NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATIVE TASK FORCE ON DEMOGRAPHIC RESEARCH AND REAPPORTIONMENT PUBLIC HEARING CONGRESSIONAL AND STATE LEGISLATIVE REDISTRICTING Queens Borough Hall, Rm 213 120-55 Queens Boulevard Kew Gardens, New York Tuesday, February 7, 2012 3:00 p.m. Page 2 Congressional/State Legislative Redistricting 2-7-12 TASK FORCE MEMBERS PRESENT: SENATOR MICHAEL F. NOZZOLIO, Co-Chair ASSEMBLY MEMBER JOHN J. MCENENY, Co-Chair SENATOR MARTIN M. DILAN ASSEMBLY MEMBER ROBERT OAKS DEBRA LEVINE ROMAN HEDGES WELQUIS LOPEZ LEWIS HOPPE Ubiqus/Nation-Wide Reporting & Convention Coverage 22 Cortlandt Street – Suite 802, New York, NY 10007 Phone: 212-227-7440 * 800-221-7242 * Fax: 212-227-7524 Page 3 Congressional/State Legislative Redistricting 2-7-12 INDEX Page HELEN MARSHALL 8 QUEENS BOROUGH PRESIDENT MIKE GIANARIS 11 NYS SENATE, WESTERN QUEENS TONY AVELLA 18 NYS SENATE MARK WEPRIN 23 NYC COUNCIL MEMBER RUBEN WILLS 28 NYC COUNCIL MEMBER JAMES HONG 33 SPOKESPERSON ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY COALITION ON REDISTRICTING AND DEMOCRACY JERRY VATTAMALA 38 STAFF ATTORNEY ASIAN AMERICAN LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATION FUND MACKENZIE YANG 52 MEMBER OCA-NY BRIGHT LIMM 58 KOREAN AMERICANS FOR POLITICAL ADVANCEMENT ANTHONY NUNZIATO 62 DANIEL HALLORAN 64 NYC COUNCIL MEMBER ALI NAJMI 70 COMMUNITY ORGANIZER SEVA NY Ubiqus/Nation-Wide Reporting & Convention Coverage 22 Cortlandt Street – Suite 802, New York, NY 10007 Phone: 212-227-7440 * 800-221-7242 * Fax: 212-227-7524 Page 4 Congressional/State Legislative Redistricting 2-7-12 GARTH MARCHANT 73 PUBLIC CITIZEN LINDA LEE 77 KOREAN COMMUNIUTY SERVICES EMMANUEL CARUANA 79 VISHNU MAHADEO 82 PRESIDENT RICHMOND HILL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL JOHN PARK 86 DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YWCA OF QUEENS, MEMBER, ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNTY COALITION ON REDISTRICTING AND DEMOCRACY CAROL HUANG 88 MEMBER ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY COALITION ON REDISTRICTING AND DEMOCRACY ANJALI CHAUDHRY ON BEHALF OF SEEMA AGNANI, CHAAYA 91 ROBERT FRIEDRICH 96 PRESIDENT GLEN OAKS VILLAGE CO-OP/EASTERN QUEENS UNITED WARREN SCHRIEBER 101 PRESIDENT BAY TERRACE COMMUNITY ALLIANCE KENNETH COHEN 104 REGIONAL DIRECTOR NAACP MICHAEL FRAGIN 107 STEVEN CHOI 111 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MINKWON CENTER FOR COMMUNITY ACTION DUK SUN CHANG 115 OWNER DUK CHANG GEMSTONE CUTTER Ubiqus/Nation-Wide Reporting & Convention Coverage 22 Cortlandt Street – Suite 802, New York, NY 10007 Phone: 212-227-7440 * 800-221-7242 * Fax: 212-227-7524 Page 5 Congressional/State Legislative Redistricting 2-7-12 ROBERT JACKSON 117 NYC COUNCIL MEMBER ANGELA AUGUGLIARO 123 PRESIDENT QUEENS COLONY CIVIC ASSN TOBY STAVISKY 126 NYS SENATOR JERRY WIND 130 PRESIDENT BELLEROSE HILLSIDE CIVIC ASSOCIATION DARREL SUDKHEO 131 VOLUNTEER & COMMUNITY ACTIVIST INDO-CARIBBEAN ALLIANCE NORMAN SILVERMAN 135 BAYSWATER CIVIC ASSN STEVEN GREENBERG 141 GEORGE STAMATIADIS 143 STEINWAY ASTORIA PARTNERSHIP RICHARD THUZAMI 146 MEMBER QUEENS GENERAL ASSEMBLY JOSEPH LYNCH 149 CAROL SARANO 153 DISTRICT LEADER ASSEMBLY DISTRICT PART B GEORGE MALANDRAKIS 155 DIRECTOR OF DEPENDENCY PROGRAM HANAC FRANK TONER 157 PRESIDENT ROCKY HILL CIVIC ASSOCIATION DR. ARTHUR FLUG 162 