New York State Independent Redistricting Commission

Joseph
November 22, 2021
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Carol
November 22, 2021
My name is Carol. I live in Coram, NY. Gordon Heights is .adjacent to Coram. Coram is not only divided between different assembly districts on the state level, but it is divided between 3 different legislative districts on the county level and 4 different council districts on the Town Level. As to the state assembly: Gordon Heights has 3 EDs, and as a result of the the 2011 redistricting, two are in Assembly District 4 (EDs 137 and 200), and one is in Assembly District 3 (ED 192). Splitting up this community of interest forces the community to appeal to two sets of Assemblypeople and dilutes the voice of the community. This is wrong and it is not legal - Gordon Heights is a predominantly African-American community and this qualifies as a “community of interest” under the law. Breaking up this “community of interest” is wrong and needs to be fixed. Reuniting Gordon Heights in AD 4 would restore the integrity of the community. Gordon Heights has historically suffered from a lack of resources and attention: Gordon Heights has 4 zip codes, making extremely hard to collect health, housing, crime and demographic data Gordon Heights developed without an incorporated village, so that no fire department of the four zip codes would serve this community, and had to petition for a fire department charter 1947 Community services for this community of interest were based upon property taxes, without commercial zoning to support a fire department and ambulance services AD 4 is 4.1% smaller than the average population for an AD (129,147 vs. 134,675, a 5,528 person difference). AD 4 needs to grow, and reuniting Gordon Heights in AD 4 is the right way to achieve this goal, along with EDs 218 and 275 both border Granny Road on the southern border of AD 4 and should also be included in AD 4 AD 3 has 128,374 people, and is 4.7% smaller than the average AD (128,374 vs. 134,675). However, AD 1 abuts the eastern border of AD 3, and is very large with 151,053 people, making it 12.2% larger than the average AD. AD 3 should be expanded into AD 1 as AD 4 expands by making Gordon Heights whole again Thank you all for going to bat for a good cause. Our democracy needs our help, and this our chance to do something that impacts our neighbors, our county, and our state.

Linda
November 22, 2021
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Please see attached.

Rodman
November 22, 2021
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Good Afternoon. My name is Rodman Serrano. I am the Long Island Organizer at Make the Road New York, the largest grassroots organization of immigrants and working-class people of color in New York. We operate community centers in Brentwood, Long Island; Jackson Heights, Queens; Bushwick, Brooklyn; Port Richmond, Staten Island; and White Plains, Westchester. Our 24,000 members build the power of our communities to achieve dignity and justice through organizing, policy innovation, transformative education, and survival services. I submit this testimony to share the organization’s perspective on redistricting. Increasing civic engagement is a critical part of our work. We conduct outreach continuously to ensure community members’ voices are heard. In last year’s census, we led in-person, phone, and digital outreach that reached hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers. Our members participated in that process to make certain that our communities receive both adequate resources and representation. Now, to achieve such representation, we need a redistricting process that is transparent, fair, and reflects the geographic realities and growing numbers of our communities. During the first round of hearings, we presented several priorities for this process, rooted in federal standards, widely-accepted best practices, and our experience in the state’s last round of redistricting. Particularly in the last State Senate map, communities of color were effectively disenfranchised--both through “cracking” on Long Island and through high population deviations that concentrated more voters in New York City communities with high Black, brown, and immigrant populations. Our members and allies organized to stop this injustice, but those in power ignored us. We are deeply disappointed in the failure of the commission to produce a single set of maps. This failure has left us with little confidence that the IRC will produce a final single set of maps, which would render the commission an abject failure and signal the need for future redistricting reform. Despite our warranted pessimism about this process, we continue to urge this body to ensure that people of color are represented in the process by: 1. Respecting one person, one vote; 2. Refraining from abusive line-drawing, especially “cracking” and “packing”; 3. Respecting political subdivisions and communities of interest, especially for long-underrepresented immigrant, Black, and brown communities; 4. Ensuring compactness and contiguity; and 5. Prioritizing public participation and transparency. We also urge the Commission to deliver the representation that the growing Latinx community merits. Our community has grown by more than 33 percent across Long Island since 2010. We deserve more representation. As it relates to the proposed maps for Long Island, we urge the Commission to focus on fixing the “cracking” of communities of color in previous maps—especially for the State Senate, where it has been rife. Overall on Long Island, the Letters map creates two Senate districts where residents of color are a majority—which is better than the one such district in the Names map. In Suffolk County, it is crucial to stop the cracking of the greater Brentwood area (Brentwood, Central Islip, and North Bay Shore), where we operate a community center and have a high density of members. We appreciate that the Letters map keeps these communities together. In contrast, the Names map seeks to maintain the cracking of communities of color in this area, which was a grave problem in the last round of redistricting and must not be repeated. In Nassau County, it is imperative to avoid the cracking of communities of color, as well. Westbury and New Cassel should be kept whole and together. Freeport should be kept whole. Hempstead should be kept whole. And Elmont should be kept whole—and not in majority-Queens districts, where multiple Names and Letters proposals put it. We urge you to take seriously the input of community members and organizations--especially those in historically underrepresented communities. Thank you for the opportunity to testify. Please contact me at rodman.serrano@maketheroadny.org if you have any questions.

