On Thursday, the Illinois Senate approved a measure that creates the map of voting districts for the City of Chicago’s first elected school board. Following the vote, State Senator Seth Lewis (R-Bartlett), who spoke out against the proposed map during the Senate debate, issued the following statement:
“Maps should be drawn by independent commissions, not politicians. This proposal is another map drawn by politicians with neither adequate time nor opportunity for the public to be involved. This is not how democracy works.
“Furthermore, no other school board in the state requires a primary. It will only serve as a barrier to the concerned mother, passionate about the state of her child’s school, who will have to fund two races to serve, while empowering candidates backed by special interests.”