New York State Independent Redistricting Commission

Curtis
December 6, 2021
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Please see Map for Senate District 31, which should NOT be extended into another borough as your original plans have presented.

Curtis
December 6, 2021
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Please see attached maps for review pertaining to the 71st and 72nd Assembly District.

Michael
December 6, 2021
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December 6, 2021 Chairman David Imamura, Esq. Independent Redistricting Commission 250 Broadway, 22nd Floor New York, NY 10007 Dear Chairman Imamura and Commissioners: Thank you for giving me the opportunity to address the Independent Redistricting Commission of New York State about an issue that is of extreme importance to the Town of Ramapo I am proud to represent nearly 150,000 people from all walks of life who live in the Town of Ramapo, which is the most populous town in New York State outside of Long Island. Despite its incredible diversity and its rather large population, both of which set our Town apart and make it unique in so many ways, our Town is inexplicably divided into multiple Assembly Districts. In fact, our Town’s population base is certainly large enough to warrant us being placed into one single Assembly District that is wholly contained within the Town. However, the Town of Ramapo is regrettably carved up into several different districts, which does a tremendous disservice to Ramapo residents and sends a disturbing message that their diverse needs are somehow not as important as the powerful political forces that may be at play at the state level. It is nonsensical that the Town of Ramapo is divided into three separate Assembly Districts (AD 96, AD 97 and AD 98). One of those districts, which contains approximately one-third of our Town’s population, is actually combined with Orange County, a fact that is quite enigmatic. As a result of this inexplicable split, Ramapo residents are inherently disenfranchised, and their voices are needlessly diluted. We do not have a single Assemblymember who can proudly call the Town of Ramapo their own, and not one Assemblymember feels like Ramapo is “theirs.” Ramapo has in essence become an afterthought for our local Assemblymembers, none of whom even has a district office located within the Town. From a legal, constitutional, and common-sense perspective, the Town of Ramapo’s fragmentation when it comes to representation in the State Assembly is completely irrational. Pursuant to the New York State Constitution, a municipality should not be split up into different parts in the context of legislative districts whenever possible. In light of that constitutional provision and taking into account the size of our Town, Ramapo should unquestionably comprise one entire Assembly District. The Town’s placement into multiple Assembly Districts has an adverse fiscal impact on our Town, as financial assistance from the Assembly for Ramapo has been virtually non-existent over the past decade. In addition, as home to a particularly diverse population that is comprised of large Haitian, Hispanic, Latino and Orthodox enclaves, our residents often have divergent needs and concerns. The lack of a single Assemblymember that all Ramapo families can turn to for assistance with a myriad of issues, and the absence of a dedicated Assemblymember who understands them, cares about them, and can focus on them, is inequitable and injurious. Following the deadly antisemitic attack in the Town of Ramapo in December 2019, in which a man brandishing a machete entered a rabbi’s home during a Hanukkah celebration and stabbed five people, there was an outpouring of love, concern and assistance from a broad spectrum of people. We received help from the Governor and the Senate, as they immediately recognized the need to combat bigotry and take steps to ensure that such a tragedy does not occur again. Sadly, the Assembly was conspicuously absent during that terrible time. I have no doubt that if the Town had one dedicated Assembly member that represented us, he or she would have been there for us in our time of need. Enclosed please find a proposed map for Assembly District 97, which would more equitably represent the Town of Ramapo and its population. As the Independent Redistricting Commission of New York State embarks on the process of redrawing our state’s legislative district lines, it is my sincere hope that the members of this esteemed body will bear in mind the issues and concerns that I have raised in my remarks, whether they be legal, financial or sociological in nature. The Town of Ramapo deserves better than we have gotten in the past, and it is time for this Commission to duly address the inequity that exists and remedy the injustice that has subsisted for far too long. We are one Town, one community and one family, and we should absolutely be one Assembly District as well. Dividing the Town of Ramapo into more than one Assembly District yet again would unnecessarily perpetuate the unjust imbalance in representation at the state level that adversely affects our residents and our Town. I respectfully request that you do the right thing and finally allow the Town of Ramapo to have the forceful and fervent voice in the State Assembly that we rightfully deserve. Thank you again for giving me the opportunity to speak and for your consideration of my remarks. Very truly yours, Michael B. Specht

Daniel
December 6, 2021
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Aron
December 6, 2021
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Dear Commissioners, my name is Aron Wieder. I have testified twice before the commission. In my second testimony the commission indicated that it would be helpful to submit redrawn maps that would address the issues that were raised. Please find those maps attached in PDF format.

