New York State Independent Redistricting Commission

Brenda
February 13, 2023
The Independent Redistricting Commission has cut big portions of Windsor Terrace, Kensington, Park Slope, and Ditmas park out of the 44th Assembly District. But we are ONE community connected by schools, houses of worship, mass transit and parks. I don't want the interests of residents living between Caton Avenue and 8th Avenue, from McDonald Avenue to the Prospect Expressway, and residents living between Fort Hamilton Parkway and 15th Avenue, from Dahill Road to 39th Street to be represented - or underrepresented - by an Assemblymember whose main focus will, of necessity, be the huge number of constituents who live in Sunset Park and Red Hook. I don't want to lose having the rest of our neighborhood help us advocate with our Assemblymember when we need something done. This plan will put us in the same situation of underrepresentation as the small portion of Midwood that's within Community Board 12. Sunset Park and Red Hook residents can't be expected to be interested in, for example, keeping the B69 bus running on McDonald instead of terminating at Prospect Park West and 19th/20th streets, conditions at the Windsor Terrace Library, conditions at Thomas J. Cuite/Froggy Park and Greenwood Playground, and traffic congestion on 19th Street by the school complex. But our neighbors who live across the street (the Prospect Expressway) are far more likely to share these interests. Please keep the neighborhoods of the 44th Assembly District intact as they currently exist and have for over 30 years. Thank you, Brenda Dargan-Levy

Kasia
February 13, 2023
I am writing as a resident of Greenpoint to ask that the neighborhood is not split into two district. Greenpoint is a unique and cohesive community within Brooklyn and it would be a great disservice to separate it. Having the eastern portion engulfed into a primarily Queens district would not allow for appropriate representation for our area. Please reconsider these new divisions in the district map.

Amy
February 13, 2023
I am writing to express my strong opinion against the rezoning of my Greenpoint neighborhood. While McGuinness Blvd is a physical divide, it should not be used as a borderline for redistricting. Greenpoint is one neighborhood and should be represented accordingly. Our lives within the community exist on both sides of McGuinness Blvd. We shop, gather, and do business on both sides. We are a BROOKLYN community and should be included in Brooklyn representation, not Queens.

Susan
February 13, 2023
To: New York State Independent Redistricting Commission Re: Redistricting of North Brooklyn/Greenpoint I am writing to oppose the redistricting of my Greenpoint Neighborhood. The redistricting proposes to subdivide a very solid community that is intricately intertwined by both idenity and the critical community issues it faces. The proposed arbitrary divsion does not account for important issues our neighborhood faces and the issues that unite us. Specifically, Greenpoint is continually faced with a legacy of environmental issues where a portion of the neighborhood (the Newtown Creek Superfund site) has contributed to serious oil spills to neighborhood on the other side of McGuiness Boulevard which is proposed to be separated in the new redistricting. Furthermore, as a community, we are being radically gentrified by the rezoning that occurred in 2005 and as a community, we all work together to ensure that the promises of the the rezoning, including open space and affordable housing, are being met. Dividing our neighborhood to include the most northern portion as part of a Queens community would fracture our voices. We need to keep Greenpoint whole and squarely in one district with Williamsburg. I ask you to redesign your plan and keep our community whole. Sincerely, Susan Albrecht 113 Kent Street Brooklyn, NY 11222

Ryan
February 13, 2023
Keep Greenpoint whole! Don't split our tightly-knit North Brooklyn community in half.

Alexis
February 13, 2023
I appreciate that many difficult decisions need to be made when considering how our state’s citizens are represented. That said, it is clear from this decision that the community of Greenpoint was left as an afterthought. This decision would separate my portion of the neighborhood from my current assembly representative, Emily Gallagher, as well as from the remainder of my constituency. I don’t share the same needs as a resident as someone from Rego Park, but I do care about what happens in Manhattan Ave. Please reconsider this current division which will split apart our neighborhood and render many initiatives going on in my community toothless.

Megan
February 13, 2023
As a resident of Greenpoint, I feel most represented by my fellow Brooklyn residents and would not approve of a redistricting that was represented primarily by Queens. Greenpoint should continue to be represented by a Brooklyn district.