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THE HARRIET & KENNETH KUPFERBERG HOLOCAUST CENTER Ubiqus/Nation-Wide Reporting & Convention Coverage 22 Cortlandt Street – Suite 802, New York, NY 10007 Phone: 212-227-7440 * 800-221-7242 * Fax: 212-227-7524 Page 6 Congressional/State Legislative Redistricting 2-7-12 ARAVELLA SIMOTAS 165 NYS ASSEMBLYMEMBER DAVID WEPRIN 171 NYS ASSEMBLY MEMBER AMINTA KILAWAN 177 RESIDENT RICHARD S. DAVID 181 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR INDO-CARIBBEAN ALLIANCE INC. DONNA RAYMOND 186 PRESIDENT NORTH QUEENS HOMEOWNERS CIVIC ASSOCIATION OF JACKSON HEIGHTS RACHANA SHAH 190 TAKING OUR SEAT FRANCES LUHMANN MCDONALD 196 COMMUNITY ACTIVIST ALBERT BALDEO 200 PRESIDENT UNITED COMMUNITIES ALLIANCE, DISTRICT LEADER 38TH AD ASHOOK RAMSARRAN 207 GLOBAL ORGANIZATION OF PEOPLE OF INDIAN ORIGIN KRIS GOUNDEN 212 COMMUNITY ACTIVIST ROHAN NARINE 219 SHRI TRIMURTI BHAVAN MANDIR MICHAEL O’KEEFFE 224 PRESIDENT CREEDMOOR CIVIC ASSOCIATION STEVEN ANTHONY BEHAR, ESQ. 226 MOHAMMED SADIQ, DIRECTOR, TAKING OUR SEAT 231 Ubiqus/Nation-Wide Reporting & Convention Coverage 22 Cortlandt Street – Suite 802, New York, NY 10007 Phone: 212-227-7440 * 800-221-7242 * Fax: 212-227-7524 Page 7 Congressional/State Legislative Redistricting 2-7-12 ELIAS TSEKERIDES 233 PRESIDENT FEDERATION HELLENIC SOCIETIES SAMUEL MASSOL 235 ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR COMMON CAUSE NY KAWAL TOTARAM, ESQ. 241 PHIL KONIGSBERG 244 VICE PRESIDENT BAY TERRACE COMMUNITY ALLIANCE BARBARA JACKSON 246 LEFRAK CITY JAMES TRIKAS 247 VICE PRESIDENT - EAST FLUSHING CIVIC ASSOCIATION, BOARD MEMBER - ZONING AND LAND USE CHAIR - HOLLY CIVIC ASSOCIATION MEMBER - QUEENSBORO HILL ASSOCIATION BOARD MEMBER - KISSENA CORRIDOR PARK CONSERVANCY LEROY GADSEN 255 PRESIDENT JAMAICA BRANCH NAACP REV. CHARLES NORRIS 275 BETHESDA MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH PETER CIPRIANO 279 CONCERNED CITIZEN MAF MISBAH UDDIN 287 PRESIDENT ALLIANCE OF SOUTH ASIAN AMERICAN LABOR RONNIE K. MINOR 290 COMMUNITY ADVOCATE/ASTORIA MARIA BECCE 294 BROADWAY HOMEOWNERS ASSOC. JAE KYUNG SONG 299 MEMBER MINKWON CENTER Ubiqus/Nation-Wide Reporting & Convention Coverage 22 Cortlandt Street – Suite 802, New York, NY 10007 Phone: 212-227-7440 * 800-221-7242 * Fax: 212-227-7524 Page 8 Congressional/State Legislative Redistricting 2-7-12 MINDI JACOBS 302 MEMBER BRIARWOOD ACTION NETWORK HENRY EULER 306 AUBERNDALE CIVIC ASSOC. JOHN BUDNICH 309 BETTY BRATON 314 CHAIRPERSON COMMUNITY BOARD 10 CLAUDIA COGER 318 RESIDENT ASTORIA HOUSES COSTA CONSTANTINIDES 320 DEMOCRATICE LEADER ASTORIA MURRAY BERGER 324 RESIDENT Ubiqus/Nation-Wide Reporting & Convention Coverage 22 Cortlandt Street – Suite 802, New York, NY 10007 Phone: 212-227-7440 * 800-221-7242 * Fax: 212-227-7524 Page 9 1 Congressional/State Legislative Redistricting 2-7-12 2 (The public hearing commenced at 3:14 3 a.m.) 4 ASSEMBLY MEMBER JACK McENENY, CHAIRMAN 5 LEGISLATIVE TASK FORCE ON DEMOGRAPHIC RESEARCH 6 AND REAPPORTIONMENT: Clear the aisle. 7 Photographers please clear the aisle. 8 My name is Jack McEneny, I’m a member of 9 the Assembly, co-chair of this committee known as 10 LATFOR, which is the Legislative Task Force on 11 Redistricting. I am joined by my equivalent and 12 colleague co-chairman Mike Nozzolio from the 13 Senate. We are also joined on the Assembly side 14 by Dr. Roman Hedges, who is the citizen 15 participant. To his left is the Co-Executive 16 Director Lou Hoppe (phonetic). We may be joined 17 later by somebody who's working now in Albany and 18 that would be Bob Oaks. I'll introduce him 19 should he come here in time. And I'll pass it 20 over now to Senator Nozzolio. 