N. Hempstead gets new redistricting panel

The majority-Democratic North Hempstead Town board has voted along party lines to create a nine-person redistricting committee with appointees from each council district.

After a debate at a Tuesday night meeting, the board rejected a competing proposal by Republican Councilwoman Dina DeGiorgio to establish a committee with an equal number of members appointed by both major political parties.

Supervisor Jon Kaiman named three people to the committee; each of the six council members tapped one representative. The group is charged with analyzing the council district boundaries following the 2010 census and proposing changes to the map, if necessary, by June 15. The town board would have to approve any new district lines.

DeGiorgio's proposal called for two members to be appointed by Republicans and two by Democrats, with a nonvoting chair appointed by the supervisor.

"The majority and the minority should have equal representation," she said. "The committee must compromise and collaborate." DeGiorgio and Angelo Ferrara are the council's only Republican members.

Under Kaiman's plan, DeGiorgio said, "my vote -- and Mr. Ferrara's vote, I dare say -- doesn't count."

But Kaiman said having each council member name a representative ensured a diverse group based on geography and political party. "This process makes it less political," he said.

Kaiman's resolution was approved 4-2, with Democratic Councilman Tom Dwyer not present. DeGiorgio's resolution failed 2-4.

"The trend with the public and especially with Gov. [Andrew M.] Cuomo is to get legislatures to move away from partisanship and move more toward compromise," DeGiorgio said Thursday. "We could have made a bipartisan committee work."

The town board also approved an agreement for as much as $17,500 with Grassroots Solutions, based in Washington, D.C., to be a consultant to the town on redistricting.

Earlier during the meeting, DeGiorgio's resolution to require that town board meetings be streamed live on the town's website and videotaped for broadcast on the town's public access television channel failed along party lines.

DeGiorgio said broadcasting and streaming the meetings "promotes transparency" and would give residents a greater appreciation for how the government functions. But Kaiman said few local governments in the county broadcast or stream their meetings. "It's not as easy as it sounds," he said.

DeGiorgio said Thursday that she was "deeply disappointed" by the outcome. "I didn't really see any legitimate reason why we can't do it," she said.