Kristin
February 13, 2023
Please keep Greenpoint as one voting district! We share many common concerns and interests as a whole; dividing us will only make this neighborhood’s voice smaller.

Anna
February 13, 2023
I have lived in Greenpoint for 18 years and have a child enrolled at PS 110. I live in the section of Greenpoint east of McGuiness Ave., which is being split from AD 50 and the rest of Greenpoint in the new redistricting maps. It would be a mistake to separate this section of Greenpoint from an assembly district where our interests are represented and lump it with Queens neighborhoods where the assembly member will be (rightly) focused on the issues in Queens.

Marie
February 13, 2023
View File

Kathryn
February 13, 2023
We are one community connected by schools, houses of worship, mass transit and parks. The Commission marginalizes citizens and weakens their voice by spreading citizens among several representatives. Please keep the neighborhoods of the 44th Assembly District intact as they currently exist and have for over 30 years

Dawn
February 13, 2023
Hello, I am writing regarding the redistricting plan for portions of Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn. I am currently part of District 44 but according to the proposed plan, my street will be cut off from the rest of my neighborhood to become part of District 51 which is all the way on the other side of Greenwood Cemetery. This seems very odd and unnecessary. The current border of the cemetery just makes sense and I am concerned that being part of a district so removed from our location will mean that our concerns or issues will be neglected. I respectfully request that you keep the district as it is so that we may remain with our neighbors and our current political representatives. Thank you very much. Regards, Dawn McDonald East 2nd Street

Jill
February 13, 2023
I'm unable to attend the redistricting meeting in Wednesday February 15, but I strongly advise against dividing the Greenpoint neighborhood into two separate districts. Greenpoint is one neighborhood and it's confusing to have different representatives for different parts. The proposed lines put this part of Greenpoint, Brooklyn in a district encompasses a variety of different neighborhood in Queens County, which seems illogical to me. This district extends deep into Queens, nearly to Flushing Meadows, and based on Subway and Bus routes, Greenpointers have little to do with these areas. I also worry about confusion during elections about who is on the ballot or where we're supposed to vote. I worry that this has the potential to result in lower voter turnout in both of the proposed new districts.

Dorothy
February 13, 2023
Please do not split up the 44th Assembly District in Brooklyn. The proposed plan would break up my neighborhood of Kensington, as well as Windsor Terrace, Park Slope, and Ditmas Park, in ways that would negatively impact our ability to have our voices heard, and work together as a community with shared interests and priorities. Your website describes a "community of interest" as follows: "A community of interest is a population which shares enough social and economic interests of importance that suggest said community should be included in a single district for effective and fair representation. These might include similar standards of living, shared methods and patterns of transportation, or similar economic and societal concerns. The commission shall consider the maintenance of cores of existing districts, of pre-existing political subdivisions, including counties, cities, and towns, and of communities of interest." The proposed plan would work directly counter to this goal, as it would in fact cause major problems as our "community of interest" tries to work together. Thank you for your careful consideration as you implement the redistricting process.

Alice Boles
February 13, 2023
February 13, 2023 Public Comment to the New York State Independent Redistricting Commission in opposition to the proposed geographic division of the 44th NYS Assembly District It has recently come to my attention that the Independent Redistricting Commission has proposed new district lines that would cut big portions of Windsor Terrace, Kensington, Park Slope and Ditmas Park out of my home assembly district - the 44th Assembly District. I strongly oppose this plan. The 44th Assembly District should not be chopped up! I encourage the Independent Redistricting Commission to keep the neighborhoods of the 44th Assembly District intact as they currently exist and have existed for over 30 years. Please do not divide Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, and Kensington. We are one community connected by schools, houses of worship, mass transit and parks. The currently proposed redistricting plan would marginalize citizens in my Assembly District, and it will weaken our voices by spreading our neighborhood’s citizens among several Assembly representatives. Please take our neighborhood and community’s long-standing identity and cohesiveness into consideration as you outline the new Assembly districts. Thank you. Alice Boles Ott 276A 14th Street Brooklyn, NY 11215 Email: alicebolesott@gmail.com

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