Marilyn
November 22, 2021
I'm a resident of Pelham, NY. I recently saw a map showing a proposed congressional district for my town that would cut Pelham into two (unequal, random) parts. We're tiny; dividing us makes it harder for people to know what district they're in, and to participate in politics. I'd like to see CD16 kept as close as possible to its existing boundaries but in any case, most importantly, please keep Pelham intact in any new districts you draw. Thank you!

Harriet
November 22, 2021
After almost years of living and working in Suffolk County, I know in my bones that we should not do anything to get in the way of the synergy between Brookhaven National Lab and Stony Brook University. Over the years we have all read about and seen and felt the effects of the collaboration and achievements they have accomplished together. The growth of both the Town of Brookhaven and of Suffolk County can in large part be attributed to these institutions. Having one Congressperson whose sole focus is that synergy, making sure the Lab and the University get what they need in resources from the federal government, especially when they are the largest employers in the county, is absolutely vital. To separate them into two congressional districts, especially putting the University into one that extends into NYC, will leave it as the forgotten child. You cannot destroy something that has proven so valuable simply for political purposes. And I say that as an elected Democratic committee person who desperately wants more blue districts - but not at the expense of what will be lost if these two are separated. There are many areas of the state where moving lines will not have such a detrimental effect. Please keep the entire Town of Brookhaven in one Congressional district.

Harriet
November 22, 2021
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Kevin
November 22, 2021
JFK5TWNS.png is The only congressional drawing that covers coastal areas- a crucial, unifying issue facing all who reside here.

Kevin
November 22, 2021
If Climate Change is the challenge of our lives a Congressional District should reflect that. The coasts of Brooklyn, Rockaway and Long Beach should be ONE district.

michael
November 22, 2021
I want to thank the commission for giving me the time to testify: My name is Michael Leff. I am a member of the Jewish community and reside in Far Rockaway, NY which geographically speaking is at the eastern tip of the Rockaway Peninsula and is immediately adjacent to the Jewish incorporated Villages of Lawrence and the hamlet of Inwood in Nassau county. Which both encompass the same communities of interest. Currently, under the current maps assembly maps, both communities of interest included in Far Rockaway & Bayswater are connected. The current senatorial districts are divided as this one Jewish community currently has two representatives. I am asking this commission to take into account the unification of Far Rockaway, Bayswater and the connecting communities of interest in the neighboring neighborhoods in Nassau County so that the unique interests of these communities are Jewish not diluted in this redistricting process. These communities of interest are currently mapped out within the Far Rockaway community Erev. An erev is an area within which observant Jews can carry or push objects on the Sabbath, without violating a Jewish law that prohibits carrying anything except within the home. There is one erev that connects Rockaway residents and the bordering Nassau county residents. The current boundary lines run from the Nassau county line west to Beach 32nd street and within Nassau county from the Nassau County line including Inwood and Lawrence. The erev crosses the Nassau expressway along Seagirt Blvd into Rock Hall Road east till Meadow lane which at that point turns North to Central Ave and the LIRR railroad stop. Both Far Rockaway and Nassau county have access with public transportation by utilizing the LIRR and the Nassau county N31 and N32 bus routes. This connection allows for many communities of interest from within Far Rockaway to obtain employment within Nassau county as Far Rockaway has one of the highest unemployment rates within New York City and this can be a great opportunities to have the right representation focus on the transportation needs and employment needs of Rockaways residents. The Far Rockaway community stands firmly behind their incumbents of Assmeblymember Stacey Pheffer Amato and State Senator Joe Addabbo as they are very attentive to our needs. When this commission redraws the district lines, I ask that you please incorporate all neighborhoods mentioned into their assembly & senatorial districts. Currently, the Jewish Community in Far Rockaway & Bayswater are split between 2 state senate districts. It does not allow for any conformity to representation in the State Senate. Again, we need to be in one State Senate district. We are asking when you redraw your drafts that these communities of interest already connected by the Eruv be connected, while keeping the current elected officials Stacey Pheffer Amato & Joe Addabbo currently the representatives for the Far Rockaway community. The current congressional district combines both Rockaway Jewish communities and parts of the neighboring Jewish communities in Nassau county. Please make every effort to keep these communities of interest unified. I want to thank the commission for their time in allowing my testimony. Sincerely, Michael Leff

