Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Sherman Skolnick’s Foray into McHenry County
Obituaries for Sherman Skolnick appear in the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times today, but neither mention his involvement in McHenry County politics.
Skolnick did speak to the Crystal Lake Kiwanis Club about his role in bringing down two crooked Illinois Supreme Court justices, but it was his help in drafting a federal reapportionment suit that affected McHenry County politics.
My father noticed that he had won a reapportionment suit (mentioned in the Sun-Times story) concerning the drawing of congressional lines in Chicago and contacted the self-described legal researcher.
County boards were to be apportioned on the basis of one man, one vote for the first time in Illinois history.
Previously, each of the county’s 17 townships had representation through their township supervisors, regardless of whether the township had 40,000 people or less than 1,000. In addition, the larger townships had assistant supervisors who had no role in township government, but sat on the county board. (That was the type of board I served with while I was county treasurer from 1966-70.)
Dad was dissatisfied with the disparity among county board district populations in the reapportionment map that had been passed. He came up with suggested districts which were more equal in population, but which, I would imagine, the powers-that-be thought would shift power in directions they did not favor, that is, toward the more densely populated southeastern corner of McHenry County.
I went with Dad when he visited Skolnick’s home for advice. As you can image with a man to whom research was his life, the living area was pretty cluttered.
Sherman gave Dad a copy of the successful suit and suggested how it could be altered to fit McHenry County.
Dad filed a suit in federal court. It dragged on and on.
The judge agreed that Dad’s districts were more equal in population than the county board’s and told State’s Attorney Bill Cowlin to talk to Dad.
Now, this was akin to heresy to Cowlin. Talk to a mere layman representing himself in court. Not this State’s Attorney.
The next court date, the judge asked how the talks were progressing and Dad revealed that Cowlin had not contacted him.
This time the judge ordered the State’s Attorney to confer with Dad.
As I remember the outcome, the county came up with lines for the three districts which had substantially the same population difference as those Dad presented, but had different boundaries.
They split Crystal Lake three ways, thus diminishing the area’s influence in county politics for several decades during which the McHenry politicians ruled the roost.
The judge agreed to accept those new and much more equal in population districts.
And, none of this little drama would have occurred without Sherman Skolnick’s help.
Skolnick did speak to the Crystal Lake Kiwanis Club about his role in bringing down two crooked Illinois Supreme Court justices, but it was his help in drafting a federal reapportionment suit that affected McHenry County politics.
My father noticed that he had won a reapportionment suit (mentioned in the Sun-Times story) concerning the drawing of congressional lines in Chicago and contacted the self-described legal researcher.
County boards were to be apportioned on the basis of one man, one vote for the first time in Illinois history.
Previously, each of the county’s 17 townships had representation through their township supervisors, regardless of whether the township had 40,000 people or less than 1,000. In addition, the larger townships had assistant supervisors who had no role in township government, but sat on the county board. (That was the type of board I served with while I was county treasurer from 1966-70.)
Dad was dissatisfied with the disparity among county board district populations in the reapportionment map that had been passed. He came up with suggested districts which were more equal in population, but which, I would imagine, the powers-that-be thought would shift power in directions they did not favor, that is, toward the more densely populated southeastern corner of McHenry County.
I went with Dad when he visited Skolnick’s home for advice. As you can image with a man to whom research was his life, the living area was pretty cluttered.
Sherman gave Dad a copy of the successful suit and suggested how it could be altered to fit McHenry County.
Dad filed a suit in federal court. It dragged on and on.
The judge agreed that Dad’s districts were more equal in population than the county board’s and told State’s Attorney Bill Cowlin to talk to Dad.
Now, this was akin to heresy to Cowlin. Talk to a mere layman representing himself in court. Not this State’s Attorney.
The next court date, the judge asked how the talks were progressing and Dad revealed that Cowlin had not contacted him.
This time the judge ordered the State’s Attorney to confer with Dad.
As I remember the outcome, the county came up with lines for the three districts which had substantially the same population difference as those Dad presented, but had different boundaries.
They split Crystal Lake three ways, thus diminishing the area’s influence in county politics for several decades during which the McHenry politicians ruled the roost.
The judge agreed to accept those new and much more equal in population districts.
And, none of this little drama would have occurred without Sherman Skolnick’s help.
