[Peace-discuss] reduction in size of the Champaign County Board?

Tue Nov 2 14:47:06 CDT 2010

On Tue, Nov 2, 2010 at 1:26 PM, Jenifer Cartwright <jencart13 at yahoo.com>wrote:

> Carol et al,
>
> Do the 9 districts we have at present adequately represent the
> disadvantaged? How are the 11 districts to be determined? Who will determine
> them? Will the 11 districts adequately represent the disadvantaged? (Yeah,
> showing my ignorance here... but my heart is in the right place, even as my
> brain is suspicious).
>  --Jenifer
>

The County Board majority draws the map as it likes, within the constraints
of state and federal law. That's true regardless of whether there are 11
districts or 9, 27 members or 22. So, this proposal ought to be judged
according to the specific change that it makes, holding other things
constant, because there is no reason to believe that the other things - the
fact that the majority will draw the map as it likes, within legal
constraints - will not be constant.

When I was on the County Board, the Republicans had crammed the overwhelming
majority of county Democratic voters into two highly Democratic districts,
an overwhelmingly African American district and a West Urbana superliberal
district, leaving the remaining seven districts very difficult for Democrats
to compete in; indeed, for part of the time I was on the County Board, it
was 21-6, making it extremely difficult to oppose anything, even things that
some Republicans were opposed to - like building a new jail, or moving the
bulk of county government out of downtown Urbana - if all Democrats were
opposed, you still needed to recruit eight of the 21 Republicans to block.
The old map absolutely guaranteed 3 African-American representatives, who
had approximately zero influence over anything, just like the 3
representatives of the superliberal district. When Democrats took the
majority of seats on the County Board, they redrew the map to spread the
Democratic voters out across more districts to make more districts where
Democrats could win.

> --- On *Tue, 11/2/10, Karen Medina <kmedina67 at gmail.com>* wrote:
>
> Perhaps we should ask Carol.
> Hey, Carol,
> About the county board being made smaller... can you tell us your
> perspective?
> -karen medina
>
> On Tue, Nov 2, 2010 at 12:27 PM, Jenifer Cartwright <jencart13 at yahoo.com<http://mc/compose?to=jencart13@yahoo.com>
> > wrote:
>
> I'm still confused -- If more districts are added, can we be sure those
> won't be gerrymandered to advantage the advantaged? And if there are fewer
> reps from ea district, it again seems that the advantaged will be
> advantaged.
> On the other hand, 22 vs 27 members would be more efficient when it comes
> to making decisions and getting things done, all things being equal. But ARE
> they equal?? Bambi's pro and Carol's anti, if those are still their stands,
> makes it a no for me.
>  --Jenifer
>
> --- On *Tue, 11/2/10, Robert Naiman <naiman at justforeignpolicy.org<http://mc/compose?to=naiman@justforeignpolicy.org>
> >* wrote:
>
>
> From: Robert Naiman <naiman at justforeignpolicy.org<http://mc/compose?to=naiman@justforeignpolicy.org>
> >
> Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] reduction in size of the Champaign County
> Board?
> To: "Karen Medina" <kmedina67 at gmail.com<http://mc/compose?to=kmedina67@gmail.com>
> >
> Cc: "Peace-discuss List" <Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net<http://mc/compose?to=Peace-discuss@lists.chambana.net>
> >
> Date: Tuesday, November 2, 2010, 12:08 PM
>
>
> Here is the exact question which appears on the ballot:
>
>
> http://champaigncountyclerk.com/elections/docs/2010/11_02_2010_Full_Specimen.pdf
>
> "Size of Champaign County Board
>
> Shall the CHAMPAIGN COUNTY BOARD SIZE BE REDUCED from 27 MEMBERS
> elected from nine multi-member districts with 3 members elected from
> each district, to 22 MEMBERS elected from eleven multi-member
> districts with 2 members elected from each district?"
>
> So, assuming that what we are voting on is the question that actually
> appears on the ballot, the argument for not diluting poor and minority
> representation would appear to support the proposal. If you increase
> the number of districts, the resulting districts will be smaller, and
> all other things being equal, poor and minority voters will be less
> diluted in their representation.
>
> I'm not familiar with the recent history that led to this proposal,
> but I can tell you that based on my experience as a County Board
> member from 1992-6, I definitely thought that the size of the County
> Board should be reduced, because my experience was that the size of
> the Board made it hard to organize other County Board members, with
> the result that most of the time the Board was a rubber stamp for the
> staff and the Board Chair.
>
>
>
> On Tue, Nov 2, 2010 at 10:42 AM, Karen Medina <*MailScanner has detected a
> possible fraud attempt from "mc" claiming to be* kmedina67 at gmail.com<http://mc/compose?to=kmedina67@gmail.com>>
> wrote:
> > Can someone comment on the issue of the reduction in size of the
> > Champaign County Board?
> > The following is what I understand of the situation.
> >
> >> why would certain groups get no representation?
> >
> > Diluted representation. i.e. the poor and minorities would be diluted
> > by being mixed with rich white people and having fewer seats to fill.
> > Right now the poor have enough of a say that a representative can get
> > on the board. With fewer seats to fill, there is an easier chance that
> > one of the removed chairs would be the voice of the poor.
> >
> >> they're moving from 9 districts to 11, right?
> > Not necessarily. I think there are 3 proposals on the table of how
> > they would move from 27 to 17 board members.
> >
> > The current situation is 9 districts with 3 reps from each.
> >
> > In May, 2010, there were 3 proposals:
> > 17 members, 17 single-member districts
> > 18 members, from 9 multi-member districts
> > 22 members, from 11 multi-member districts
> >
> > I'm still looking for more information on this.
> > John Bambanic is for the reduction of county board members.
> > Carol Ammons is against (I think). and I think Jan Anderson was
> > against (I think).
> > But I have not talked to either of these women recently on the issue.
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> >
>
>
>
> --
> Robert Naiman
> Policy Director
> Just Foreign Policy
> www.justforeignpolicy.org
> *MailScanner has detected a possible fraud attempt from "mc" claiming to
> be* naiman at justforeignpolicy.org<http://mc/compose?to=naiman@justforeignpolicy.org>
>
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>
>
>
> --
> karen medina
> <~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
> "In this universe, we are given two gifts: the ability to love, and the
> ability to ask questions." (Mary Oliver, American poet)
>
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-- 
Robert Naiman
Policy Director
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman at justforeignpolicy.org

Urge Congress to Support a Timetable for Military Withdrawal from
Afghanistan
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/feingold-mcgovern
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