New York State Independent Redistricting Commission

Olga
March 31, 2023
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I am Roosevelt Island resident and I strongly oppose the current proposal which removes Roosevelt Island from Manhattan’s District 76 and places it in Queens District 36. I am attaching a detailed letter stating my concerns and reasons. When you are determining the redistricting map of New York State’s Assembly, I implore you to refrain from making politically expedient decisions that will hurt the Roosevelt Island community. We belong to Manhattan, we have strong ties to Manhattan via transportation links, work and educational communities, and we need to be able to maintain our Manhattan representation. Thank you for your consideration. Olga Lyudovyk

Kris
March 31, 2023
PLEASE stop this plan to shave off select border areas off of AD 44 - better known as Kensington and Windsor Terrace. It is nothing but a destructive city plan which seems to have no reasons provided as to why this would even be proposed? What are the benefits? Who benefits from this plan? Has anyone thought of the risks and damage to the residents and home owners in AD 44? Do not do this. Let AD 44 remain and develop as it is. There were meetings held, people came to testify as to why this is not a good idea. No one that I have heard of has any convincing arguments as to why is was planned in the first place. DO NOT CHANGE AD 44. We are a small, successful, cohesive, highly diverse neighborhood and we want to remain intact. Thank you, Kris King. Kensington Resident since 1998 and home owner since 2009.

Brendan
March 31, 2023
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Manhattan Community Board Six disapproves of the IRC’s proposed Preliminary Plan #1 redistricting map which moves approximately 60 blocks of Manhattan’s East Side and Roosevelt Island to a Queens-based Assembly District and strongly urges that these areas remain in a Manhattan-based State Assembly District.

James
March 31, 2023
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Please amend AD-9 so that it is consistent with the new Senate Districts. That will ensure that they will be nonpartisan, protect communities of common interest, and be easy for the community members to understand as they are separated by physical and historic landmarks.

Victoria
March 31, 2023
Leave Roosevelt Island in Manhattan!

Mary
March 31, 2023
I do not agree with the changes to Windsor Terrace's district 44. I have lived in Windsor Terrace for the last 18 years and changing the borders of District 44 will cause many residents in Windsor Terrace to lose their effective representation and voice. The areas being annexed into District 51 will be overwhelmed by the needs of residents of Sunset Park and Red Hook. The areas are not adjacent and their needs vary. During the pandemic when I reached out to Robert Carroll's office for support, they were the only public office that addressed my needs and assisted me when my job was obliterated by COVID-19 restrictions. The suggested changes to the borders of District 44 will alienate many Windsor Terrace residents. I disagree with the changes and I believe that the areas should remain within District 44.

Marjorie
March 31, 2023
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Dear Members of the New York State Independent Redistricting Commission Thank you for considering Roosevelt Island’s needs when determining the redistricting map for New York State’s Assembly. I strongly oppose the current proposal which removes Roosevelt Island from Manhattan’s District 76 and places it in Queens District 36. New York State’s redistricting rules require: Districts must consist of contiguous territory and shall be as compact in form as possible. Our Manhattan Island’s contiguous territory is Manhattan, not Queens. The proposed change to our district is sprawling, not compact. The commission must take into account the maintenance of existing districts, pre-existing political subdivisions, including counties, cities, towns, and communities of interest. Roosevelt Island is being severed from long established communities of interest. Our political subdivision is not being respected. The City Charter of New York City recognizes Roosevelt Island as a Manhattan community. The Constitution of New York State specifically provides two State legislators for each district, a Senator and an Assembly Member. Roosevelt Island, a Manhattan community, has a unique form of local governance. We are governed by an unelected, State appointed Public Benefit Corporation, the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC). All of our local services are administered by RIOC, not by New York City. The Board of Directors for RIOC is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the Governor of NY. Because of this unique relationship with the State of NY, in which our residents do not have a voting voice in their local government, it is imperative that we, a Manhattan community, have the combined efforts of both of our Manhattan based representatives, working together on our behalf, to provide us with responsive and fair dealing by RIOC. Many of our children go to public and private schools in Manhattan, not Queens. PS/IS 217, the only public school in our community, is only available on a limited basis to children through the 8th grade. Confirmed by the school’s principal, Mandana Beckman, the school can only accommodate 33 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. Therefore, the vast majority of our public, middle school children attend District 2 schools in Manhattan. The mandated DOE District 2 school, which has the highest volume of Roosevelt Island middle schoolers, is Robert S. Wagner Middle School, located in the 76th AD. In addition, PS/IS 217 can only accommodate 15 of our 3K children, and 36 PreK2 children. The majority of our early learners, who PS/IS 217 cannot accommodate, attend DOE District 2 schools in the 76th AD. Our District 76 Assembly Members have all had long, established relationships with schools in our required school district. We need to retain this invaluable Manhattan “community of interest.” The housing quarters for the staff of Cornell Weill Hospital and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in District 76, are located on Roosevelt Island. Also, a significant portion of our population work at other nearby Manhattan hospitals in District 76. Many of our residents are actively engaged with religious institutions in Manhattan. Most of our working population commute to Manhattan for employment every workday. Our tramway is operated by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) to link residents with Manhattan destinations. All maintenance, repairs, and capital improvements must be made by this state agency by connecting with mainstream Manhattan authorities. It is not part of the MTA system. Our tramway is a vital transportation link that is used each day by commuters in order to get to work, and by school children, most of whom attend school in mainland Manhattan. It has no connection to Queens and is of no consequence to a Queens Assembly Member. Please consider Roosevelt Island’s unique needs when determining the redistricting map for New York State’s Assembly. Again, I strongly oppose the current proposal which removes Roosevelt Island from Manhattan’s District 76. Sincerely, Marjorie Weis 415 Main Street

Thomas
March 31, 2023
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Find attached my comments and supporting documentation.

