N. Hempstead mulls redistricting committee

The North Hempstead Town Board Wednesday is expected to consider two proposals to create a committee to recommend new council district boundaries.

Supervisor Jon Kaiman, a Democrat, has proposed a redistricting committee made up of nine members. The supervisor would appoint three members, and each of the six council members would select one representative. The town board is made up of four Democrats and two Republicans.

Republican Dina DeGiorgio announced Tuesday that she will be calling for a committee consisting of three members appointed by Republicans and three by Democrats. The supervisor would appoint a chairperson who would not vote, DeGiorgio said.

Council district boundaries must be reviewed following the 2010 U.S. Census. Any changes must be adopted by the town board.

Kaiman said his approach was "community-based."

"Making sure that each district is represented in this committee seemed to me to be the best way to go," he said. Kaiman added that the supervisor's office should carry more weight because he represents the whole town.

But DeGiorgio said Kaiman's plan would "load the deck" in favor of Democrats. "The party that holds the majority gets the power to redistrict," she said. "I think we should redistrict in a bipartisan way."

DeGiorgio cited a proposal by Brookhaven Town Supervisor Mark Lesko, a Democrat, for a bipartisan redistricting commission in that town.

Under her proposal, she said, "the committee can only act by a majority of four votes, which would require them to compromise."

Kaiman, who doesn't anticipate any major changes in the district lines, said it wasn't necessary to engage in partisan wrangling over redistricting like Nassau County has. A committee based on political parties, he said, would lead to hiring "two sets of lawyers, two sets of experts and staffs."

With Emily C. Dooley