Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause New York, has been critical of redistricting maps proposed by the Assembly Democrats and Senate Republicans, calling them “hyper-political” and “drawn to protect the fortunes of incumbents.” On Mann’s map, however, Lerner strikes a more positive tone.
Posts Tagged ‘Legislative Gazette’
With U.S. Magistrate Judge Roanne Mann having released her version of a New York state redistricting map, a nonpartisan good government group is praising the judge’s effort.
While Gov. Andrew Cuomo reiterated this week his intention to veto any partisan redistricting map that comes to his desk, an advocacy group in favor of independent redistricting is weighing in on the proposed congressional district maps drawn by Assembly Democrats and Senate Republicans.
Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause New York, a nonprofit, nonpartisan government watchdog, called on the governor to “hold fast” to his promise of a veto on any partisan redistricting plan. The maps proposed by Assembly Democrats and Senate Republicans, she said, remain “hyper-political” and “are drawn to protect the fortunes of incumbents.”
More than 25 organizations representing minorities held a meeting to analyze and discuss the impacts of the Legislative Task Force on Redistricting’s newly proposed district lines on racial minorities in Long Island, according to Make the Road New York.
From its Feb. 6 meeting came a clear consensus among the groups that ethnic minorities would be poorly and unfairly represented if the new Assembly and Senate district lines were passed as currently drafted.
We need to get to work on them,” said Sen. Mike Nozzolio, R-Fayette, referring to new congressional district lines just prior to a recent hearing of the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment, or LATFOR.
Time is a factor, as the primary for congressional races has been set by a federal judge for June 26.
Public hearing transcripts and interviews with members of the Legislative Task Force on Redistricting, LATFOR, show that the process of drawing new Senate and Assembly district lines was plagued by incomplete information, poor communication, and unsettled issues during its first round of public hearings in 2011.
Despite these obstacles, at least one member of the task force — Albany Assemblyman Jack McEneny — says the process is on time in comparison to past years and he remains optimistic any outstanding issues will be resolved before the final maps are proposed.
The legislative task force on redistricting, LATFOR, spent most of its first public hearing since the release of proposed Assembly and Senate lines last week defending its process of appropriating districts.
Multiple good government groups, including the New York Public Interest Research Group, Citizens United, and The League of Women Voters criticized LATFOR’s proposal as a result of partisan interests, not adhering to the Constitution as strictly as possible.
With a focus on the hot-button issue of redistricting, the New York State Assembly and Senate Puerto Rican and Hispanic Task Force held its first meeting of the new legislative session on Jan. 10.
Members of the task force, chaired by Assemblyman Felix W. Ortiz, D-Brooklyn, were addressed by guest speaker Juan Cartagena, president and general counsel of LatinoJustice PRLDEF, formerly the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, a civil rights organization.
In his State of the State speech two weeks ago, Gov. Andrew Cuomo promised to veto any partisan redistricting bill. This week, the debate goes beyond redistricting.
In a statement posted on the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment website earlier this month, Republican lawyer Michael Carvin recommended Jan. 6 that a new, 63rd District be added to the Senate.
As the date of the first primary elections gets closer, so does the deadline for creating new Assembly and Senate district lines, and the issue of where inmates will be counted is still the subject of a lawsuit and much debate.
Jessica Wisneski, legislative director of Citizen Action, said legislators need to stop using prisoners as “political pawns, which is basically what gerrymandering is.”
Common Cause/NY, an organization concerned with open and accountable government, launched a new blog July 18 called Mapping Democracy, which will focus on the issue of redistricting in New York.
After the federal census is released every 10 years, state legislators draw new district lines for themselves and for members of Congress.
