BELLEVILLE – St. Clair County board chairman Mark Kern withdrew a map of board districts that came under court challenge, and drew another.
He displayed it at a special board meeting on Nov. 8, and said the board would hold a public hearing and vote on Tuesday, Nov. 16.
Kern said he didn’t want to spend county resources defending the legal action over the board’s current map in U.S. district court.
The board adopted the map in June, ahead of the census, by relying on estimates from community surveys.
Republican board member Ed Cockrell of New Athens and county Republican chair Cheryl Mathews filed suit claiming Kern should have waited for census data.
Their counsel Paul Evans of O’Fallon claims that even if the estimates proved correct, population variations exceeded constitutional limits.
Evans claims that Kern didn’t draw reasonably compact districts or honor township lines.
Census data came out in August, and Evans claims Kern’s estimates missed by hundreds and thousands.
One district, according to Evans, had more than twice as many people as another.
Kern continued to defend the map in court while he prepared to present yet another version. His substitute would reduce board membership from 29 to 28. District populations would vary from 8,918 to 9,545.
Evans said the newest map version "evades current population trends" as revealed by the census.
"This new map makes minimal changes to the white Democrat board members that represent the chairman's power base, but makes flagrant changes to dilute the Republican vote.
"Kern complains about the cost of litigation but continues to pursue a litigation strategy that wastes taxpayer resources and challenges the statutes."
Evans added that the lawsuit proceeding in federal court before District Judge David Dugan is "very much alive and well plead based upon the law."
Kern served as moderator of Monday’s special meeting while citizens objected, and board members said nothing.
Michael Butler of O’Fallon said county population decreased by 8,000 and shifted east from the river.
He said East St. Louis and Belleville shrank, and O’Fallon grew 14 percent. He said he wanted an accurate adjustment based on data.
“We want seats moved the direction they should,” Butler said. “It’s tough to comment on a map you’ve only seen for five minutes.”
He said that’s been a pattern for six months.
“I think we’re on our fifth version,” Butler said.
He said the map would unnecessarily divide townships.
He said Lebanon Township population is 450 and all of it should be in one district.
“Voters should be picking their county board members,” he said. “The members should not be picking their voters.”
John Curry of Belleville asked if the map would work for everybody and not just the few.
He said a Supreme Court decision on districts for black people turned into something like stacking the deck. He said majority minority districts are now used to deprive blacks of power.
David Lindquist of Belleville quoted statute that populations must be substantially equal and said, “This revision is not.”
He said Democrats favor Democrats.
Melinda Hult said the law requires a public hearing after proposal of a map, and she asked Kern if he intended to vote that evening.
He said there would be a public hearing next Tuesday.
Mary Thurman said the map protected incumbents of the majority and disenfranchised voters.
“Voters have no choice unless someone swims upstream,” Thurman said.
Wavey Lester of Millstadt said, “We come here and voice our concerns and if we voice the same ones time after time and the map comes out just about the same with some minor adjustments, why are we here?”
On Nov. 9, Evans said nothing was presented at Monday’s meeting that changed the legal issues before the court.