The Point: Different districts for Nassau
It will fall upon Bruce Blakeman, the incoming Nassau county executive, to approve the new lines of the county's 19 legislative districts. Credit: Howard Schnapp
In Suffolk County, Democratic lawmakers are vexing Republicans by moving in the eleventh hour to redistrict the county’s legislative seats — just before they lose power and fall into the status of the minority party in the new year.
By contrast, the redrawing of lines in Nassau County early in the New Year will take place on a battlefield with a different shape — if it becomes a battlefield at all.
Not only will Nassau’s legislature have a dominant Republican majority as it does now, the new lines of its 19 districts will go for approval to a new Republican county executive, Bruce Blakeman. Regardless of these differing partisan scenarios in Long Island’s counties, a new state law is due to guide all 10-year redistricting to come in all of New York’s counties, towns, cities and villages.
If it works as intended, the law will "limit the ability of either party to draw lines to their advantage," says Jeff Wice, a redistricting expert who’s been a consultant to Nassau Democrats and directs a nonpartisan redistricting program at New York Law School . The legislation sponsored by Assemb. Amy Paulin (D-Westchester) was signed just weeks ago by Gov. Kathy Hochul. It does not affect redistricting of congressional or state legislative seats.
The law will require these districts to be contiguous, and as compact as possible, and that their population counts deviate by no more than 5% (the previous limit was 10%). There are also new restrictions on chopping up cities, towns and villages into different districts.
One example: As currently drawn the 3rd L.D. may not fit the contiguity standard and would have to be modified. Also the current 14th and 16th districts are eyed critically as not "compact."
"Districts shall not be drawn to discourage competition or for the purpose of favoring or disfavoring incumbents or other particular candidates or political parties," the new law states. "The maintenance of cores of existing districts, of pre-existing political subdivisions including cities, villages, and towns, and of communities of interest shall also be considered," it says.
Democratic leader Kevan Abrahams (D-Hempstead) told The Point that he expects the state legislation to bar problems in the coming process. He indicated he will watch closely to ensure, for example, "we don’t go backward" by losing any of three minority-represented districts.
In Nassau, a bipartisan commission is due to convene, with a nonvoting chair expected to be appointed by Blakeman.
In both Long Island counties, as always, the devil will be in the distinctive details.
Dan Janison is a member of the Newsday editorial board.
