Officials, constituents express displeasure with re-districting plan at public hearing
Story Created:
Feb 14, 2012 at 6:56 PM EDT
Story Updated:
Feb 14, 2012 at 7:09 PM EDT
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WKTV) - Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente, Jr. made an hour road trip to Syracuse on Tuesday in order to tell the senators and assembly members on LATFOR, the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment, exactly what he thinks of their current plan to re-configure the state's assembly and senate districts.
"That's ludicrous," Picente told them. "Districts would cross over multiple county lines, north south east and west. It makes no sense. It's not fair to the people of Oneida County."
Picente was the first of about two dozen speakers at a public hearing Tuesday afternoon at Henninger High School in Syracuse.
The plan would take Oneida County's number of assembly representatives from three, to five, but would drastically re-arrange where some areas fall into which districts.
The Chairman of the Board of the Mohawk Valley Chamber of Commerce Sam Berardino also has serious concerns about the proposed plan currently before New Yorkers.
"There's a chance they're going to gerrymander out and we're going to lose our congressional seat," Berardino said, referring to the 24th Congressional District. "It's very important that we have a seat here in Oneida and Herkimer County. The congressional seat should include all of Oneida and Herkimer County."
Constituent Don Jeror says the plan is contradictory, flagrantly disregarding the task force's own rules.
"How can you have a cohesive political group when you're covering half the state? They don't seem to be following their own rules that they set," says Jeror.
Senator Michael Nozzolio is on LATFOR. He says they came to Syracuse to listen.
"We want to hear from citizens from this region, to be able to hear what's on their minds to take their concerns and to reflect them as much as we possibly can in the final plan," says Nozzolio.
The final plan, like any other piece of legislation, will have to be approved by the Senate and Assembly and forwarded to the Governor for approval or veto.
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