Vote on new district maps could come Monday

ALBANY -- Revised maps for State Senate and Assembly districts across New York could be published as soon as Friday and voted on by Monday, a key legislator said Thursday -- a sign that the controversial redistricting process could be moving rapidly to a close.

Importantly, the vote on the new maps could be coupled with a constitutional amendment to take away the legislature's power over the highly political, once-a-decade process of redrawing election districts. That change, however, couldn't become effective before 2022.

"All the descriptions of the new districts are all over there at bill drafting," said Assemb. John McEneny (D-Albany), referring to the bipartisan commission that formally drafts legislation. "With luck, we will have a bill printed Friday . . . and voted on Monday."

McEneny is the co-chairman of a joint legislative task force in charge of redistricting.

Senate officials confirmed that a vote on revised maps could be held early next week if agreements can be hammered out on the new maps.

It's uncertain if lawmakers also can reach an agreement on new congressional districts that quickly. New York must shrink its delegation to 27 from 29 and Republicans and Democrats submitted dueling, partisan plans to a federal court Wednesday. Both sides said they are trying to reach a compromise rather than throw it into the hands of the courts.

Lawmakers must redraw legislative districts every 10 years to reflect new U.S. Census data.

Assembly revisions

The new plan will maintain a proposal to bolster Long Island's delegation by adding a 22nd seat. But it will drop controversial proposals to dramatically alter some Republican-held seats.

Notably, McEneny said they will scratch an idea to combine parts of the North and South forks of Suffolk County into one district, and split Southold and Riverhead into separate districts.

"The key was what was going to happen to Southold," said Assemb. Fred Thiele Jr. (I-Sag Harbor), who would continue to represent the South Fork. "It was clear Southold wanted to be kept with Riverhead."

Thiele said his district would add Shelter Island, which is currently represented by Assemb. Dan Losquadro (R-Shoreham), who had complained about the original Assembly proposal.

"There was a tremendous outcry," Losquadro said. Though he hasn't seen the revised maps, he said: "It appears to be headed that way: the North Fork stays together. The South Fork stays together."

In addition, Democrats will keep the district of Assemb. Joseph Saladino (R-Massapequa) compactly based on the South Shore, rather than making it run from Long Island Sound to the Atlantic Ocean, McEneny said.

The plan would effectively bolster Suffolk's representation by shifting existing Island seats eastward and creating an open seat in Nassau County, along the Queens border. This would give Suffolk 11 seats (up from 10) and Nassau 10, with one seat split between the counties.

Senate revisions

The nine Senate districts on Long Island -- each currently held by a Republican -- wouldn't change much under a plan controlled by Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre).

An additional Senate district would be created, bringing the state total to 63 seats. The district would cover communities south and west of Albany.

But the GOP will relent on a proposal to throw six incumbent Democrats in Brooklyn and Queens into three primaries and create three open seats.

"There will be some uncoupling of some of the combinations where there are two Democrat senators in the same district," Skelos said Thursday.

Congress

The shrinking of New York's delegation likely will have an impact on who represents the Island. Republicans submitted a plan to put two incumbent Democrats, Gary Ackerman (D-Roslyn) and Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola), in a Nassau-based district that is partly in Queens.

Returning the partisan favor, Democrats proposed cannibalizing a Queens-Brooklyn district held by Rep. Bob Turner (R-Queens) and pitting him against Rep. Joe Crowley (D-Queens) in a Democrat-dominated, Queens district.