The Senate and the Assembly included funding for the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment (LATFOR), in their respective budget resolutions passed Tuesday. The Senate also passed a bill that would call for a constitutional amendment to address redistricting reform, which would push the issue off until at least 2017. A bill to establish an independent redistricting commission has been introduced in the Assembly, but has yet to come up for a vote.
Former Mayor Ed Koch called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to veto the budget for LATFOR, arguing it sends the wrong signal at a time when independent redistricting is close to fruition. “Any effort to frustrate independent commission redistricting should be met by a veto on the part of the governor, who has pledged to do that,” Koch said. “He said he would.” Koch insisted that the real obstacle to reform was not funding for LATFOR, but the Senate Republicans. “I believe we will win ultimately,” Koch said. “But it’s very disappointing when people elected to office do not keep their word, which is this the case here with Majority Leader Dean Skelos and the Republicans.”
Excluding funds for LATFOR could potentially derail the entire redistricting process, warned Assembly Member Jack McEneny, a redistricting expert and one of the chairs of the legislative panel. “The alternative is you let it all die on the 31st of March. Then you have nothing,” McEneny said. “That could be a disaster, because you might not meet deadlines.” McEneny is a co-sponsor on the Assembly redistricting reform bill, and said he supports State Sen. Mike Gianaris’s bill to create a non-partisan redistricting process.
But if Governor Cuomo veto's any partisan redistricting bills it will go to the courts any the voters will get their independent redistricting.
It is time for stopping legislators picking their constituents and instead have constituents pick their legislators.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!
Michael H. Drucker
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1 comment:
This is a very interesting article and I'm glad you posted it. I hope New York can get a fair system for redistricting.
It is a shame that New York state doesn't have the initiative process. With the initiative process, the legislature can be bypassed.
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