam after the next election.

Congressman Joe Walsh’s current 8th District is split asunder.

104,825 go into the District numbered 6.

That’s the one where House Republican Deputy Whip Peter Roskam now resides.

Most of that population comes from McHenry County’s Algonquin Township, but some is from the lower tiers of townships in southwestern Lake County.

185,195 of the most Democratic parts of the 8th District that could be found were kept in the new 8th District, which is based in Schaumburg, which is no longer the solid Republican territory it was when Don Totten was Republican Township Committeeman.

So the new 8th is less than one-third of the old 8th.

233,771 people in the 8th were assigned to the 10th district.  That’s the part in the upper part of Lake County.  It actually contains Joe Walsh’s Fox Lake congressional office.

Almost as many people–215,049–ended up in the new vertical McHenry-Kane-DuPage County district.  Incumbent 14th District Congressman Randy Hultgren resides just inside its eastern border in DuPage County.  Joe Walsh lives near its northern border–the Wisconsin-Illinois state line, in McHenry.

With more of Joe Walsh’s district’s population going to the new 10th District, which has no resident incumbent, it occurs to me that Walsh might decide to run there, instead of in the 14th.  (The 6th with GOP Leader Peter Roskam in it, is pretty much out of the question, although Walsh has significant connections in the Barrington portion.  That’s where he grew up.)

But, 60% of the voters in the new 10th District were in the old 10th District, which Robert Dold took over from now-U.S. Senator Mark Kirk.

The 431,609 people being carried over from the old 10th District are pretty far from Dold’s home.

As you can see, 1,508 people are shunted to the 14th District.

Finally, let’s take a look at the 14th District.

Randy Hultgren is its congressman and it now butts up against the McHenry-Kane County line.

Similar havoc can be expected in states controlled by Republicans.  See if you can pick them out from the map below, which shows which states got extra congressional seats and which, like Illinois, lost one or more.

The largest portion–293,306 people–are still in the same numbered district.

But 293,306 out of 712,813 is only a bit over 40%.

The next largest contributor of constituents to the 14th District is number 11.   There are 184, 335 from there.

That’s fellow freshman Adam Kinzinger.

The 8th contributes 93,602 from McHenry County.

88,879 come from Congressman Don Manzullo’s district, also primarily from McHenry County.

Finally, 33,641 are now represented by freshman Bobby Schilling.

States who won and lost the population game.

Jack Franks confers with top Mike Madigan staffer at Marengo Reapportionment Committee hearing.

“State Rep. Jack Franks, D-Woodstock, said he would have preferred a computer-generated map,” reports Illinois Statehouse News.

How did he vote?

Would you believe with House Speaker Mike Madigan?

This is the May 27, 2011, House roll call on redistricting the Illinois General Assembly.

What instructions were given to the computer that drew this map?

Do these Chicago-area districts appear to have been drawn by a neutral computer program? Click to enlarge.