Mark
December 6, 2021
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This revision of my earlier submission matches what I sent via email to Sid Parker on 12/4. It takes advantage of some corrected census numbers that are available on the Districtr tool, that I did not have when I was creating my earlier submission on this site. That earlier submission was based wholly on county/city/town numbers on a lookup table that was published in september on syracuse.com. That table omitted any data for Indian reservations, and incorrectly notated East Rochester and Mt Kisco as villages rather than village-towns. That table also did not permit drawing Assembly lines within the 4 upstate cities and 1 upstate town larger than 135,000 (Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Yonkers; Ramapo), which I have added here.

Mark
December 6, 2021
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This revision of my earlier submission matches what I sent via email to Sid Parker on 12/4. It takes advantage of some corrected census numbers that are available on the Districtr tool, that I did not have when I was creating my earlier submission, which was based wholly on county/city/town numbers on a lookup table that was published in september on syracuse.com. That table omitted any data for Indian reservations, and incorrectly notated East Rochester and Mt Kisco as villages rather than village-towns.

Anthony
December 6, 2021
I’m Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr. and I’m submitting testimony on behalf of Oneida County. I represent the interests of approximately 232,000 people that includes three cities, 26 towns and 16 villages. I write today to participate in the independent redistricting process and its effects on the community I represent. As a county we are focused on the sustained growth of our region, economically and socially. The continuity of our communities is critical to provide services or receive assistance from our current legislative makeup. To further separate our communities would adversely affect our ability to advocate on behalf of the approximately 232,000 I represent and our overlapping interests. My community represents a diverse district, yet its residents share common interests. Currently our population is represented by five assembly members but is mostly represented by one state senator and one member of Congress. It is much more effective to communicate with one senator and one member of congress than five assembly members. In order for Oneida County to continually have its interests represented, this cohesion should be kept intact to the best of the commission’s ability. Thank you to the Independent Redistricting Commission for allowing me to submit testimony. I again ask that you consider the needs of my community so that there may continue to be adequate and fair representation for my residents.

Jacqueline
December 6, 2021
RE: Redistricting Honorable Members of the Independent Redistricting Committee: In reviewing testimony and proposed district maps, it is imperative that Oneida County, most specifically the cities of Rome and Utica, be kept whole in any new proposed congressional or state legislative district. Our county is unique in that there are two host cities, both growing in commerce and population. This is due to the team approach and cooperation of elected officials and private sector individuals to further economic development activity in our area. It would be a travesty to split the two cities when we are finally starting to make some real progress with housing, business development and working with our nonprofit partner agencies to provide much needed services in the two cities addressing poverty, homelessness and a multitude of other socioeconomic concerns. The proposed district maps are inherently counterproductive and unfair to the citizens of the City of Rome and Oneida County splitting the county down the middle and potentially setting up turf wars. We have made great strides speaking with one voice and would hope the redistricting commission would work to redraw maps that reflects this approach for the next decade in our congressional and state representation. Sincerely, Jacqueline M. Izzo Mayor, City of Rome

Heather
December 6, 2021
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Attached please find the NY Senate and NY Assembly Maps for the borough of Queens built by the Central Queens Redistricting Coalition. These maps were built at the request of the Commissioners of the NYIRC at the November 17 hearing. We would ask that any feedback or follow up questions be sent to: centralqueensredistricting@gmail.com. Thank you all for your hard work and dedication to this process. - Heather Beers-Dimitriadis & Raj Korpan

Maureen
December 6, 2021
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Please keep us together as a County-Columbia not divided into segments. We provide NY State with many rich resources in our agriculture and our natural beauty and we must have a united voice in our representation.

Stan
December 6, 2021
To the Independent Redistricting Commission: I recognize the importance of equity and fairness in creating congressional districts: ideally, districts should be drawn on the principle of one person/one vote, and without regard to specific political advantage. Having said that, there are other important considerations that might reasonably be considered in creating district boundaries. Important among these is the recognition of the impact on existing governmental entities, and secondly, on the economic interests within the districts themselves. So first, an existing governmental entity, such as a township, has a legitimate interest in being included in its totality within one congressional district. As a resident of Brookhaven Township, I definitely want my Township to be represented by one Congress person, not split between two districts. The voice of the voters of one complete Township will have greater weight for one member of Congress than the divided voice and votes split between two members of Congress. Secondly, in terms of economic interests, the proposed congressional draft map divides existing Congressional District #1 in a manner that cleaves important economic and scientific research interests. Specifically, dividing the north portion of Brookhaven Township from the south portion reduces the social and environmental power for change across the Township: The North Shore and the South Shore together share important ecological interests best served by working together in one district, with one member of Congress. Likewise, splitting the district such that Stony Brook University and Brookhaven National Labs are in two separate districts vitiates the value they bring to Brookhaven. This value is multifaceted: economic (as major employers); scientific (the two institutions share numerous research initiatives); and social/educational (the presence of both institutions in one district substantially enhances Township commitment to education and innovation). Therefore, for the reasons above, I respectfully request that the proposed Democratic Letters Congressional Draft Map be revised to enable Brookhaven Township to be fully contained within one congressional district. Thank you. Respectfully Submitted, Stan Esikoff 7 Livingston Road Bellport, NY 11713

