Press Release
September 12, 2013
CONTACT:
Jay Heck – 608/256-2686
Redistricting Reform Proponents Continue Push for Public Hearings
and Will Not be Deterred
Tuesday's Capitol Press Conference received blanket media coverage and the participants resolved to keep fighting to get redistricting reform legislation (
Senate Bill 163/
Assembly Bill 185) at least a public hearing -- even in the face of seemingly intractable opposition to the legislation by State Senate Majority Leader
Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) and by Assembly Speaker
Robin Voss (R-Rochester).
No one expects Fitzgerald or Vos to change their minds (although they should) and support redistricting reform any time soon. But to block even a public hearing on the legislation -- so that the citizens of Wisconsin can hear all sides of this important issue -- is just arrogance -- and certainly not in keeping with the rich tradition of open, accountable state government that Wisconsin was for a long time (but no longer) known for and revered nationally. That arrogance is, as one of the participants said, at the very heart of the reason why redistricting reform is so needed in Wisconsin.
State Senators
Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center) and
Tim Cullen (D-Janesville) were joined by Common Cause in Wisconsin Board Chair
Bill Kraus, a former Republican strategist and top aide to former Republican Governor
Lee Sherman Dreyfus, and long-time CC/WI Board Member
Dave Martin, a former Republican State Representative from Neenah and the Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor in 1970.
Also on hand at the press conference were blown up maps of the congressional and state legislative districts of Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa to demonstrate the contrast between the gerrymandered, hyper-partisan boundary lines of districts drawn by majority Republicans in Wisconsin and majority Democrats in Illinois contrasted with those maps drawn by the non-partisan Legislative Services Agency in Iowa.
Wisconsin and Illinois featured oddly shaped, contorted districts with long slivers and the division of counties and even towns and villages in order to achieve maximum partisan political advantage for the partisan map drawers.
The Iowa maps contain mainly squares and rectangles with communities of interest and counties by and large kept intact. They are drawn with no consideration given to partisan advantage and with a goal of making sense to the citizens of Iowa by keeping communities together when at all possible. Contrast that with Wisconsin where, for example, the relatively small city of Beloit has been carved up among two Assembly districts as has Sheboygan.
The result is that in Iowa there are far more competitive general elections for the State Legislature and for Congress in Iowa than there are in Wisconsin -- despite being half our size. In fact there are zero competitive congressional districts of Wisconsin's eight. Half of Iowa's four are quite competitive. The cost to taxpayers for non-partisan districts is negligible. In Wisconsin, taxpayers have been forced to shell out about $2 million for hyper-partisan, non-competitive congressional and state legislative redistricting. No one checked with us to see if that was okay. How about with you?
It is well worth your time to view Tuesday's entire Capitol press conference here on WisconsinEye.
Additional television coverage is here. Wisconsin Public Radio's coverage of the event is here and the Wisconsin Radio Network's coverage is here.
Other media coverage is here.
Here is the pathetic statement that Scott Fitzgerald put out within an hour of the press conference on Tuesday. His aides attended the event but obviously don't understand what the redistricting reform legislation contains because their criticism is about things that are not even part of the legislation. That's just sad.
After the press conference, CC/WI Director Jay Heck spent a half-hour on statewide Wisconsin Public Radio talking about redistricting reform and you can hear that here (interview starts at 34:17).
As CC/WI Board Chair Bill Kraus would say: "Are you mad yet?" Mad that the legislative leadership won't even allow a public hearing on redistricting reform legislation but won't say why? That is maddening.
Contact Scott Fitzgerald and Robin Vos and let them know that you are "mad as hell and you are not going to take it anymore."
A public hearing is not too much to ask for. It is the very least they should do.
Again, as the Appleton Post-Crescent said in their excellent editorial about this subject in August: ". . . we're not going away. Redistricting reform is not going to be swept under the rug." This has become our mantra. Make it yours too.
Are you with us?
