Deadline looms, no Suffolk redistrict plan

Suffolk's nonpartisan commission to redraw legislative district boundaries has bogged down and the process is on the verge of being taken completely out of the county legislature's hands.

The eight-member commission, riddled by disputes over membership, has met only twice in the past year; it has not even started drawing lines even though its deadline for finishing the work is Wednesday. If the deadline passes, the law that set up the commission calls for the county attorney to go to court to request a special master to draw new lines for the 18 seats, with no legislative input.

"I'm very aware of the deadline, and it's very frustrating," said Presiding Officer William Lindsay (D-Holbrook). He said Republicans "played a game" by picking commission members who were ineligible under the law. But he could not say what the Democratic majority coalition will do until their Friday caucus.

Legis. John Kennedy (R-Nesconset), the minority leader, said he is talking to Democrats and considering filing a bill to give the commission another 120 days to do its work.

He maintains the commission could not do its work because the county did not get solid census numbers broken down by election districts until two weeks ago.

The legislature early last year created the commission to take politics out of the reapportionment by naming four ex-judges and members from minority and good-government groups. But the commission was stymied early on because of a provision that required using nonpolitical former judges on the panel, and requiring they be out of office 10 years.

Since the judges can serve up to age 74 with state waivers, the pool of ex-jurists in their 80s is very limited. The law was revised, lowering the ban to five years for judges, but one GOP choice, former State Supreme Court judge Alfred Tisch, Democrats say, is ineligible because he was later elected sheriff and subject to the 10-year rule.

They also questioned the legitimacy of a GOP good-government pick, Brookhaven Republican Irene D'Abramo, a GOP elections board worker who described herself as a member of the League of Women Voters. However, Democrats say the law spells out that the selection is supposed to be made by the league itself. The league had chosen Brookhaven league president Nancy Marr.

Kennedy said he has spoken to commission members and they see no problems with Tisch's involvement, but he is still trying to determine how to resolve the issues about D'Abramo.

"She is knowledgeable, competent and skillful," said Kennedy, but added he will take up her situation with party officials.