Redistricting: Town of Hempstead approves status quo; Nassau to approve changes (with Corrections)

                                                                         

Hempstead Town's newly adopted district map

Hempstead's Republican-controlled Town Board Tuesday adopted new boundaries for its six council districts Thursday night. The new map looks pretty much like the old map.

The Republican-controlled Nassau Legislature is expected to adopt new boundaries for its 19 legislative districts Thursday night; the new map -- revised by the Republican majority-- moves seven current legislators into new districts.**

Democrats and some minority community representatives are not happy.

A small group, led by former Nassau Democratic Legislator David Denenberg of Merrick, protested Hempstead Town's new lines before the vote, according to a post on the Open Nassau Facebook page. Their signs said, "Your maps clearly violate the voting rights act.." and "Our voice will not be diluted..."

They maintain that at least two of the districts in the town of nearly 770,000 should be made up of a majority of Black and Hispanic residents. But only District 1, which has been represented by Dorothy Goosby, a black councilwoman, since 2000 has a majority of minority residents. The new District One maintains much the same majority-minority ratio as the old District 1, with Hempstead village, Roosevelt, and Uniondale within its boundaries.*

The town claims it has kept most of the town's hamlets intact. But that really isn't required under changing guidelines involving "packing" and "cracking" of communities.

Hempstead's new District 2 is similar to its old District 2, merging wealthy white Garden City with working-class minority Elmont. There is little commonality of interests between the two.

Community Activist Felix Procacci said about the new maps, "The Town made no effort to form an additional majority minority district and would not even say how many majority minority districts are in their plan.

He added that the town made little effort to notify residents about the redistricting process nor put any of the redistricting information onto social media.

Here is the Hempstead Town link to the final map:

https://hempsteadny.gov/DocumentCenter/View/5337/Hempstead_Final_Large_Scale 

Meanwhile, in Nassau, the legislature is expected to approve the Republican revised version of the new legislative map despite Democratic opposition.

 

Legis. Kevan Abrahams, (D-Freeport), leader of the minority Democratic caucus, sent a letter to Presiding Officer Richard Nicolello (R-New Hyde Park) today calling the plan "an unlawful, extreme partisan gerrymander that dilutes minority votes..."

 

He gave no specifics but said the revised map violates the municipal home rule law as well federal and state voting rights.

 

"Most notably the proposed map ..fails to create five majority-minority districts and an Asian-American influence district  thereby diluting the voting power of minority communities across our county,' he wrote.

 

(See Nassau revised map posted in previous blog)

 

Again, there is some question about Abrahams' interpretation of current law.

 

Perhaps more interesting are the elected officials displaced by the revised map.

 

Abrahams himself has been written out of his current District 1 and is now in the new District 5.

 

Legis. Carrie Solages (D-Lawrence) is out of District 3  and now is in District 7, currently represented by Legis. Howard Kopel (R-Lawrence).

 

Democratic Legis. Deborah Mule of Freeport, who is now in District Five, is in the revised District 6, which now includes the minority community of Roosevelt.

 

Republican Legis.. Willam Gaylor of Lynbrook, now in District 6, would be in the new District 14, currently represented by Republican Legis. Laura Schaefer of Westbury.

 

Schaefer was moved from District 14 into District 2, now represented by Democratic Legis. Siela Bynoe of Westbury.**

 

Schaefer reportedly is not running again.

 

As reported before, Democratic legislators Arnie Drucker of Plainview and Josh Lafazan of Woodbury have been redrawn out of their districts. Drucker, who currently represents District 16, would be in District 15 under the new map, the district now represented by Republican John Ferretti of Levittown.

 

Lafazan, who currently represents District 18, would be in the new District 16.

 

No incumbents are in the new District 1 and District 18.

 

District 19 also has no incumbent after former Republican Legis. Steve Rhoads won election to the state senate. A special election is scheduled Feb. 28 to fill the seat through the end of this year.

*Corrected description of the new Hempstead District 1 to eliminate Freeport. Freeport is not within the new district boundaries.

**In response to comment below and a check of the new maps, corrected the number of current legislators who were put into new districts from six to seven and noted that Republican Legis. Laura Schaefer was put into Democrat Legis. Siela Bynoe's 2nd District.