Politics & Government

Nassau Braces for Redistricting Fight

Creation of new minority district shifts boundaries, combines two districts.

Nassau legislators are bracing themselves for a fight over legislative district lines, which would directly impact voters and elections for the next decade.

In addition to political gerrymandering, county Democrats are accusing Republicans of rushing the process and are calling for public hearings as well as a bipartisan commission to be formed to evaluate the new districts.

If approved, the new lines would take effect immediately for the November election. An additional set of lines may be drawn up again for 2013. The county charter requires redistricting occur every 10 years and action must be taken within six months of census data being released.

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“They’re in a rush for some reason,” Leg. Judy Jacobs, D-Woodbury, said during a Rules committee meeting Monday at the . “Do they feel vulnerable in 2011? I have absolutely no idea.”

Legislative boundaries were previously redrawn from 2001-2003, following release of the 2000 census. The nine-month process officially began in 2002 before a final map was produced in 2003.

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In 2001 redistricting was a “reaffirmation of what the legislative lines were,” Jacobs said, “not what they’re doing today.”

The latest boundaries were drawn up by Nassau County Attorney John Ciampoli, who stated that the new boundaries were created with respect to the town borders. Ciampoli pointed to four districts on the current map which crossed the line between the towns of Hempstead and Oyster Bay, which have now been reduced to one.

“You got away with at least bending the law 10 years ago,” Ciampoli said, “we fixed it so that it’s the best that it could be.”

While he was not directed to consider incumbency, Ciampoli said that he kept the “core” of each legislator’s district intact in order to keep Legs. John Ciotti “protected” by excluding North Valley Stream as well as provide an opportunity in a new district. The fact that Minority Leader Diane Yatauro, D-Glen Cove, was was also a factor.

“If you consider incumbency, yes you’re considering politics,” he said.

Republicans maintain that the new districts are far more equitable to minorities and represent about the same number of residents in each district, about 70,500. Under the old map the population either above or below the median swung as high as 20 percent, whereas the new lines have a deviation of about 6.5 percent.

Districts 1 and 2 in the center of the county covering Uniondale, Hempstead, East Garden City, New Cassel and Old Westbury remain minority districts and correct an under representation in District 2 according to Ciampoli.

District 9, represented by , R-New Hyde Park, is one which will be growing under the new proposal, adding a triangular area consisting of a portion of North New Hyde Park, Herricks and Garden City Park currently represented by Legs. Wayne Wink, D- Roslyn, to the district. The addition would bring the total number of residents represented in that district to about 72,000.

“I actually had most of that way back when when I started,” Nicolello said, adding that ideally he would have like to represent the entirety of New Hyde Park. “It’s always been separated,” he said. “That’s the one change I would have liked to have seen.”

Noting that “populations shift over a period of a decade,” Ciampoli said that several other counties in New York State have already begun their redistricting processes. “We’ve acted with all due speed.” 

The new lines combine several former districts while creating a new minority district on the western border of the county stretching from Inwood to Elmont with no incumbent. The county attorney labeled the move a “progressive step” without the order of the courts.

“That is an opportunity that should be here for this election,” Ciampoli said. “Based on that, I don’t see how you could say there’s a discriminatory impact.”

The new district “created pressure” the county attorney said that radiated outward to the east forcing other districts in the southern half of Nassau to have their lines changed or two districts to combine, specifically those of Democrats Joseph Scannell and David Denenberg.

“If you create a new district with no incumbent and you have 19 incumbents it means somebody’s going to be paired up together,” Ciampoli said, “it’s a product of giving them each a fair fight.”

Jacobs said that the move would lead to the disenfranchisement of voters. “It’s breaking up communities,” she said. “Map drawing is a very very specific art that takes a very very long time.”

Democrats are planning on suing over the new lines, but no court documents have yet been filed.

“I guess I’ll see them in court,” Ciampoli said. “At every step of the redistricting process here we have tried to keep in mind the legal standards that the courts and the legislature have set for us.”

Nicolello stated that the majority leader informed him that “we have to do this under the law and that once it goes through its going to go to the courts and however the courts decide to go it’s fine by us.”


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