Betty
November 22, 2021
PLEASE KEEP THE ROCKAWAYS AS ONE CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT AS IT IS NOW.

Aubrey
November 21, 2021
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Elmont is a diverse minority community situated on the western border of Nassau County. Its western most geographic boundary is the Cross Island Parkway. Further, Elmont’s local taxing authorities include Nassau County, The Town of Hempstead, The Elmont Union Free School District, The Elmont Public Library District, The Sewanhaka Central High School District, Sanitation District 6, etc. We, the residents of Elmont in collaboration with NYIC, a lead facilitator of the Mapping Our Future coalition object to State Senate and Assembly District maps that include our western neighbor, Queens County. Mapping Our Future is a statewide coalition of advocates dedicated to mobilizing the grassroots to get involved in redistricting and advocate for a fair process and fair maps. Elmont’s demographic data shows that its neighbor to the west share a common demography in that we are generally middle-class, two income household, minority communities. Geographically, we share the Cross Island Park as a common north/south throughway and boundary. We also struggle with common environmental injustice issues and share a mutual interest in John F. Kennedy Airport air traffic noise. It is well known and accepted that reapportionment must consider, in fact, must give great weight to existing county, town and other municipal district demarcations. These boundaries form the basis of common interest and are central organizing principals of State Senate and Assembly districts. However, Elmont’s dissimilarities from its Queens County neighbor are voluminous. For the purpose of focusing our concerns as it relates to State Senate and Assembly districts, we enumerate the following though it must not be construed as a full accounting of our differences. 1. A September 1st 2021 article published on taxfoundation.org notes, “The six [US] counties with the highest median property tax payments all have bills exceeding $10,000—Bergen, Essex, and Union Counties in New Jersey, and Nassau, Rockland, and Westchester counties in New York.” a. Approximately 78% of Elmont’s property tax is school district taxes. For this reason, residents have acute concerns about the impact on state school aid and member grants to the Elmont Union Free School District, The Sewanhaka Central High School District and the Elmont Public Library District. Living in a high tax – low wealth district heightens the awareness and put residents at risk of losing aid that help defray the high costs of maintaining high performing local public schools. b. Cross county districts, especially for districts with public education structures like Elmont’s can adversely impact school state aid; cause school district insolvency; spur homeowner migration and worse, bankrupt homeowners who may be living on fixed incomes. This is especially true of the communities with large single head-of-house whole families and older homeowners. c. What do we mean when we say, “districts with public education structures like Elmont’s”? Elmont has two public school districts. The Elmont Union Free School District is a PreK-6 district. The Sewanhaka Central High School District is a grades 7-12 district. Both districts have independent taxing authority and residents vote on separate budgets annually (3rd Tuesday of May). In the State of New York there are only three such public-school structures and all of them are in Nassau County. 2. Elmont is a clearly defined middle class, vibrant, progressive minority community within the Town of Hempstead and the County of Nassau. Its geographic borders are roughly defined by the Cross Island Parkway on the west; the Southern State Parkway on the south; the community of Franklin Square on the east and Floral Park/South Floral Park on the north. The common interest shared by the communities immediately east and north of Elmont must not be ignored. The Sewanhaka Central High School District encompasses Elmont, South Floral Park, Floral Park; Franklin Square and New Hyde Park/Garden City Park. These communities have a shared interest in the public schools as they are linked by public education. Southeast Queens is not. We join with the Elmont Cultural Center in presenting to you State Senate and State Assembly maps that better serve our community’s common interests and strongly encourage you to set aside partisan instincts intended to advantage one party over another. The Western most border of Nassau County must not be conjoined with our Queens County neighbors.

