Assembly maps would displace three upstate

When you hear Jim Tedisco, you think Schenectady. He grew up there, taught in the schools, served on the City Council, set records as a ballplayer at Union College and has represented parts of the Electric City in the State Assembly since his election in 1982.

And now he's being pushed away.

Proposed district lines for the Assembly will shuffle several members of the Capital Region's delegation, three people familiar with the new maps told the Times Union, including shifting Tedisco into Saratoga County.

Tedisco, a Republican who served as the chamber's minority leader from 2005 to 2009, will lose the town of Niskayuna and areas of the Electric City, but gain the suburbs of Clifton Park and Halfmoon. The people were unclear whether Tedisco would lose every portion of Schenectady he represents, but said his district would retain Glenville, where he owns a house, as well as Saratoga Springs, where his wife, Mary Song, owns a house.

Assemb. Bob Reilly, D-Colonie, will pick up Niskayuna and portions of Schenectady for his district. He had represented Clifton Park and Halfmoon.

"Of course it's necessary that my district is changed, and I'm a little disappointed that that had to happen because I formed a lot of relationships, personal and public, up in Clifton Park and Halfmoon. I always thought it was important to have more of a Democrat presence up there," said Reilly. "I had a very compact and homogenous district in the three towns. That's replicated somewhat with Niskayuna, but now I go into Schenectady, which is not."

Asked if he would seek re-election, Reilly said, "To be honest with you, I don't know. I won't make that decision for a little while."

The new maps were drafted by a state task force called LATFOR in a once-a-decade process that mirrors new population estimates from the U.S. Census. LATFOR is controlled by Democrats who dominate the Assembly and Republicans who control the Senate.

In addition to the changes for Tedisco and Reilly, Assemblyman Jack McEneny, D-Albany, will assume the town of Bethlehem and drop the Albany County hill towns, the people said. He and Assembly Majority Leader Ron Canestrari, D-Cohoes, will continue to split the city of Albany, though the boundary will shift, and McEneny will still represent Guilderland.

The Times Union reported Tuesday that Republicans who control the Senate will create a 63rd district in Albany and Schenectady counties, shifting Sens. Hugh Farley, R-Niskayuna and Neil Breslin, D-Bethlehem, east.

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