伊州参议院选区重划委员会（Illinois Senate Redistricting Committee），28日中午在芝加哥市的州议会会议厅，举行首场选区重划听证会，“华埠更好团结联盟”（CBCAC）专员马静仪在会中，正式向伊州参议员选区重划委员会提出该联盟根据2010年人口普查结果提出的「大华埠社区」区域（Greater Chinatown Community Area），做为伊州参议员进行相关选区重划的参考及依据。
左起： 黄罗瑞雄，马静仪，吴常义和中美协进会顾问 Woody Lee ,会长谢祖亮等出席了听证会
华埠更好团结联盟专员马静仪（左）等，28日在伊州参议会选区重划听证中就华埠选区重划的必要性提出说明
这场听证会是伊州参议院在全州举行五场听证会的第一场。听证会由参议院选区重划委员会主席罗武（Kwame Raoul）主持，计有17位参议员出席。出席者十分踊跃，共有37个团体及个人登记发言。
马静仪（Theresa Mah）在听证会上指出，从2000年至今，华埠以及周边地区，包括艾莫尔广场区（Armour Square ）、桥港区（Bridgeport）、市南区（South Loop）、麦金尼公园区（McKinley Park）以及部分布莱敦公园（Brighton Park）的华裔人口，增加了逾 50%。马静仪表示，根据最新一次的人口调查结果，华埠更好团结联盟规划出「大华埠社区」区域，希望参议院在重划选区时，能将此一区域划成一区（伊州议会众议员选区）。
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CBCAC提出的 “大华埠社区”地图，已提交伊州参议院，作为有关华埠地区伊州州议会众议员选区重划的参考
该区域以芝加哥运河为界，北到史蒂文森高速公路（I-55），西到凯兹大道（Kedzie Ave），南到派许街（Pershing Rd.），东到密西根大道及印第安那大道以及派克街（Polk St.）的北边。此区内总人口逾8万9000人，其中30%为亚裔。
培德中心行政主任吴常义也在发言中表示，十年前的选区重划未能反应华埠人口的增长，华埠选区被划得四分五裂，超过1万8000位华裔，分属四个州众议员选区、三个州参议员选区、四个芝市区长选区、三个国会众议员选区。
他并表示，培德中心英语班学生，29日将赴伊州首府春田市陈情，但至今他们仍不清楚应和那一位议员接触，因为大华埠地区有太多的代表议员。
吴常义指出，选区分散亦造成华埠公众议题乏人关注。就在市府官员全力争取兴建华埠图书馆、休閒中心的同时，却不见州议会有人为这些计划的预算提出保证。这些例子在在证明，将华裔选民规划在同一选区的重要性。
华谘处总裁黄罗瑞雄则表示，华谘处和培德中心的工作人员以及服务对象居住范围，遍及「大华埠社区」。在此区域内住家、商家、服务机构林立。将「大华埠社区」划为一个选区，其好处无庸置疑。
亚美学会（AAI）的艾美甘地（Ami Gandhi）针对亚裔选民在伊州的成长及分布提出说明。中美协进会会长李松耀以及谢祖谅亦出席了听证会，但未发言。
因出城无法出席28日听证会的华埠更好团结联盟主席陈增华，对华埠选区重划的进度表达了信心和决心。该联盟将在未来的听证会中，就「大华埠社区」以及众议员选区重划的建议桉提出更详尽的说明。（文：世界日报 陈嘉倩）
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附件：
培德中心主任吴常义在听证会上的陈词
Testimony to Illinois Senate’s Redistrictig Committee
March 28, 2011
My name is David Wu. I am the Executive Director of the Pui Tak Center, a church-based community center in Chicago’s Chinatown. Pui Tak Center has been active in the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community’s work in civic engagement and most recently on redistricting. I am also a resident of Chinatown and live in a two flat that my grandparents purchased about 60 years ago after they came from China.
As other CBCAC colleagues are presenting testimony on the characteristics of Chinatown, I would like to focus on two negative impacts that the 2001 redistricting had on Chinatown.
The first negative impact is the confusion that many Chinatown residents have about who their elected representatives are. You’ve probably have heard that Chinatown’s population currently resides in four city wards, three state senate districts, four state house districts and three congressional districts. Tomorrow, a busload of adult ESL students from Chinatown will be going down to Springfield. They will be joining other adult education students in meeting their legislators. For most groups, the students know who their state representatives and state senator are because their community only has one of each. On the way down to Springfield, our students are going to be studying maps trying to figure out who their state representative and state senator are. For example,
· if you live north of the 25th Street and Lowe intersection, you’re in the 9th state representative district,
· if you live on the southwest side of that intersection, you’re in the 2nd district, and
· if you live on the southeast side of that intersection, you’re in the 6th district.
Despite our community’s best efforts to encourage civic engagement, having so many elected officials is often confusing and frustrating for those new to this country and discourages them from being informed and active citizens.
The second negative impact of being split into many districts is that the elected officials are not responsive to the community’s needs. A few years ago, a legislator told a group of Chinatown leaders that our community was lucky to have so many legislators because we have multiple advocates in Springfield. Since Chinese Americans only make up a small part of their constituency, they don’t get to know our community well. So rather that a lot of advocates, Chinatown needs a champion who will stand up and fight for what our community’s needs.