Submissions

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• sandye
  February 17, 2023
  To the Honorable Members of the Independent Redistricting Commission. This testimony is on the proposed redistricting of AD52. My name is Sandye Renz I have lived in the Carroll Gardens/ Gowanus Canal neighborhood for 38 years. I raised my daughter here and work here. I am an active member of the community from volunteering with composting and working with seniors to working on the challenges of the rezoning in Gowanus. I love my neighborhood and appreciate the collaboration that takes place between my friends and neighbors. I am opposed to the proposed redistricting of the AD 52. As a resident and community activist serving on multiple organizations, I believe the proposed redistricting would divide our community. Splitting the AD 52 into two districts would be a huge disservice and dilute the historical knowledge and traditional bonds between Carroll Gardens and the Gowanus community. Our voices as citizens would be disrupted by the proposed redistricting. It would make it more difficult for us to pursue a unified policy that serves our residents. This ill-advised and unwanted redistricting would be requiring citizens and organizations to invest twice as much effort by requiring us to communicate to multiple representatives on critical important policy issues that affect our lives. Splitting Carroll Gardens and Gowanus into two districts divides our community and will dilute our common concerns and issues. It destroys common boundaries and community alliances, it disrupts our shared historical narrative, as the site of the Battle of Long Island where a pitched battle was fought along the shore of the Gowanus Canal during the Revolutionary War. This history connects our community. The English Red Coats couldn’t divide us, why would the Independent Redistricting Commission? This redistricting ignores the multiple connections between the East and West side of the Gowanus Canal, divides our artistic community and the festivals that join our community like “Gowanus Arts”. But the most worrisome aspect concerns the division of representation as it affects the Gowanus Super Fund site. The AD52 contains the 2 of the 3 Gowanus Superfund Sites. Recent data has suggested that the pollution from 3 of the former Manufactured Gas Plants may have Coal Tar Plumes that have merged and moved with the hydrology under our homes. This represents a serious and potentially dangerous development because we realize that the industrial toxins have moved from the industrial zone into our residential areas, moving under the Gowanus Canal across Smith Street under our homes. The upland sites around the Gowanus Canal and Thomas Green Park are virtually all contained in the present AD52. Dividing the AD52 will not help us restore and remediate this pollution but undermine our efforts. We need one knowledgeable and consistent voice representing us in Albany. One Assembly Representative. The proposed redistricting will make it more difficult to maintain a common policy if the community is split into two different districts. Our neighborhood faces many challenges, and our residents benefit from having one continuous representative who understands our problems and is an engaged and experienced representative. Please do not change the district lined it does not provide better representation for our people or community. Thank you. Sandye renz 172 12th St. Brooklyn, NY 11215
  
• Ellen
  February 17, 2023
  We appreciate your work on the Independent Redistricting Commission to create equitable districts in New York that keep communities of similar interest united and not chopped up to dilute their potency. We are in the 125th assembly district. Although most of it is in tact there are some notable exceptions. In the draft map, three towns would be removed from the 125th District into the 126th District: Harford, Virgil, and Lapeer. These are distinct communities whose economic interests are closely aligned with the geographic areas to the west boundary of Interstate 81. These communities' economic development is highly correlated to the City of Cortland, which will remain in the 125th district. As the City of Cortland and Cortland County are constantly improving services, such as public transportation, these more rural areas would also benefit. Keeping these towns connected to the economic hub of the County, which includes Greek Peak Mountain Resort as an attraction and resource for Virgil, Harford and Lapeer, at the northern border of the District, remains in their best interest. Additionally, Cortland, Virgil, Harford, and Dryden (where we live) are the central catchment area both for students and staff as well as for services for Tompkins Cortland Community College, TC-3. Keeping these areas intact servesTC-3, a center for employment development for both Tompkins and Cortland Counties. A significant number of the children in Virgil and Harford attend school in the 125th Assembly District. Some of the students from both the towns of Virgil and Harford attend school in the Dryden Central school District in Tompkins County. Additionally, all the students in the Hamlet of Virgil attend school in the Cortland Enlarged school district. Dividing each of these school districts into multiple Assembly districts will create administrative and financial problems both for the school districts and for families. Staying within the 125th District maintains continuity of representation that has existed for several decades, and secures the educational and economic needs of the residents of both Virgil and Harford. As regards the US Congressional District 19, which had been US 23. The current version of our district stretches from the Hudson Valley all the way across to Ithaca. This large area encompasses vastly different demographics. It is too large to adequately represent the residents of the different segments. We appreciate the opportunity to submit comments to the Commission on this important process and urge you to maintain the integrity of the current 125th Assembly district. We hope that there will be opportunity to rethink the US Congressional District 19 to make it more fair and equitable.
  
