New York State Independent Redistricting Commission

Alexa
November 9, 2021
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Hillel
November 8, 2021
I want to thank the commission for giving me the time to testify: My name is Hillel Selznick I am a member of the Jewish community of Central Queens. Currently, under the current maps, our community is divided between the 27th Assembly District and the 25th Assembly District. The neighborhoods of Kew Gardens Hills, Pomonok, Electchester, and Hillcrest are divided. I am asking this commission to take into account the unification of Kew Gardens Hills, Pomonok, Electchester, and Hillcrest so that Jewish representation is not diluted in this redistricting process. When this commission redraws the Assembly district lines, please incorporate all neighborhoods mentioned into one assembly district. The aforementioned neighborhoods in the south should be connected with College Point, Northern Whitestone, and Le Havre Cooperative in the north. Currently, the Jewish Community in Central Queens is split between 4 state senate districts. It does not allow for any conformity to representation in the State Senate. Your drafts have created a central Queens and Eastern Queens plan that incorporates parts of Kew Gardens Hills being split up again in three districts. Again, we need to be in one State Senate district. We are asking when you redraw your drafts that Kew Gardens Hills, Pomonok, Electchester, and Hillcrest be drawn into a Central Queens district with the neighborhoods of Northern Forest Hills, Middle Village, Glendale, Maspeth, and Ridgewood. Also, Please consider the Eastern Queens map as well, where the neighborhoods I mentioned as a block be included with Fresh Meadows, Oakland Gardens, Little Neck Douglaston, Bayside, and Bay Terrace. Consider your guide eastward between the Long Island Expressway and the Grand Central Parkway to the County Line, before heading strictly north. Please make every effort to keep Kew Gardens Hills, Pomonok, Electchester, and Hillcrest together in both an Assembly District as well as one State Senate district.

Robert
November 8, 2021
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Majer &
November 8, 2021
Currently, the Jewish Community in Central Queens is split between 4 state senate districts. It does not allow for any conformity to representation in the State Senate. Your drafts have created a central Queens and Eastern Queens plan that incorporates parts of Kew Gardens Hills being split up again in three districts. Again, we need to be in one State Senate district. We are asking when you redraw your drafts that Kew Gardens Hills, Pomonok, Electchester, and Hillcrest be drawn into a Central Queens district with the neighborhoods of Northern Forest Hills, Middle Village, Glendale, Maspeth, and Ridgewood. Also, please consider the Eastern Queens map as well, where the neighborhoods I mentioned as a block will be included with Fresh Meadows, Oakland Gardens, Little Neck Douglaston, Bayside, and Bay Terrace. Consider your guide eastward between the Long Island Expressway and the Grand Central Parkway to the County Line, before heading strictly north. Please make every effort to keep Kew Gardens Hills, Pomonok, Electchester, and Hillcrest together in both an Assembly District as well as one State Senate district.

Majer &
November 8, 2021
Currently, the Jewish Community in Central Queens is split between 4 state senate districts. It does not allow for any conformity to representation in the State Senate. Your drafts have created a central Queens and Eastern Queens plan that incorporates parts of Kew Gardens Hills being split up again in three districts. Again, we need to be in one State Senate district. We are asking when you redraw your drafts that Kew Gardens Hills, Pomonok, Electchester, and Hillcrest be drawn into a Central Queens district with the neighborhoods of Northern Forest Hills, Middle Village, Glendale, Maspeth, and Ridgewood. Also, please consider the Eastern Queens map as well, where the neighborhoods I mentioned as a block will be included with Fresh Meadows, Oakland Gardens, Little Neck Douglaston, Bayside, and Bay Terrace. Consider your guide eastward between the Long Island Expressway and the Grand Central Parkway to the County Line, before heading strictly north. Please make every effort to keep Kew Gardens Hills, Pomonok, Electchester, and Hillcrest together in both an Assembly District as well as one State Senate district. Thank you

David
November 8, 2021
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Riki
November 8, 2021
Currently, the Jewish Community in Central Queens is split between 4 state senate districts. It does not allow for any conformity to representation in the State Senate. Your drafts have created a central Queens and Eastern Queens plan that incorporates parts of Kew Gardens Hills being split up again in three districts. Again, we need to be in one State Senate district. We are asking when you redraw your drafts that Kew Gardens Hills, Pomonok, Electchester, and Hillcrest be drawn into a Central Queens district with the neighborhoods of Northern Forest Hills, Middle Village, Glendale, Maspeth, and Ridgewood. Also, please consider the Eastern Queens map as well, where the neighborhoods I mentioned as a block will be included with Fresh Meadows, Oakland Gardens, Little Neck Douglaston, Bayside, and Bay Terrace. Consider your guide eastward between the Long Island Expressway and the Grand Central Parkway to the County Line, before heading strictly north. Please make every effort to keep Kew Gardens Hills, Pomonok, Electchester, and Hillcrest together in both an Assembly District as well as one State Senate district.