Maxine
November 21, 2021
Gordon Heights has 3 EDs, and as a result of the 2011 redistricting, two are in Assembly District 4 (EDs 137 and 200), and one is in Assembly District 3 (ED 192). Splitting up this community of interest forces the community to appeal to two sets of Assemblypeople and dilutes the voice of the community. This is wrong and it is not legal - Gordon Heights is a predominantly African-American community and this qualifies as a “community of interest” under the law. Breaking up this “community of interest” is wrong and needs to be fixed. Reuniting Gordon Heights in AD 4 would restore the integrity of the community. Gordon Heights has historically suffered from a lack of resources and attention: Gordon Heights has 4 zip codes, making it extremely hard to collect health, housing, crime and demographic data. Gordon Heights developed without an incorporated village, so that no fire department of the four zip codes would serve this community, and had to petition for a fire department charter 1947. Community services for this community of interest were based upon property taxes, without commercial zoning to support a fire department and ambulance services. AD 4 is 4.1% smaller than the average population for an AD (129,147 vs. 134,675, a 5,528 person difference). AD 4 needs to grow, and reuniting Gordon Heights in AD 4 is the right way to achieve this goal, along with EDs 218 and 275 as both border Granny Road on the southern border of AD 4 and should also be included in AD 4. AD 3 has 128,374 people, and is 4.7% smaller than the average AD (128,374 vs. 134,675). However, AD 1 abuts the eastern border of AD 3, and is very large with 151,053 people, making it 12.2% larger than the average AD. AD 3 should be expanded into AD 1 as AD 4 expands by making Gordon Heights whole again.

