Dems to chide redistricting plan at meet

Democrats are expected to appear at a public hearing Monday at the Nassau County Legislature to attack a Republican-sponsored plan to redraw legislative lines in time for this fall's elections.

Democrats have vowed a court challenge to the proposal, which puts four of their legislators into two districts, and call the plan a power grab.

"This isn't about protecting minority voters [or] . . . the principle of one person, one vote," said Carrie Solages, of Elmont, a potential Democratic opponent to Legis. John Ciotti (R-North Valley Stream).

The county Charter calls for redistricting legislative districts every 10 years. This proposal is about two years early as the last one was done in 2003.

Noting that 13 votes are required to approve borrowing, he said, "This is about wanting a super majority of 13 votes in the legislature. This will give Republicans unchecked authority for new borrowing, forcing Nassau further toward bankruptcy."

But Presiding Officer Peter Schmitt (R-Massapequa), who announced the proposal on April 26, said the plan is fair and would provide minorities with better representation than they now have.

Schmitt also said the proposal respects town and community lines better than current district boundaries.

Asked about the borrowing issue, Schmitt said, "Nothing could be further from the truth. There will be 19 open legislative races in November."

Republicans now have an 11-8 majority.

Under the GOP proposal, the seats now held by Democrats Judy Jacobs, of Woodbury, and Diane Yatauro, of Glen Cove, would be merged into one district; those held by David Denenberg (D-Merrick) and Joseph Scannell (D-Baldwin) would be combined into another.

The plan also would break up the Five Towns area to create a "new" minority district, but with fewer minority voters than its current counterpart, the third district.

At a Rules Committee hearing last Monday, Hewlett resident Stephen Anchin, a Democrat, said he opposed the breakup because "The Five Towns is not a miscellaneous assortment of unrelated hamlets and villages," but a unified body of communities.

The full legislature is scheduled to vote on the redistricting proposal on May 16.