Joseph
November 8, 2021
Yaakov had just stolen the brachos. Esav found out what happened and reacted very harshly. he said he was going to find and kill Yaakov. Rivka decides to send Yaakov away for a while to keep him safe until Esav calms down. Yitzchak calls in Yaakov, blesses him, gives him some instructions about looking fo a wife, and then sends him on his way. Why did Yitzchak not say a word to Yaakov about what he had just done? Not a word of criticism, not a word looking for an explanation, nothing. Yitzchak acted as if Yaakov had not just deceived him to steal the much desired brachos. Why? Sometimes things happen that make you realize there are greater forces at play than previously considered. When this whole story happened, Yitzchak realized it was from heaven and that there must have been reasons why Yaakov was more worthy of the brachos than Esav. There must have been reason why it had to happen and turn out the way it did. He was probably even relieved that he had been saved form making a horrible mistake. Ytzchak did not need to criticize Yaakov or even ask for an explanation. he now realized that there were greater forces at play. Posted by Rafi G.at 3:03 PM3 comme

Leo
November 8, 2021
Currently, the Jewish Community in Central Queens is split between 4 state senate districts. It does not allow for any conformity to representation in the State Senate. Your drafts have created a central Queens and Eastern Queens plan that incorporates parts of Kew Gardens Hills being split up again in three districts. Again, we need to be in one State Senate district. We are asking when you redraw your drafts that Kew Gardens Hills, Pomonok, Electchester, and Hillcrest be drawn into a Central Queens district with the neighborhoods of Northern Forest Hills, Middle Village, Glendale, Maspeth, and Ridgewood. Also, please consider the Eastern Queens map as well, where the neighborhoods I mentioned as a block will be included with Fresh Meadows, Oakland Gardens, Little Neck Douglaston, Bayside, and Bay Terrace. Consider your guide eastward between the Long Island Expressway and the Grand Central Parkway to the County Line, before heading strictly north. Please make every effort to keep Kew Gardens Hills, Pomonok, Electchester, and Hillcrest together in both an Assembly District as well as one State Senate district.

Rena
November 8, 2021
Currently, the Jewish Community in Central Queens is split between 4 state senate districts. It does not allow for any conformity to representation in the State Senate. Your drafts have created a central Queens and Eastern Queens plan that incorporates parts of Kew Gardens Hills being split up again in three districts. Again, we need to be in one State Senate district. We are asking when you redraw your drafts that Kew Gardens Hills, Pomonok, Electchester, and Hillcrest be drawn into a Central Queens district with the neighborhoods of Northern Forest Hills, Middle Village, Glendale, Maspeth, and Ridgewood. Also, please consider the Eastern Queens map as well, where the neighborhoods I mentioned as a block will be included with Fresh Meadows, Oakland Gardens, Little Neck Douglaston, Bayside, and Bay Terrace. Consider your guide eastward between the Long Island Expressway and the Grand Central Parkway to the County Line, before heading strictly north. Please make every effort to keep Kew Gardens Hills, Pomonok, Electchester, and Hillcrest together in both an Assembly District as well as one State Senate district.

Steven
November 8, 2021
I want to thank the commission for giving me the time to testify: My name is Steven Brizel I am a member of the Jewish community of Central Queens. Currently, under the current maps, our community is divided between the 27th Assembly District and the 25th Assembly District. The neighborhoods of Kew Gardens Hills, Pomonok, Electchester, and Hillcrest are divided. I am asking this commission to take into account the unification of Kew Gardens Hills, Pomonok, Electchester, and Hillcrest so that Jewish representation is not diluted in this redistricting process. When this commission redraws the Assembly district lines, please incorporate all neighborhoods mentioned into one assembly district. The aforementioned neighborhoods in the south should be connected with College Point, Northern Whitestone, and Le Havre Cooperative in the north. Currently, the Jewish Community in Central Queens is split between 4 state senate districts. It does not allow for any conformity to representation in the State Senate. Your drafts have created a central Queens and Eastern Queens plan that incorporates parts of Kew Gardens Hills being split up again in three districts. Again, we need to be in one State Senate district. We are asking when you redraw your drafts that Kew Gardens Hills, Pomonok, Electchester, and Hillcrest be drawn into a Central Queens district with the neighborhoods of Northern Forest Hills, Middle Village, Glendale, Maspeth, and Ridgewood. Also, Please consider the Eastern Queens map as well, where the neighborhoods I mentioned as a block be included with Fresh Meadows, Oakland Gardens, Little Neck Douglaston, Bayside, and Bay Terrace. Consider your guide eastward between the Long Island Expressway and the Grand Central Parkway to the County Line, before heading strictly north. Please make every effort to keep Kew Gardens Hills, Pomonok, Electchester, and Hillcrest together in both an Assembly District as well as one State Senate district.

