(Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that a redistricted map under consideration for public hearing on Monday, was withdrawn and replaced).
BELLEVILLE – Without the benefit of a census, St. Clair County board chairman Mark Kern has drawn 29 voting districts for the benefit of current board members.
Democrat Kern withdrew the first version of the map at a meeting on May 24, and offered a replacement for the board to consider in June.
His second map moved people across boundaries in a few spots without disturbing the separation of incumbents.
Like the map for the last 10 years, Kern’s map would attach clusters of city voters to mostly rural districts.
Republican board member Ed Cockrell, whose current District 7 covers the southernmost portion of the county, said the proposed map that was going to be presented for public hearing, was not fairly drawn.
Kern’s map would stretch the northeast portion of District 7 to include Fayetteville and reach up to Route 177, east of Mascoutah.
“The major issue is, they’re not using a census,” Cockrell said. Instead, the map is relying on data from the county’s 911 system, he said.
“What does that tell you,” he said. “Addresses.”
Cockrell has represented citizens in the southern part of the county for 26 of the last 28 years, he said.
“This is not about Ed Cockrell,” he said. “It’s about taxpayers…It’s not fair to taxpayers.”
He said Kern’s map is about preserving Democrats’ “absolute power” over county government.
Cockrell said he believes a map based on actual population rather than a system that counts addresses would be more favorable to Republicans - meaning his party could possibly pick up four seats.
The current county board makeup is 19-10 Democrat to Republican.
Kern’s proposed map wouldn’t guarantee victory for all 29 incumbents in the next election, but it would guarantee that no two incumbents would run against each other.
District 4 in the county’s northeast corner and District 22 in the southwest corner would reach into cities so deeply that they would nearly meet in the middle.
Republican Robert Wilhelm represents District 4 and Republican Michael Donnell represents District 22.
Voters in cornfields north and east of Millstadt would share District 26 with voters on Belleville’s south side.
Democrat Scott Tiernan represents the district.
Shapes of some districts shout gerrymandering, a practice that takes its name from a district that looked like a salamander.
District 12, mostly in Shiloh, would look like a backward J on its side.
Democrat Susan Gruberman represents the district.
District 28, mostly in Fairview Heights, would appear to have a nose and a chin with District 27 in its mouth.
Democrat Scott Greenwald represents District 28 and Democrat Ken Sharkey represents District 27.
District 24 would meander across seven miles from Sauget and Cahokia through Centreville to Belleville.
Democrat Marty Crawford represents the district.