• Lyn
  February 17, 2023
  I've owned my house in Greenpoint for 15 years and I am in FAVOR of the new districting that moves my area from 050 into 038.
  
• Robyn
  February 17, 2023
  As a resident of Greenpoint, Brooklyn I am asking that the proposed plan for redistricting be reconsidered. Greenpoint is a strong, tight community that shouldn't be broken up and further combined with other areas as it was in the last redistricting process. People in this community have a strong voice in their local government. With the new proposed district lines cutting our community in half, our neighborhood will lose its voice. Our neighborhood is focused on needs and issues that can’t be addressed if half our neighborhood is lumped in with a district in Queens. Greenpoint, Brooklyn is one community, with many of the same political, environmental, and quality of life objectives. Please reject the current redistricting proposal. Sincerely, Robyn Zeller Greenpoint, Brooklyn
  
• Shamsul
  February 17, 2023
  Please include Abu Huraira Masjid, located on 80 Street, between 30 and 31 Ave, within NYS Assembly District 30. The Masjid has been part of Jackson Heights for a long time due to its geographical and transportation connections. Unfortunately, the 2020 map removed the masjid and placed it with Astoria despite having two highways and a big graveward between the masjid and Astoria. I am requesting that you include the masjid in Assembly District 30.
  
• Kamila
  February 17, 2023
  Hello, I would like to express my dissatisfaction with your idea to separate Greenpoint . I have been living here for 10 years and I don’t want to be part of Queens’ district. We are one as community. Also, district 38 is much larger than 50. And I’m sorry but this is clearly meant to segregate billionaire investors who want to skyscraper the entire east river from the people who have less valuable property.
  
• Nicolas
  February 17, 2023
  Dear Independent Redistricting Commission, My name is Nicolas Shearman, resident of Astoria, Queens and lifelong New Yorker. I urge you to reconsider this redistricting proposal, as the lines do not keep communities of interest together throughout New York City and are not compact/logical. As an environmental justice advocate, I’m disappointed to see that ADs 50 and 53 are being vastly reconfigured. The districts deserve to remain as is, given Greenpoint and the northern sections of Williamsburg is a cohesive community with a unique environmental history related to Newtown Creek and the large National Grid site, both of which are Superfund sites. The district lines for Bushwick and East Williamsburg, which are largely covered by AD53, should remain as is given the neighborhoods have similar social and environmental histories. A southern Queens district, AD 38, should not be expanded into North Brooklyn. The district has little to no connection to Newtown Creek and the fossil fuel pollution in North Brooklyn, which has united residents and community activism for decades. National Grid is currently in a standoff with residents of AD 50 and 53 over the North Brooklyn Pipeline and proposed vaporizers at their Newtown Creek site. It appears that National Grid may be lobbying or benefit from the proposed redistricting plan, as the plan would divide and dilute community power, making it easier for National Grid to advance its racist fossil fuel expansion plans. In Astoria, the planned redistricting of AD36 is illogical. The district should not be expanded to eastern Manhattan. Astoria and Long Island City is a large, cohesive area that should not be divided as proposed in this redistricting plan. Nothing against our Manhattan neighbors- Astoria and Long Island City just have a lot of communities of interest and social, economic, political, and environmental concerns of their own that are different than that of Manhattan’s midtown and east side. AD36’s district lines should encompass as much of Astoria and Long Island City as possible, and leave out Manhattan or any other Borough. It appears on its face that the redistricting of ADs 36 and 50 may be an attempt to increase the number of moderate and conservative voters within those districts, which would likely be an electoral disadvantage to the socialists currently holding office in those districts. The Redistricting Commission should respect the full social and political diversity of New York’s neighborhoods and recognize that communities of color and working class communities in these districts have elected socialist candidates, one a South Asian man and another a woman. The redistricting plan should respect these protected classes of voters and recognize the strong participatory democracies in the neighborhoods should not be gerrymandered. Please draw the final lines so that Black, Asian, Latino, and other communities of interest are fairly represented and are able to elect candidates of their choice. I urge you to revise the redistricting plan as requested above. Thank you for considering this comment. Sincerely, Nicolas Shearman
  
• Caitlyn
  February 16, 2023
  Hi there, I live in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. I have been a resident here for more than 8 years. I strongly oppose merging Greenpoint, Brooklyn’s district with the neighboring queens district. Our area, neighborhood and borough have distinctive sentiments and challenges from the Queens neighborhoods we are being proposed to merge with. I urge the committee to reconsider this proposal and keep the Brooklyn districts together.
  