Judith
November 8, 2021
As a resident of Riverdale, I am deeply concerned about the proposed CD16 map. I believe that it is extremely important that we keep the Bronx and Westchester sections of the current CD16 together in one district. I am so grateful to live in a district that encompasses such a diverse, heterogeneous population. The proposed map would reduce the minority population of CD16 and increase the white/other population, an almost certain recipe for perpetuating our historic tendency to favor wealthy, white areas and neglect areas that are less affluent and have higher populations of people of color. Furthermore, ethnic communities in the Northern Bronx and Westchester are in danger of being split into different Congressional districts by redistricting. I believe that avoiding this separation must be carefully taken into account when drawing up the new district lines. I also believe that the Bronx and Westchester neighborhoods in the current district have significant and numerous shared interests, and that it is important to keep them together so that their political influence is not diluted. I urge you to go back to the drawing board and come up with a plan for CD16 that preserves the connection between the north Bronx and southern Westchester.

Tina
November 8, 2021
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Testimony to the Independent Redistricting Commission (IDR) From: Tina Volz-Bongar, Peekskill, New York / tina@bongarbiz.com Hello, My name is Tina Volz-Bongar. I have lived in Peekskill, NY for sixteen and half years. I am a Democratic Party district leader for Peekskill ED-1, a district that includes public housing voters. I am also an environmental justice advocate, a member of environmental groups United for Clean Energy, Resist Spectra gas pipeline as well as a trained Climate Reality Leader by Al Gore. I have given previous comment to the IDR Commission about the needs of two communities of interests. These are 1. public housing conditions and improvement interests, housing and social justice communities, and 2. managing an over-burden of environmental pollution and waste interests, representing critical environmental justice issues. Unfortunately, I have not seen my comments on these two communities of interests reflected in the NAMES and LETTERS maps neither for Congress nor the New York Senate. (I have found no exception with New York Assembly Letters Map AU and these two communities of interest.) Therefore I am presenting more in-depth examples of my personal experience as a Democratic Party district leader and environmental advocate about the immediate crisis interests of these two communities of interest. Not addressing these immediate — crisis — housing and environmental justice interests impacts the fair and equal representation of minorities. This is a stated goal of this commission. (In addition, Peekskill’s minority population is 66.7%, a majority of interest for population the City of Peekskill.) Community of interest #1 - Public housing EXAMPLE: Emergency Rental Assistance Program- ERAP- funding: I have volunteered the last five months to fill out applications for this funding for residents of public housing in my voting district. Even though Peekskill public housing residents have been impacted by COVID the most, they are receiving ERAP funding last. The federal and state disbursement of emergency rental COVID funds shows a discrimination toward people receiving HUD Section 8 funding and who live in public housing. Private landlords and entities are receiving this rental assistance first. For example, Westchester County received $22M plus. For Peekskill public housing residents, over $200,000 in back rental assistance is needed for housing security to avoid eviction. ERAP funding has dried up according to our NY State Assembly member’s office. As of September 1, Peekskill public housing residents have received $3,850 of the over $300,00 needed — even though Westchester County received over $22M. Public housing residents are forced to wait for the next round of funding, if at all. EXAMPLE: Improving Public housing in our Congressional district in Northern Westchester: For the first time this year residents in Peekskill public housing have representation at the federal level and received appropriations money for improved kitchens in Dunbar Heights. This improvement comes at the same time as other funding for improved bathrooms. Now plumbing improvements and kitchen improvements can be done together. This plumbing overhaul hasn’t come since the building of Dunbar in 1950. SOLUTIONS FOR FAIR AND EQUITABLE REPRESENTATION OF MINORITIES: The $3B in Build Back Better Community Restoration and Revitalization Fund just passed by Congress provides the opportunity of competitive grants to local projects for public housing. Neither Congressional maps Letters O or DCHWESTCHESTER share these needs and important representation with other cities or blocks of interests. With the distribution of Build Back Better funds, for fair and equal representation our congressional representation should be shared with Ossining, Greenburgh, and White Plains who have significant public housing entities too. Only expanding Congressional District O to include Greenburgh and White Plains would create a contiguous district for this community of interest in public housing. It would also address the same issues as outlined in the Westchester County Housing Needs Assessment: https://homes.westchestergov.com/resources/housing-needs-assessment In addition, the inclusion of Greenburgh and White Plains’ would also increase the percentage of Latino voters in our new congressional district and be more representative of the Commission’s goal of minority representation. First generation Hispanic voters are certainly a community of interest as well. PROPOSED New York State and Assembly Member District Maps for fair and equitable representation of public housing: New York Assembly map Senate Letters Map CP is representative of this public housing community of interest but Senate District Letters AU map should include Mount Kisco. The inclusion of the full block of Mt. Kisco would also increase of the percentage of Latino voters in the Senate district and be more representative of the Commission’s goal of minority representation. Right now Mt. Kisco shares concerns with Peekskill housing needs that the amount of Section 8 vouchers exceeds the supply of affordable rental housing. Community of interest #2 -Environmental justice and pollution/waste burden ISSUE: The Decommissioning of Indian Point Peekskill is environmental justice community as outlined in a study in 2011 funded by the New York State Department of Conservation. COMMUNITY-BASED ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE INVENTORY FOR THE CITY OF PEEKSKILL. Available here: https://www.clearwater.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/CBEJI_FINAL-_DRAFT-1-30-11-for-printing.pdf WIth the decommissioning of Indian Point, over 2,000 tons of irradiated fuel rods join the environmental inventory of this study not only of Peekskill but of cities and towns along the Hudson River south of Indian Point. Transportation of the used fuel rods to a federal nuclear waste repository in New Mexico is at the heart of Holtec’s plan for decommissioning. National nuclear waste safety experts have testified before Congress warning about the safety and danger of these plans for transportation of nuclear waster either by barge along the Hudson River, or through roads in Westchester. Congressional representation of this issue: It is critical that our Congressional representation — and to our US SENATORS work on this issue — to continue to represent the Westchester Rivertowns to answer the question whether this nuclear waste should be stored safely on-site or transported south along the river or roads through Westchester. NY STATE Senate and Assembly district representation for this community: Assembly District Letters Map CP includes the full city of Ossining now which is also impacted by the decommissioning of Indian Point. New York State Letters Map AU as drawn does as well.  Thank you for your consideration. hank you for this opportunity to comment and I look forward to the presentation of final district maps. Sincerely, Tina Volz-Bongar / 426 Smith Street, Peekskill, NY 10566