Linette
March 31, 2023
To Members of the Redistricting Commission: I strongly oppose the redistricting lines proposed for Queens Council District 26 and Manhattan Council District 5, which includes Roosevelt Island, for the following reasons: 1. Many of our school children commute by tram, which is a unique and vital link to Manhattan. Most of our working population also commute by tram to the mainland, not Queens, each day for employment. Our residents' commutation needs are met by maintaining a close association between the mainland and our island. 2. The cost for policing Roosevelt Island is principally covered by Island residents, through land-leases paid to RIOC. Our first responders are Public Safety Officers that are Peace Officers with the State of NY, NOT police officers from Queens. Our crime statistics are more consistent with our current Manhattan connection rather than with Western Queens. Our NYPD protection could diminish when determined by comparing our community with the stats of Western Queens. 3. Roosevelt Island was conceived and built as a "Manhattan Utopian Community" by Mayor John Lindsay. We are a Manhattan community, not a Queens community. Our area code is 212, not 718. We have a Manhattan zip code of 10044. We are a Manhattan Island under New York City's City Charter. Item 52-C in the City Charter states that district lines shall keep neighborhoods intact. We are a Manhattan stop on the subway system, our other major transportation link. Our newly built and highly utilized public library is part of the Manhattan library system. 4. Roosevelt Islanders frequently call on our City Council Representatives for constituent services, particularly, for help in landlord/tenant matters. Our cases are heard in Manhattan's landlord/tenant court. A Queens City Council Member will be unable to provide the level of effective assistance our residents will need in housing matters. Unlike Queens, we are a highly residential community with very few commercial enterprises. Our operating funds are derived in a very different way than in Queens. Even our public services such as grounds keeping and street cleaning are not covered in the same manner as Queens. Throughout our entire existence as a residential community, our residents have considered themselves Manhatanites. Thank you for your attention. Sincerely, Linette Ozborne RI resident 555 Main Street, New York, NY 10044

Laura
March 31, 2023
The proposed new boundaries of the 44th AD in Brooklyn do not make sense. Removing parts of Windsor Terrace and Kensington from the rest of their respective neighborhoods, is akin to stranding them on deserted islands. These two neighborhoods are connected geographically, but also by their needs and interests. Removing small parts from the district will have an adverse effect on the sections that are removed as well as the ones that remain. These are small, cohesive neighborhoods whose interests will now be dwarfed by the much larger neighborhoods they will be joined with: Sunset Park and Red Hook for the the areas that would be removed, and Park Slope for the areas that remain. Robert Moses already did significant damage to this part of Brooklyn with the creation of the Prospect Expressway which physically cuts our neighborhoods in half. Please do not use that arbitrary line as a basis to divide our neighborhoods and their interests.

Heidi
March 31, 2023
I am a resident on Nelsonville, NY, in the Town of Philipstown in the Hudson Valley. I am writing to oppose the proposed new map for my area. In my opinion, the newly proposed maps destroy the community continuity of the district I am currently in, which has aligned interests of the communities along the Hudson River. I want to keep the district the way it currently is based on the fact that residents of Philipstown have more in common with the communities along the river than they do with the areas to the east of Philipstown in Putnam County, with which we in Philipstown do not have common interests. Please do not put Philipstown in a district that stretches to the east that would destroy the community continuity of the district I vote in. Thank you for your consideration, Heidi Wendel 29 Secor Street Nelsonville, NY 10516

John
March 30, 2023
I am in favor of the proposed draft where the current 50 assembly district is. This is a fair assessment of the growth in population of the neighborhood and makes sense based on the census data.

Shannon
March 30, 2023
I am writing to express my extreme concern about the redistricting plans for portions of the 44th district. This plan cuts Windsor Terrace and Kensington in half and places my portion of the neighborhood into the 51st. This will cause our small portion to be subsumed by the needs of 2 different neighborhoods (Sunset Park and Red Hook). We have been in this district for over 30 years and it is where we should remain for the cohesiveness of the neighborhood. The border should be the natural border of the cemetery and continue down to Fort Hamilton and 39th.

Linda
March 30, 2023
To: Members of the New York State Independent Redistricting Commission Thank you for considering Roosevelt Island’s needs when determining the redistricting map for New York State’s Assembly. I strongly oppose the current proposal which removes Roosevelt Island from Manhattan’s District 76 and places it in Queens District 36. New York State’s redistricting rules require: Districts must consist of contiguous territory and shall be as compact in form as possible. Our Manhattan Island’s contiguous territory is Manhattan, not Queens. The proposed change to our district is sprawling, not compact. The commission must take into account the maintenance of existing districts, pre-existing political subdivisions, including counties, cities, towns, and communities of interest. Roosevelt Island is being severed from long established communities of interest. Our political subdivision is not being respected. Best regards, Linda S. Ricci 10 River Road Apt. #18J New York, NY 10044

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