'This Is A Bad Day For Frankfort': Mayor Speaks On Will Co. Map

FRANKFORT, IL — The Will County Board voted Tuesday 14-12 in favor of a new 11-District Will County Reapportionment Plan, with two representatives on the board for each district; the old map, which had been in place since 2011, had 13 districts with two representatives for each.

The Will County map, like all other legislative maps, is redrawn every 10 years based on census data. By law, a redrawn map had to be passed by the Will County Board by Nov. 17. The new map will take effect during the 2022 elections, according to County officials.

The new map splits the Lincoln-Way area into three different districts, splitting up precincts within towns. Frankfort will be part of Districts 2, 3 and 4, with the various precincts also split among the three districts.

“This was a bad day for Frankfort,” Frankfort Mayor Keith Ogle said. “And I’m still angry and disappointed that in spite of so many of our residents calling, emailing, showing up in person, that our voices weren’t heard in this. In spite of all the rhetoric back and forth, the votes went right down party lines. It’s so important that we have fair maps, we have representation and that there’s confidence in a fair election process.”

Ogle said that all four Lincoln-Way mayors — Tim Baldermann of New Lenox, Frank Fleischer of Mokena, Mike Adrieansen of Manhattan and Ogle himself — sent letters of opposition to the 11-district map. And Ogle appeared twice before the Will County Board to ask that the maps “be drawn fairly and in public view.”

“These maps should not be slanted to anyone’s political advantage, no matter which party you’re in,” Ogle said.

He added that the map should be based on “communities of similar interest,” and that the Lincoln-Way area has a “common identity” that is based around the Lincoln-Way school system.

A bipartisan committee of the Will County Board had spent months working on a proposal for the new map. That committee came up with a 13-District map similar to the one that had been in place for the previous 10 years. But, County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant proposed an 11-district map, which was ultimately advanced by the board with some adjustments to her original proposal.

“Moving away from an oversized board by aligning our board size with surrounding peer counties will save as much as $200,000 a year in salary and expenses," Bertino-Tarrant said in a statement. "I remain committed to ensuring that the cost savings achieved today can be directed to key county initiatives that directly benefit our residents.”

Each District under the new map has a population of approximately 63,000 Will County residents.

Readers can view the Will County Reapportionment Plan by following this link.

Patch has reached out to Will County Board Speaker Mimi Cowan for comment, but has not received a response.

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