Submissions

Public Comments Return to Archived Submissions Page

• Helen
  January 19, 2022
  Please keep Columbia County whole .Dividing or a am County will dilute representation and undermine our ability to advocate for our County’s needs . We are stronger together. Helen
  
• Jennifer
  January 19, 2022
  There's a proposal to carve up the Town of Mamaroneck, in Westchester County, into separate districts, associating one piece with Queens! The needs of these areas are incredibly different. This carve up serves no purpose whatsoever, and whoever is proposing this should be made to detail quite explicitly the resulting benefits. Jennifer and Chris Bourdain
  
• Monica
  January 18, 2022
  On Jan 16, 2022, at 3:01 PM, monicafriedman18@gmail.com wrote: Splitting The Village of Mam’k into 2 districts Is unwise considering the importance of helping Mamk get back on its feet after the natural disaster that wiped out people’s homes, properties, livelihoods and businesses. LMHTF fills over 500 bags of food every Tuesday to help families put food on the table. Our village needs to rebuild in a way that protects residents from potential future natural disasters. A strong concensus and base of support is important. Please, think about it. Keep Mamaronrck whole! Sent from my iPhone
  
• Jennifer
  January 18, 2022
  As a resident of New Rochelle, NY, I am concerned about the propsoed redistricting maps that separate much of New Rochelle and the southern Sound Shore from the rest of Westchester, placing us with portions of The Bronx and Queens. New Rochelle has issues that are shared with the greater Westchester area (regional traffic and mass transit, development, and environmental infrastructure impacted by the Hudson and more of the Sound). I am concerned that these issues may not get the attention required by our representation, creating a potential burden on local municipalities. It is very important that representation be shared by a community of interest. It is important that Westchester not be split up that way in any redistricting plan.
  
• Russell
  January 18, 2022
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• Anna
  January 18, 2022
  Proposed Congressional District Would Split Our Community: (1) I don't think Larchmont - Mamaroneck would be well represented be being split into 2 Congressional districts, (2) all the Westchester communities along Long Island Sound have similar environmental issues and logically should be included in the same district, and (3) Representation of Westchester residents on the Federal level would be diluted by having 3 Congressional Districts including one which is largely urban rather that suburban.
  
• Kathleen
  January 18, 2022
  I am writing to strongly opposed the redistricting plans that split the Village of Mamaroneck into two districts. And I’ll include separating the Town of Mamaroneck while I’m at it. Villages in NYS have enough trouble making their voices heard and concerns put forth without splitting us between two districts. The Village of Mamaroneck is synergistically tied to the Larchmont-Mamaroneck Community and has little, if any, contact with the Town of Rye. We’re not even contiguous to the rest of the Town! Therefore, I am also opposed to separating the Village of Mamaroneck (in part or in total) from the rest of the Larchmont-Mamaroneck community. Thank you for your consideration. Kathy Savolt Former Mayor, Village of Mamaroneck
  
• Lorraine
  January 18, 2022
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  Dear Chair, Vice-Chair and Honorable Commissioners, Attached please find a joint letter from the Town of Mamaroneck, Village of Mamaroneck and Village of Larchmont regarding the proposed congressional redistricting plan. We ask that this correspondence be made part of the official record. Best regards, Lorraine Walsh Mayor, Village of Larchmont
  
• Robert
  January 18, 2022
  To Whom It May Concern: Following Village of Mamaroneck Mayor Tom Murphy's plea to residents, I am writing to let you know my concerns regarding the political subdivision of the Village of Mamaroneck and any redistricting of the 16th and the 17th Congressional Districts. As you may know, the Village of Mamaroneck experienced significant and devastating floods as a result of heavy rains from the remnants of Hurricane Ida. To paraphrase Mayor Murphy, "Any congressional map that splits the Village into two Congressional districts will dilute the Village's voice and make the issues that matter specifically to our community, like flooding, easier to ignore." Please keep this in mind as the Redistricting Commission works towards drawing our State’s Congressional district lines. I hope you and our elected representatives in Albany will NOT split the Village of Mamaroneck and keep its boundaries complete and entirely in EITHER the 16th OR the 17th Congressional District. Thank you. Sincerely yours, Robert Ingenito 142 Mount Pleasant Ave. Mamaroneck, NY 10543
  
• Lisa
  January 18, 2022
  Please preserve Columbia County as a unified community of interest with our neighboring counties. We share similar agricultural, historic, artistic and economic challenges and opportunities with Dutchess, Ulster, Rensselaer, and Greene Counties as part of a Mid-Hudson Valley Region. Dividing Columbia County or separating us from this region would impact the County's ability to be fully represented.
  