__________________________________________
Jay Heck, Executive Director
Common Cause in Wisconsin
152 W. Johnson St., Suite 212
Madison, WI 53703
608/256-2686
Read More...
Intro only...
September 10, 2013
CONTACT:
Jay Heck – 608/256-2686
MEDIA ADVISORY
"Mapping" a Better Redistricting Process for Wisconsin
Press Conference Today!
Tuesday September 10, 2013 - 10:30 AM
Senate Parlor - State Capitol
State Senator
Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center)
State Senator
Tim Cullen (D-Janesville)
Bill Kraus - Chair of Common Cause in Wisconsin and former Republican Strategist and Press Secretary for Republican Governor Lee Sherman Dreyfus
Dave Martin - Common Cause in Wisconsin State Governing Board Member and former Republican State Representative and Candidate for Lt. Governor
Wisconsin State Senators Dale Schultz and Tim Cullen are joined by Common Cause in Wisconsin State Governing Board members Bill Kraus and Dave Martin to visually demonstrate why Wisconsin (and for that matter, Illinois) ought to look to Iowa to adopt a more sensible, non-partisan, less expensive and greatly improved redistricting process now, so that it will be in place for the 2021 redistricting process following the 2020 Census.
__________________________________________
Jay Heck, Executive Director
Common Cause in Wisconsin
152 W. Johnson St., Suite 212
Madison, WI 53703
608/256-2686
Read More...
Intro only...
Press Release
September 4, 2013
CONTACT:
Jay Heck – 608/256-2686
Does Your State Senator or State Representative Oppose
Non-Partisan Redistricting Reform?
Lazich and August Ignoring Statewide Call for Public Hearings
The Wisconsin Legislature comes back into session this month (for three days) but not a peep yet from State Senator
Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) or State Representative
Tyler August (R-Lake Geneva) on when the legislative committees they chair will hold public hearings on non-partisan redistricting reform legislation --
Senate Bill 163 and
Assembly Bill 185 (which are identical).
(Click to enlarge)
Despite the fact that
every major newspaper editorial board in Wisconsin and hundreds of Wisconsin citizens
have called for hearings on this needed, common-sense legislation, Lazich and August remain unresponsive. Lazich has public hearings scheduled for this morning on five minor and largely unnecessary, partisan election-related measures that no one has clamored for, and on a misguided measure --
Senate Bill 268 -- that attempts to inject more partisanship into the non-partisan Government Accountability Board by doubling the number of candidates from which the Governor can choose so that he (or she) can have a better opportunity to select G.A.B. members more to his or her "liking." No one, other than the few disgruntled legislators who want the G.A.B. to be less independent and more responsive to their partisan concerns, thinks this is a good idea. It's not.
In the past we have released the complete list of Wisconsin Legislators who have co-sponsored either Senate Bill 163 or Assembly Bill 185 or both. Today we are detailing all of the Members of the Wisconsin State Senate and Assembly who have
not co-sponsored SB 163/AB185 and, presumably, oppose it:
Note to legislators: If you support SB163/AB185, but your name is listed above, contact us and we will make sure you are listed as a supporter of redistricting reform.
If your State Senator and/or State Representative are listed above, please contact them immediately -- and implore them to co-sponsor SB 163/AB 185 and to support non-partisan redistricting reform. Urge them to tell Sen. Lazich and Rep. August to hold public hearings on the legislation even if those committee chairs don't support it. This isn't Russia or China after all. This is Wisconsin, where all opinions deserve at least a public hearing -- and used to get at least that.
To contact your State Senator and State Representative, go here.
If you are not sure who your State Representative and/or your State Senator are, go here.
We have been telling you all Summer we are not going away and we are going to continue to advance redistricting reform.
If you have not done so already -- or even if you have -- please make your voice heard on this vital issue!
__________________________________________
Jay Heck, Executive Director
Common Cause in Wisconsin
152 W. Johnson St., Suite 212
Madison, WI 53703
608/256-2686
Read More...
Intro only...
