Good effort, let's try again
Champaign County's effort to produce a nonpartisan board map was seemingly hijacked at the end, but it's well worth trying to improve.
We applaud the work of the 11-member commission that worked to draw a new nonpartisan county board district map, but not the way the process came to a close with the adoption of a new map by the county board last Thursday.
But still, the effort was unique and valuable in attempting to take politics out of the task of drawing a new board map every 10 years after the federal census, and the process can be improved for the next redistricting in 2022. It's well worth another try.
Champaign County Board members approved basically on party lines a new county board district map to take effect in 2012 that had been submitted recently by the local chapter of the NAACP. It was one of three under consideration. No discussion, just a show of hands. What gives?
It seems as if the well-intentioned effort to produce a non-partisan map was hijacked by partisans at the end.
Democrats now hold a 15-12 advantage on the board, and all Democrats voted for the map except Urbana Democrat Brendan McGinty. Effective with the 2012 election the board will be divided into 11 districts instead of nine, and there will be 22 board members instead of 27.
The map appears to favor Democrats, but that's not the problem as much as the way it was approved.
The three authors of the county's independent redistricting process, while not happy with the way the county board approved the map, still think the effort was valuable and that it's worth trying to improve the process the next time a county board district map is drawn.
Former board member Steve Beckett and current board member McGinty, both Democrats, and Republican board member Alan Nudo, all agreed that county board members should have no role on the next redistricting commission. Four of the 11 commission members were county board members, two from each party.
There are undoubtedly other changes that can be made to improve the process next time. Champaign County tried something new to remove partisan politics from the effort to draw new board districts. It was a noble effort and a valuable learning experience.
Excellent effort at gerrymandering. And both Democrats and Republicans did it. The rule in their little game is that the majority party gets to do it so it's the Democrats turn this time.
Democracy is meaningless in this 2 party plutocracy. Cheating, gerrymandering is part of their game making voting such a waste of time. Incumbents are favored in an uneven playing field where career politicians are bred and corruption flourishes.
A corrupt anti-democratic government is the result.
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