West Cook News

State Rep. Tim Butler (R-Springfield)  is urging Gov. J.B. Pritzker to stand up and be counted in the growing debate over fair redistricting maps in Illinois.

“We’re asking that the governor himself or a high-level member of his team appear at our April 19 Joint House/Senate redistricting committee hearing which is scheduled in East St. Louis,” Butler said at a recent press conference on the issue that was posted to YouTube. “We have yet to hear from the governor’s office and I believe we’ve had 20 hearings in the House. We’ve yet to hear from the governor on his views on redistricting right now as the process is going on.”

Butler contends the message has been clear in terms of what voters are indicating they want to see happen. 

“The overwhelming message we’ve heard in these hearings is people want an open, transparent and citizen-led process to draw maps for the next 10 years,” he added. “They want it on the local level; they want it on the legislative level and the congress level. It’s been groups from across the political spectrum that have said the same things.”

With Republican lawmakers now pushing the People’s Independent Maps Act as a way of taking politicians out of the map-redistricting business, Butler said all that’s left is for the governor to now take a stand.

“It is vitally important we hear from the governor,” he added. “He needs to give some direction as to what his thoughts are. It’s time for the governor to lead and for him to tell the Speaker of the House and the Senate President that he will have nothing to do with a partisan-drawn map.”