• Joel
  January 18, 2022
  Dear Members of the Independent Redistricting Commission: Now that the Commission has failed to propose a single set of maps endorsed by the requisite majority of its members, the New York State Legislature has recently rejected the Commission’s first proposals. As a concerned resident of Westchester County, I urge you to recognize the importance of maintaining Westchester’s independent voice and not having it split apart and diluted by surrounding areas of New York City. The City of New York is a unique urban center with an infrastructure of its own, like none other in the state, and a set of issues and concerns that are wholly distinct from suburban communities like Westchester. If the Commission is given the opportunity to propose a second set of maps, it should use that opportunity to unite areas of Westchester County. It appears that both maps under consideration would continue to artificially link portions of the north Bronx with portions of Westchester in one district, while drawing another district that would link Westchester with portions of both the Bronx and Queens. These maps are fundamentally flawed because they dilute the voice of both the suburban community in Westchester (and Putnam counties) and the New York City community in the Bronx and Queens. The district linking Westchester with both the Bronx and Queens is particularly unfair and unacceptable because it divides communities in three counties, limiting the ability of residents in each part of the district to have an elected official who can effectively represent their interests. During last year’s public hearings, when residents of New Rochelle testified before the Independent Redistricting Commission, several were asked by Commissioners whether they would want a district connecting New Rochelle to Queens. None said yes, yet the Commission still drew a Queens to New Rochelle district in both of its proposals. Rather than having District 14 be contained entirely in New York City and District 16 be the only district to cross the Westchester/Bronx border, as was proposed in the earlier Names and Letters draft plans, the Commission inexplicably decided to cross the county border twice. This decision divides communities throughout the region and would especially dilute the voice of the community of southern Westchester centered around Scarsdale and northern New Rochelle. This area has shared infrastructure and institutions, and both proposals would split this community into not two but three different Congressional Districts. When the lines were last redrawn, New Rochelle, Scarsdale and other parts of Westchester were joined with the Bronx. Now, ten years later, the Commission’s proposals would further dilute Westchester’s voice. I urge you to reassess the Congressional map and take action to ensure that Westchester County is not unduly divided. Respectfully yours, Shari and Joel Beckman 75 Garden Road Scarsdale, NY 10583
  
• Debra
  January 18, 2022
  Dear Members of the Independent Redistricting Commission and New York State Legislature: I am a concerned citizen of Westchester County who feels strongly that the state’s next Congressional District map should not join portions of Westchester to the Bronx and Queens. I do not believe that a single Representative can adequately represent the diverse interests of three counties in a conglomeration of urban New York City and suburban Westchester as drawn in Plans A and B for District 14. I understand that the task of map drawing has been difficult for the Commission and continues to be, but I do not want the Commission to dilute any Westchester votes in this manner, and for the next ten years. This same request was expressed by most speakers who were asked about it at the White Plains public hearing. Thank you. Debra Malki
  
• Barbara
  January 18, 2022
  The current districts are a recipe for poor representation of our small Sound Shore community as well as Westchester County as a whole. Don't put Larchmont/Mamaroneck into a tiny portion of a NYC-dominated district where we will have no voice. Keep Larchmont/Mamaroneck Town and Villages together to maximize representation and avoid a bureaucratic nightmare. Keep Sound Shore together especially for important environmental reasons. Make Westchester the majority of at least one of the districts so that our county can have effective representation. Please — keep Westchester whole and don’t split it up and thus delute our voices. We are one million people with shared interests. Thank you!
  
• Diane
  January 18, 2022
  View File
  Dear IRC — In just over 48 hours, a petition has garnered over 500 signatures and continues to gain support every minute. You can link to the petition here to see the progress. https://chng.it/cKHgSNVFJk I send this email now to ensure you understand the full outcry. Please find attached a list of supporters. (There is a lag in the change.org system so the list is not complete. I will continue to update the list regularly during the week to ensure you see updates, and because this free system doesn’t seem to reliably generate automatic alerts and it limits the addressees.) The message is clear! Westchester is speaking loudly that we want representation that is not unduly divided. Feel welcome to share this input with your colleagues. Thank you for time and attention to constituent input. Diane Greenwald The petition reads: Dear Members of the Independent Redistricting Commission: Now that the Commission has failed to propose a single set of maps endorsed by the requisite majority of its members, the New York State Legislature rejected the Commission’s first proposals. As a concerned resident of Westchester County, I urge you to propose district maps that maintain Westchester’s independent voice, not splitting it apart, diluted by surrounding areas of New York City. Redistricting is the opportunity to unite areas of Westchester County. When the lines were last redrawn, New Rochelle, Scarsdale and other parts of Westchester were joined with the Bronx. Now, ten years later, the Commission’s proposals would further dilute Westchester’s voice. The City of New York is a unique urban center with an infrastructure of its own, like none other in the state, and a set of issues and concerns that are wholly distinct from suburban communities like Westchester. The district linking Westchester with both the Bronx and Queens is particularly unfair and unacceptable because it divides communities in three counties, limiting the ability of residents in each part of the district to have an elected official who can effectively represent their interests. This area has shared infrastructure and institutions, and both proposals would split our community into not two but three different Congressional Districts. I urge you to reassess the Congressional map and take action to ensure that Westchester County is not unduly divided. Respectfully yours, Attachment: list of position supporters at 527 as of 7:20am Jan 19, 2022:
  
• Kim
  January 17, 2022
  I am a New Rochelle resident and do not think that Plan A or Plan B maps make any sense for my community. These maps place New Rochelle at risk of being a small portion of a NYC-dominated district where we will have no or very limited voice. Keep the Westchester/Sound Shore region together especially for important environmental reasons. Make Westchester the majority of at least one of the districts so that our county can have effective representation (we finally did get to 1 million in the Census!) Please consider these points when reconfiguring the maps.