Illinois Valley Times

Republican state Sen. Win Stoller (R-Peoria) did all he could to stop Gov. J.B. Pritzker from signing the state’s new legislative maps into law.

“I just stepped off the Senate floor to let you know that last night we received the latest version of the maps created by the majority party Democrats,” Stoller said in a video posted to You Tube in May. “These are the gerrymandered maps that were produced behind closed doors and without adequate input from the public, and additionally using bad data. I’m calling on you to help reach out to the governor and ask him to veto these unfair maps.”

Despite Stoller’s best efforts, the governor signed off on the new maps that critics bemoan were designed with the single goal of keeping Democratic lawmakers in power.

“The governor has promised repeatedly to veto any map that is not produced by an independent commission in a fair manner, but he’s backtracking on that promise,” Stoller said. “We need to hold him accountable.”

Stoller is hardly the only Republican lawmaker making a point of how they see Pritzker going back on his word by signing the partisan-drawn maps into law.

“Gov. Pritzker, you sold out,” Minority House floor leader Jim Durkin (R-Burr Ridge) recently told the DuPage Policy Journal. “You sold out Republicans; you sold out Democrats to the partisan Democratic machine that has destroyed Illinois. Governor, you not only sold out, you lied.”

Durkin seems convinced Pritzker will be left to pay a price for what he sees as his deceptive ways.

“When you’re governor, your word means something,” he said. “Gov. Pritzker repeatedly stated he supports an independent commission, then why Governor did you sign these maps?”

Durkin said Democrats have long gone above and beyond in making sure their reform plan never saw the light of day.

“To draw these maps, Democrats blocked reforms that would have insured a democratic commission,” he said. “Speaker (Mike) Madigan and Speaker (Chris) Welch cut backroom deals behind locked doors to pick their voters, entirely circumventing the democratic process.”