Redistricting: who's gotta go?

By ROBERT MACKAY

THE NEW population figures released by the Census Bureau confirmed the fears of the Illinois congressional delegation: so many people have left Illinois tiiat two of the present 24 congressional seats are no longer needed and must be eliminated. The question of who loses their jobs probably will pit Democrat against Republican, Chicago against downstate and black against white.

The Illinois legislature will draw the new congressional district lines. Ideally, the lines are to be drawn according to the shifts in population. But state legislators will try to protect their own political party, their friends and their own political futures.

The major loss in state population came from the city of Chicago, prompting Republican and downstate members of the congressional delegation to argue both seats should be eliminated within Chicago. But they also realize that such a solution is nearly impossible, because the Democratic organization would surely challenge such a map. They expect Chicago to accept the loss of one seat and perhaps another one-half seat through consolidation with a suburban district. The trouble, of course, is that no one wants to lose their job.

There is speculation the newest members of the delegation from Chicago are the prime candidates to go. They are Congressmen Harold Washington of the 1st District and Gus Savage of the 2nd District. Both are black, independent Democrats from the city's predominantly black South Side. Savage called the last-hired, first-fired concept "racist" and said that since blacks comprise almost half of the city's population, they should keep their three seats on the delegation. Washington agreed and said the Democratic organization will be in "serious, serious trouble politically if they try to wipe out one of those black districts. What they want the three blacks to do is crawl on their knees to the bosses downtown and say, 'Save me, boss, save me.' We're not going to do that. We're going to work in unison." Washington, as a former state senator, has friends in Springfield and is not adverse to working with Republicans against Chicago Democrats trying to eliminate his district. Republicans in the state Senate only need one non-Republican vote to control the redistricting. Without a replacement yet for Washington in the state Senate, Republicans gained control January 15.

One downstate Democratic member of the congressional delegation said he heard the problem might be solved, at least partially, through the retirement of one or more of the following members: John Fary and Sidney Yates of Chicago and Melvin Price of East St. Louis, Democrats; and Robert Mc-Clory of Waukegan, Republican. But all of those mentioned said they have no intentions of resigning. McClory noted he is the ranking minority member of the House Judiciary Committee and he expects the GOP to gain control of the House in 1982, which would make him chairman of that powerful committee. Price, who is a prime downstate candidate to lose his seat because of the population decrease in the East St. Louis area, told his aides before the last election that he would seek only four or five more terms. No one could tell if the elderly congressman was joking or not.

Congressman Paul Simon of Carbondale, a Democrat, predicts redistricting will end up in the courts again, as it has the last two times. "It's a horrendous job," Simon said, "and it obviously is political. The city of Chicago loses one and a half seats. How you divide the rest of the pie is then the problem. I'm probably in better shape than the others." A congressional district now averages 463,000 residents, but could go up to 523,000. McClory said his district might be made "more compact." Also, Congressman Daniel Crane of Danville might have trouble in the 22nd District, because he is about 30,000 people shy of what is expected to be the new average.

Congressman John Erlenborn of Wheaton, a Republican representing the 14th District, said redistricting "should favor the Republicans" because most of the population loss was in the state's major cities — frequently Democratic areas. If redistricting is done "fairly," Erlenborn said, the Democrats should lose both seats. Because of the governor and Republican leadership in the legislature, "we know it won't be done terribly unfairly."

There is a fear, however, that the Democratic organization may try to scoop out people from the suburbs and still leave the districts in its hands. "We've got to get the Democrats to recognize the diminution of population affects the Democratic districts," said McClory.

The Democratic members of the congressional delegation recognize that, but none of them wants their own district cut. Perhaps it should be the Democrats who should be frightened of the apparent disunity in Chicago and the state Capitol.

March 1981/Illinois Issues/39