The Independent View: NYC Council Redistricting Maps

The final piece of the redistricting process, which takes place every 10 years, after the census, is entering a crucial stage. A month long schedule of public hearings, which began Tuesday night in the Bronx and will continue on Thursday in Manhattan, will culminate with an updated map proposal that will be presented to the New York City Council for an up-or-down vote in early November. Then, barring a court challenge, that map will be first used in the 2013 citywide elections, which, because of term limits, promises to produce a lot of turnover on the Council.

East Harlem would be split in two, and represented by two New York City Council members, including one from the Bronx. Two neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens with fast-growing Asian-American populations would be quartered, making it much more likely that the areas would continue to lack Asian-American elected voices. And Manhattan, despite growing at a healthy clip, would cede one City Council seat to the Bronx.

Those are among the grievances that have gained momentum in recent weeks among advocates for minorities and government watchdogs, in response to the map proposed by the city’s Districting Commission to delineate, block by block, the future boundaries of City Council members’ districts.

In an interview, Carl Hum, the executive director of the Redistricting Commission, defended the initial map as an earnest attempt to balance many different demographic forces, using the example of a jigsaw puzzle. But he suggested that the commission was open to changes because “we certainly understand the gravity of having a map that reflects our city and making sure minority groups are represented” fairly.

The redistricting commission has 15 members; 7 are appointed by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg; 5 by Christine C. Quinn, the City Council speaker; and 3 by James S. Oddo, the City Council minority leader. But advocates for minorities and government watchdogs contend that the power lies chiefly with Ms. Quinn, who is expected to be a leading candidate for mayor in 2013.

One of the main shortcomings of the proposed map, some critics say, is that it breaks up established neighborhoods, like El Barrio in northern Manhattan and Brooklyn’s Chinatown, in a way that is counter to the City Charter. They cite, as the most egregious example, City Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito, whose district, which now covers 10 percent of the Bronx, would become a majority-Bronx district, thereby giving Bronx political forces an extra seat.

So as an alternative, minority groups have proposed what they say is a Unity Map that would more accurately reflect the demographic shifts in the city, with Hispanics and Asian-Americans getting a better chance at representation.

Even if the commission adopts many of the proposed changes, however, some critics are grumbling that there will be no public hearings held to discuss the amended maps; the City Charter requires only that the commission submit the new map to the Council.

But Mr. Hum said that there would be plenty of time, after the Council votes on the proposal, for the public to weigh in with individual council members. The map must also pass the muster of the Justice Department, to ensure that minorities’ rights under the Voting Rights Act, Section 5, are upheld.