William
November 8, 2021
Good evening. Thank you for this opportunity to voice my concerns about the redistricting proposals for our community. My name is William Barr and I am a resident of Saugerties, a small Hudson River town at the gateway to the Catskills. It is a cohesive town with an intimate feel and rural roots. It is not uncommon for merchants and customers to know each other by their first names and for us to encounter friends on the streets. This kind of familiarity contributes to the community’s security and solidarity. Like my colleagues and neighbors from Saugerties who have testified, I would like to see our political representation reflect this nature. The Township should not be split; we should have one representative at each level of government. Importantly, the districts in which Saugerties is located should include communities of a similar small-town or rural nature; specifically neighboring towns that together with Saugerties make up a culturally homogenous district. To my eyes, nowhere are these principals more strongly violated than in the proposed districts for Congressional representation, the CD X plan and the ALBNYRNSLR plan. Not only is Saugerties split in each of these, but each proposal groups Saugerties with Albany. Surely, Saugerties interests would be completely lost in districts so much more metropolitan and numerically superior. Additionally, the Names proposal, the ALBNYRNSLR plan, would surgically remove the small Hudson River communities of Catskill, Athens and Coxsackie from our Congressional district, further skewing us away from a district that reflects our culture, character and interests. I ask the Commission to restore the district to one that makes more sense for our town. Thank you for your consideration. William Barr, Saugerties

Michelle
November 8, 2021
The Bronx and Westchester must reamian together. They are communities of interest with Wakefield, Co-op City, Edenwald, Baychester and Riverdale. Our common issues are its economics and the evironment. Our shared demographics are diverse and must remain affordable with regards to our housing needs. We must show our youth that the work we are doing in the community will benefit them as they prepare to take up the mantle and become the next generation, moving us foreward. Take a look at our last Presidential Election. It is clear that the work that so many clubs and organizations of the 16th Congressional District as it stands has done, has made tremendous strides in uniting its inhabitants and awakened them to the power of their unite voices. So many people hold a deep lack of trust in government. Redistricting would detroy the work we have only just begun. Redistricting must not be allowed rip apart the 16th Congrssional District. It would send a devastating message to the consituients that they are not allowed to build and thrive in their own communities... Thank you, Michelle Marbury Riverbay Board Director Co-op City Bronx

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