• Dorthea
  February 16, 2023
  The interests of Greenpoint as a community and only divisible by developers and real estate folks who have no vested interest in the short AND long term interest of the current residents. The voting we do as a community- reading the same publications, connecting in the same places, going to the same library and attending the same schools - are not the same as our neighbors in LIC. This is especially true for the folks who are newer to that neighboring locale (LIC) and the lines of the proposed divisions are clearly aimed to be in favor of and appease folks who *only* are interested in Greenpoint for the waterfronts and continued developments as we’ve seen in Williamsburg, and seek to push out the people who have lived and will continue to live here. This division is an accelerant to making the neighborhood inhospitable to current residents by giving those with vested interest in the commercialization of Williamsburg’s waterfront even MORE power over Greenpoint’s, and severely hampers the community’s ability TO BE a community with this blatant fracturing.
  
• Terrence
  February 16, 2023
  The commission has correctly identified that Hamburg, Lackawanna and South Buffalo should be included together as a community of interest. These communities all flow seamlessly together and share many social and economic resources that should result in them being grouped into the same Assembly district. While it would be ideal to see all of South Buffalo grouped in with Hamburg and Lackawanna, It's understandable given other factors the Commission must consider that the decision was made to include West Seneca in the district. With that said, there is an opportunity to include more of South Buffalo in the proposed district while still maintaining balanced districts. The neighboring 141st district is nearly 2% over the ideal population , while the 142nd district that includes Hamburg, Lackawanna and South Buffalo is nearly 1.5% under the ideal population. The 141st district is a majority minority district that combines communities of interest across Buffalo's East Side. It would be in the best interest of that district, as well as in the best interest of South Buffalo voters to include as much of South Buffalo as possible into the 142nd district instead of the 141st. There are several neighborhoods around Cazenovia Park that could easily be shifted to the 142nd district that would allow more of South Buffalo to be connected with communities of similar social and economic interest while keeping both districts within 2% of the population requirement. This would be a small, but impactful change to the proposed districts that would result in fairer lines and better representation for our region.
  
• Michael
  February 16, 2023
  My name is Michael Fuquay and I am co-owner of The Queensboro located on the corner of 80th Street and Northern Boulevard in Jackson Heights. We are currently located in AD 34 but under the proposed plan would be relegated to the fringe of AD35. I believe this redistricting map will do harm to my business and to my employees. Our identity as a business is intimately tied to our neighborhood. During Covid we dedicated ourselves to community service- supporting Elmhurst Hospital, feeding first responders and distributing over 10,000 meals to our food insecure neighbors. Our Assembly member, Jessica González-Rojas was a crucial partner through these harrowing times. We have built up a bond of trust with her and her office that will be lost. Incumbency has always been an important consideration in redistricting and this is the reason why. Jackson Heights is a strong, cohesive community. That cohesion helped us get through Covid together. It is part of my business, part of my family's life. The new district boundaries will splinter my neighborhood into four different districts- diluting our voting strength. Rather than having an Assembly member dedicated to our interests, we will be reduced to periphery of many districts and have no representation at all. This map as drawn represents an injustice and should be rejected. Thank you for your consideration.
  
• Shawna
  February 16, 2023
  My name is Shawna Morlock, and I’m a resident, public school parent and Democratic District Leader in Astoria, Queens. In my opinion, keeping the maps as-is would be in the best interest of this community. While the current Assembly maps in Western Queens are a significant departure from the pre-2022 maps geographically, they have largely kept communities of interest together, just in a different configuration. The prospect of creating a district encompassing the Upper East Side of Manhattan and Western Queens is especially alarming- the previous Congressional NY-12 district did this, to the detriment of Queens residents. The focus was largely on Manhattan, and Queens residents were overlooked. It’s hard to see a different outcome in this case. The Current Assembly map in this region has been effective for ensuring representation. In Western Queens, we currently have 6 BIPOC Assembly members, including, for the first time, 3 Latinos (2 of which are women), a South Asian and a historic first-ever Filipino-American. The new map would make that virtually impossible to maintain—and the Latino & the South Asian community in particular would likely lose ground. Please consider the effect this would have on our communities, and keep our districts as currently defined.
  
• Susan
  February 16, 2023
  Susan The proposed 107th AD redistricting is anything BUT compact and is a mix of rural and urban areas. As a resident of Columbia County I believe that all 18 towns should be in the same district and that Ancram and Gallatin would be best served by inclusion with the rest of Columbia County. The County has a stronger connection to the Hudson Valley than to the Capital District and should be kept whole and paired with Dutchess County.
  
• James
  February 16, 2023
  The redistrictimg of district 50 is a bonehead move. Green point is one of the few neighborhoods in New York that has geographic and topographic boundaries in addition to those imposed by the city. Those boundaries should be respected as a natural delimiter of community. Jamie hook
  
• Gina
  February 16, 2023
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