Diana
December 6, 2021
Bronx State Assembly Districts 78 and 80: Please reassign the small section of AD 78 that is east of the Bronx River, the Bronx River Parkway, the Bronx Zoo and the Bronx Botanical Gardens to AD 80. I believe that it was part of AD 80 before the 2010 redistricting. We have far more in common with AD 80, where we shop, recreate, and attend church, all in walking distance, than we do with the rest of AD 78 from which we are separated by a highway, a river and acres of private institution land (the zoo and botanical gardens). Also the bulk of our police precinct, the 49th, and community board, CB 11 are in AD 80; AD 78 has small segments of both the precinct and community board, giving us unequal representation in these and forcing our assembly member to spread their attentions over too many precincts and community boards. To even out the populations, some of AD 80 that extends west into Norwood across these geographical dividers, can be reassigned to AD 78. State Senate District 34: This district was gerrymandered after the 2010 census to include Riverdale in the far northwest corner of the Bronx, connecting the two whitest and wealthiest areas of the Bronx by a short diagonal connecting strip through the middle, and arcing up into Westchester for another white, wealthy area of Pelham. The result has been awkward and inconvenient for the elected representative and the constituents, forcing difficult east/west commutes where the only mass transit is via lengthy indirect bus routes, and forcing together distant communities that have little in common. Redrawing this district will likely involve adjustments to the bordering districts: SD 31, 32, 33 and 36, also possibly 29 and 30, all of which are more geographically compact than SD 34, which is the only one that crosses the entire Bronx east-to-west -- though the eastern borders of SD 32 and 33 are very jagged, which makes little sense to the residents and depresses civic and political engagement as it's so confusing to identify who the state senator is in those border areas. SD 36 could be redrawn to be more east-west than north-south, with Riverdale joining SD 36 and SD 34 taking over more of the southern area of SD 36. I live at 2280 Olinville Ave, between Thwaites and Waring, in AD 78 and SD 36. Thank you for considering my comments.

Beth
December 6, 2021
My name is Beth Torin and I live in Stuyvesant Town-Peter Cooper Village, a mixed income, residential complex comprised of many older New Yorkers who have the goal of aging in place. Due to so many residents choosing to age in place at STPCV, we are also considered a naturally occurring retirement community (NORC) and connected with the many other NORCs further uptown in Kips Bay, Turtle Bay, and the Holmes-Isaacs Towers on the Upper East Side. For the following reasons, I am calling on the Independent Redistricting Commission to please strongly and favorably consider a consecutive East Side Congressional District. New Yorkers, like myself, who are planning to age in place rely on the transportation that connects us uptown like the 1st Avenue bus and Union Square Subway Station. Without these affordable, available, and reliable modes of transportation, the accessibility of NYC becomes quickly limited, and we need a Representative who understands that and will advocate for maintaining and expanding public transportation with real results. Many of the older STPCV residents also rely on this transportation to bring us uptown because of the high concentration of world class hospitals and doctors located on the East Side, including Bellevue, one of the most preeminent public hospitals in the nation. The COVID-19 pandemic made it clear that public health institutions such as Bellevue need proper funding to function and continue to serve New Yorkers, and we need representation in Washington who can advocate for funding for hospitals like Bellevue which care for so many of us. Older STPCV residents are faced with the uphill hurdles of the affordability, health, and housing crises, and we need a representative well versed and knowledgable in how these issues affect us and who is ready and equipped with the resources and ‘know how’ to help us navigate the red tape that many government agencies pose such as social security, medicare, and the IRS. During this vulnerable time for seniors, we need an advocate in Congress who will fiercely fight for us. The plight that seniors face in an aging City like ours requires a representative who has a track record of accomplishments for the senior community. As we rebuild from the COVID-19 crisis, we need a representative who can hit the ground running to help seniors as we build back better from the pandemic.

Lisa
December 6, 2021
Dear District representatives, Redistricting should be done in fairness, equitable resources especially in places like Brownsville, Bronx near Hostos CC, Bushwick, in Queens Supthin Blvd, Baisley that have been poverty stricken for years. These types of locales really need funding and share of wealth to uplift these communities. Otherwise what is the real purpose of redistricting?

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