Remap plan criticized, praised at public forum

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Illinois Rep. Mike Fortner, R-West Chicago, speaks with reporters while on the House floor during session at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, Ill., Friday, May 20, 2011. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)

Updated: June 24, 2011 12:30AM

Critics of the Illinois House’s plan to reshape the legislative map seemed to agree on one thing at the first public hearing on the matter Sunday — they want more time to study the proposal.

The map was released shortly before 5 p.m. Friday, and several citizens who spoke at the downtown hearing complained that accompanying demographic information was not immediately available.

Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago) said the information was available upon written request.

The bill could come up for a committee vote Tuesday and go before the full House the same day.

Whether the timing of the map release was accidental or not, “It did the public a disservice,” said State Rep. Mike Fortner, a Republican, the GOP’s point man on House redistricting.

Republicans had no input in the mapmaking process and Fortner was stymied by Currie in a series of questions about the closed-door decision making.

Members of community and interest groups from across the city voiced opinions.

Martin Torres, of the Latino Policy Forum, said “Latinos would be shortchanged” if the new map came to fruition.

Torres’ view was echoed by several other speakers from Hispanic organizations, but Juan Rangel, head of United Neighborhood Organization, endorsed the map wholeheartedly.

C.W. Chan, of the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community, also praised the map because “by and large, Chinese communities have been kept intact.”

Allan Mellis expressed similar sentiments for his Lincoln Park group, Wrightwood Neighbors Association.

Currie acknowledged partisanship played a role in remapping, but she said the outcome was fair.

“In my view, it’s a competitive map, fair map. It’s not a perfect map — because there is no such thing as a perfect map,” she said.