Katherine
November 21, 2021
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My name is Katherine (Katie) Walsh and I live in Assembly District 51. I testified to the New York State Independent Redistricting Commission virtually on November 16th. You can go to the website and choose “Part 3” https://bit.ly/testimonyWalsh to view the recording of the testimony. I am providing this additional written testimony for three reasons. First, to submit the names of residents in the affected area who signed on to voice their desire to stay in the Sunset Park Assembly District. We are asking you to keep these blocks, from 53rd to 57th Street between 4th and 6th Avenue, in the Sunset Park assembly district. The second reason is to provide written testimony, which I provided virtually, so this is available for the public record (see below.) My third reason to submit additional testimony is to raise a concern which came about during my virtual testimony and the responses in real-time from the commissioners. I wanted to draw attention to the fact that I am a former Democratic candidate for the 51st Assembly District (Katherine Walsh for New York State Assembly District 51, June 2020 primary). The proposed Democratic “letters” lines to the map which take this ‘bite’ out of Sunset Park is specifically in the area where I am currently registered to vote/live. If the proposed ‘Names’ map is kept as is, this would remove me from the Assembly District. Again, this is the same Assembly District where I recently ran for state-level office. During the testimony, the commissioners did not provide reasons for why this ‘bite’ was taken out of the Assembly District ‘Letters’ map. I’d like to assume a good-faith effort in the development of the New York State independent redistricting maps. It is my hope that transparency, accountability and equity are a cornerstone guiding these decisions. After my virtual testimony, the commissioners said that they “weren’t sure why they had done this,” and then pre-supposed it was because of population changes. However, these same maps also expand to include whole new parts of Bay Ridge. I raised this concern in my follow-up in the Question and Answer period— Why are you proposing to take ‘bites’ out of Sunset Park, while expanding to include Bay Ridge? The Commissioner was not able to provide a response to this. As I submit the testimony below that I provided publicly, I just want to raise these concerns and ask for you to keep Sunset Park from 53rd and 57th between 4th and 6th avenue in Sunset Park, Brooklyn in the same Assembly District. Testimony provided by Katherine (Katie) Walsh on November 16th, 2021. I am here to testify about some of the proposed changes for the Democratic ‘Letters’ map for Assembly District 51. I live here in Sunset Park; we are a predominantly immigrant, working class, waterfront community and our current Assembly lines go from Red Hook through Sunset Park to a small part of Bay Ridge. I am testifying today to ask you to please keep the Sunset Park community together. In the proposed “Letters” Assembly District map, there are several places where you propose to take ‘bites’ out of Sunset Park. And understanding it is part of your goals to keep communities of interest together and think of the historical context of the neighborhood. I ask you, please don’t break up the neighborhood. One specific area I am talking about is where I am a neighbor between 53rd and 57th between 4th and 6th avenue. I’m also on the Democratic County Committee where I serve on Election District 32. I spoke with residents that live around on these blocks that are proposed to be moved out of the Sunset Park Assembly District. I have included below the signatures and names of more than 35 neighbors from Sunset Park who want to stay together in the Sunset Park Assembly District. It is essential that you keep Sunset Park neighbors together as we have experienced high rates of gentrification, and developments from all sides, we have high air pollution and lung cancer rates, we are dealing deluge of different challenges, and so it is important that our elected representation keeps us together to work on these, and this needs to be reflected in the Assembly District Maps. I ask you to rise to your goals to keep neighborhoods, like Sunset Park, together, and specifically to keep these blocks under one unit in representation for the same assembly district in Sunset Park from 53rd and 57th between 4th and 6th avenue in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. MAPS SHOWN DURING THE TESTIMONY During my testimony, I showed the old and proposed district maps for the “Letters” map made by the Democrats. I asked the commissioners to keep Sunset Park residents together – specifically our blocks. I said that our elected leaders can serve us better if we stay together. These same maps show inclusion of whole new areas of Bay Ridge while proposing to break up and take "bites" out of Sunset Park. Keep our neighborhood together! KEEP SUNSET PARK TOGETHER! New York State Redistricting Commission The commission wants to move our blocks into the Assembly District further east, associated with Borough Park and Bensonhurst. Our elected leaders can serve us if Sunset Park stays in one district! Sign the petition to keep our Sunset Park community together. This will be included as testimony for the NYS Independent Redistricting Commission on Tuesday, November 16th for Kings County (Brooklyn). THESE RESIDENTS SIGNED // ORIGINAL NAMES-(in the submitted PDFs to the NY redistricting commission) SIGNATURES BELOW First Last Address Cesar Zuniga 434 55th street Petra Pena 430 56th street John Cucci 451 55th street Mary and John Murphy 449 55th street Strat Muh 435 55th street Laura Olin 424 55th street Yasko Yoshida 422 55th street Angela Aleman 424 54th street Jhodessa Reimer 428 54th street Helene Onserud 428 54th street Erik Steyn 428 54th street Marun Aleman 424 54th street Alice Walsh 452 54th street Katherine Walsh 452 54th street Viviane Hays 424 56th street John Milisenda 424 56th street Natalie Reubens 424 56th street Joseph and Lisa Estrella 432 56th street Josiah Estrella 432 56th street Michael Sierra 559 56th street Jessica Sierra 559 56th street Wanda Sierra 559 56th street Tanya Varges 563 52nd street Judith Rosario 563 52nd street Gladys Cruz 234 54th street Damarys Villaneuva 563 52nd street Nancy Acevedo 563 52nd street Karen Moore 563 52nd street Madison Moore 563 52nd street Matthew Sierra 559 56th street Samuel Sierra Jr. 559 56th street Samuel Sierra Sr. 559 56th street David Santiago 559 56th street Victor Perez 479 56th street MAPS WERE SUBMITTED AS PART OF THE TESTIMONY

Gerald
November 21, 2021
The Brownsville community of Brooklyn has flourished and members of the community has benefited tremendously from the support and leadership of our Assembly Member. Specifically, the removal of what used to be a strip of chop shops, junk yards and dumping grounds into affordable housing, a center of worship, businesses to provide supportive services to the community to come and beautification of the area on a whole. The Brownsville Recreation Center would not be what it is today without his support, The assemblyman was responsible for the resurfacing of the ball field from asphalt to astroturf and securing over 10 million dollars for the much needed renovations of the facility. During the pandemic when the city was on pause, oppose to the center being closed, we were able to transition into a food distribution site where millions of healthy meals were provided to families in need throughout the city on a daily basis. In addition, the implementation of a high-quality learning labs program for youth which provided the much needed academic support and enrichment to children K-8th grades during these unprecedented times.

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