Will County Gazette

Lawmakers have a little more than two months to produce a final draft of the state's new legislative districts, and Republicans continue to disapprove of the Democrats proceeding with the task.

GOP lawmakers have been calling on their colleagues to hand over the mapmaking process to an independent, bipartisan commission of residents and no politicians as several legislators and advocates have grown tired of the state's decades-long reputation for gerrymandering. 

Frustrated Republicans reminded the Legislature that even the governor committed to a politician-free mapping process while he was campaigning. 

"Our purpose today is to remind members of the General Assembly [and] also Illinoisans about commitments that have been made," State Rep. Jim Durkin (R-West Springs) said in an April 21 address. "Commitments have been made every election cycle [...] everyone has campaigned on fair maps."

Durkin called out House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch (D-Westchester) for announcing support for independent remapping in 2016 but falling silent on the issue this year. In 2016 Welch said in an op-ed that an independent remapping commission would be a "win-win" and a solution to a process that “has often been criticized as too political and one where voters are left without a voice," according to a Chicago Tribune editorial. 

Welch stated that a committee to remap the districts without political control would prevent the gerrymandering that has plagued the state for decades and lumps minority populations for a politician's gain and to dilute representation, but "now that Welch in a position to make real change, to lead on an issue that has sidelined voters for so long, that passionate op-ed is forgotten. Politics has taken the lead instead," according to the Tribune. 

The Westchester Democrat supported fair maps, Durkin said, pointing to how it would protect minority communities. 

"Bottom line is that the Democrats have absolutely no intention of holding to their promises on fair maps, ones which they campaigned on in a fair map process, which over 60,0000 Illinoisans signed a petition [a] few years ago to say that that is the way in which we should move forward, take the pen out of the elected officials' hands," Durkin said.

Durkin said he feels the hypocrisy is "at the highest level I've ever seen in my life."

"We are not going to see anything close to fair maps," the West Springs lawmaker said. "And I think we can talk a little bit about how these hearings have gone. I've gone to every one of them, which I've been to, two or three of them. I've watched most of them. Every witness from every advocacy group has said clearly the legislature should not be in the business of drawing their districts."