21 SENATOR NOZZOLIO: Thank you very much 22 Assemblyman McEneny. 23 Good afternoon, ladies and gentleman. 24 My name is Mike Nozzolio and I am honored to be Ubiqus/Nation-Wide Reporting & Convention Coverage 22 Cortlandt Street – Suite 802, New York, NY 10007 Phone: 212-227-7440 * 800-221-7242 * Fax: 212-227-7524 Page 10 1 Congressional/State Legislative Redistricting 2-7-12 2 the co-chair of this task force, along with 3 Assemblyman McEneny. The Senate representatives 4 on this task force are to my right Senator Martin 5 Dilan. To his right Welquis Ray Lopez and to his 6 right the executive director of the commission 7 and that's Debra Levine. 8 This is wonderful to see such a great 9 turnout today. It's democracy in action and it 10 is the result of a suggestion made in Queens by 11 some of you who are here today. Our second 12 hearing in Queens, our 18th -- 19th hearing 13 altogether across every corner of the state. 14 The suggestion made in Queens was that 15 we have a meeting later in the day, in the 16 afternoon. And this was made by members of the 17 Asian American committee from Queens who said, 18 "Let's have this testimony opened up in the 19 afternoon, and evening," and we will be here 20 through this process. 21 The process we ask everyone, including 22 the elected officials to keep this testimony 23 orally to five minutes. Your written testimony 24 can be 500 pages, but that written testimony will Ubiqus/Nation-Wide Reporting & Convention Coverage 22 Cortlandt Street – Suite 802, New York, NY 10007 Phone: 212-227-7440 * 800-221-7242 * Fax: 212-227-7524 Page 11 1 Congressional/State Legislative Redistricting 2-7-12 2 be submitted for the official record of the task 3 force. Your testimony is being recorded; there's 4 a camera there and a camera there that will 5 record your testimony as part of the official 6 record of the LATFOR review. 7 I'd just like to say two more things: t 8 the first is that the lines that were put out are 9 meant for your review. We know that no plan is 10 perfect and that the purpose of the hearings is 11 to take testimony from those that are most 12 affected to hear their opinions. I'm also very 13 proud, from the Senate perspective, again an 14 issue that was germinated here in this room by 15 members of the Asian American community from 16 Queens who told us last year that they wish to 17 have a Senate seat with a majority Asian 18 population. The lines as presented establish 19 that objective for the very first time in our New 20 York State's history. There is an Asian majority 21 district, Senate district in Queens as a part of 22 this proposal. 23 Other than our Borough President 24 Marshall, and we appreciate very much your Ubiqus/Nation-Wide Reporting & Convention Coverage 22 Cortlandt Street – Suite 802, New York, NY 10007 Phone: 212-227-7440 * 800-221-7242 * Fax: 212-227-7524 Page 12 1 Congressional/State Legislative Redistricting 2-7-12 2 courtesies, your attention, your support, all the 3 work that took place to -- that you and your 4 staff engaged in to prepare this meeting room 5 today we are extremely grateful.