Map-making mischief

In 1972, Democratic State Senator Robert Cherry, the House Minority Leader and an eighteen-year legislative veteran, dismissed pre-election claims that he was going to be named a Circuit Court Judge after the election (Associate judges were routinely appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to fill Circuit Court vacancies and many attorneys and politicians knew who was going to be chosen before the list was made public).

But shortly after defeating former Constitutional Convention (Con-con) Delegate Ronald Smith in a close primary race he was appointed to a Judgeship, and Committeemen in his district selected State Senator Ben Palmer as his replacement on the general election ballot.

Coincidentally, Cherry’s newly drawn district included a peculiar “hook” that curved west from its lakefront base to include the Budlong Woods home of Palmer, who had represented a neighboring district that had been eliminated in reapportionment. Apparently, Palmer’s replacement of Cherry had been planned by party leaders all along.

 Excerpted from “Chicago Political Stories” at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/994143