The Will County Board voted along party lines Tuesday to approve a redistricting map, dividing the county into 11 districts and eliminating four county board seats starting in the 2022 general election.
County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant, a Democrat, proposed an 11-district map in September for a 22-member county board with two representatives from each district, down from the current structure of 26 members representing 13 districts.
A county board committee had been working on a redistricting map with 13 districts, and members of the Democratic and Republican caucuses met to work out a compromise. But an amended version of Bertino-Tarrant’s plan was brought for a vote instead, with Republicans opposing it.
Board Minority Leader Mike Fricilone, a Republican from Homer Glen, said his caucus is angry and that the compromise was a “ruse.”
He said the approved map was an example of “Springfield politics” and said trust between the two parties has been broken.
Fricilone said that the 13-district map has been fair over the last decade because Republicans and Democrats have swapped power. Under the new map, he said that he estimates the Democrats will end up with a supermajority, possibly winning 16 of the 22 seats.
“I can work on behalf of the county residents,” Fricilone said. “That is what I was elected to do. Cooperating with the other side, that’s not happening.”
All 22 seats will be up for election next year.
Board Speaker Mimi Cowan, a Democrat from Naperville, said the new map is fair, will make for a more efficient board and save taxpayer money.
Representatives from the Will County Farm Bureau had expressed concern that representation for rural communities was being diluted by mixing farm areas with more populated suburban communities. Members of the Lincoln-Way High School District 210 area said they were concerned their municipalities were being split up, noting they share a common interest by being a part of the large high school district.
Changes were made to the map proposed by Bertino-Tarrant at the request of Republicans and taking into account public comments
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and board member comments, Cowan said.Cowan said at just under 700,000 residents, Will County has one of the largest county boards in Illinois, and Illinois has more layers of government than other states. DuPage County, by comparison, has nearly 1 million people, an 18-member county board and effectively represents its residents, she said.
The move to reduce the size of the county board will streamline government operations and save $200,000 a year in salary and benefits without affecting services to residents, Cowan said. There are three districts that have a majority of minority residents to ensure representation of the county’s growing Hispanic and Black communities, she said.
Cowan objected to the notion that the map was gerrymandered as some Republicans have stated.
“We followed the letter of the law with the map that was passed,” she said. “I’m disappointed we could not come to a more agreeable solution.”
Cowan said Will County is unique in that it contains very populated areas such as Joliet, Bolingbrook and Naperville while also having about 40% agricultural areas. She tried to assuage concerns from residents of farming communities as well as the Lincoln-Way communities.
Like the large cities which are divided into multiple districts, the Lincoln-Way region is so large that it also must be divided into multiple districts, Cowan said. She said residents will end up having more representation on the county board.
Likewise, county board members that live in dense cities have been strong supporters for the agricultural areas, she said.
The salary for the county board members remains the same at $23,000 a year, and there will be no bonus for caucus leadership starting after the 2022 election. Previously, caucus leaders earned an extra $1,000.
Every 10 years, the county board must use the latest census data to redraw district boundaries based on the latest population.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter.