NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATIVE TASK FORCE ON DEMOGRAPHIC RESEARCH AND REAPPORTIONMENT PUBLIC HEARING CONGRESSIONAL AND STATE LEGISLATIVE REDISTRICTING Wednesday, September 21, 2011 Assembly Hearing Room 250 Broadway Room 1923, 19th Floor Manhattan, New York 10:00 a.m. Page 2 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 WELQUIS LOPEZ ROMAN HEDGES DEBRA LEVINE 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 Demographic Research and Reapportionment, 9-21-2011 INDEX Page ASSEMBLY MEMBER JOHN MCENENY 8 NYS LEGISLATIVE TASK FORCE ON DEMOGRAPHIC RESEARCH AND REAPPORTIONMENT SENATOR MICHAEL NOZZOLIO 11 NYS LEGISLATIVE TASK FORCE ON DEMOGRAPHIC RESEARCH AND REAPPORTIONMENT ASSEMBLY MEMBER ROBERT OAKS 12 NYS LEGISLATIVE TASK FORCE ON DEMOGRAPHIC RESEARCH AND REAPPORTIONMENT SENATOR MARTIN DILAN 14 NYS LEGISLATIVE TASK FORCE ON DEMOGRAPHIC RESEARCH AND REAPPORTIONMENT LIZ KRUGER 15 SENATOR DAN QUART 23 ASSEMBLY MEMBER ED KOCH 27 FORMER MAYOR RICHARD DADEY 46 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - CITIZENS' UNION HENRY STERN 56 NEW YORK UPRISING COSTAS PANAGOPOULOS, PhD 62 ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE AND DIRECTOR FOR CENTER FOR ELECTORAL POLITICS AND DEMOCRACY RAFAEL ESPINAL 74 ASSEMBLY MEMBER MARGARET FUNG 78 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ASIAN AMERICAN LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATION FUND 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 Demographic Research and Reapportionment, 9-21-2011 ADRIENNE KIVELSON 83 VICE PRESIDENT, LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS-NYC HEATHER ROBERSON 88 BOARD OF DIRECTORS - ACT NOW MATTHEW KATZ 94 PRESIDENT, ROOSEVELT ISLAND RESIDENT ASSOCIATION (RIRA) LINDA HEIMER 98 NANCY CRUICKSHANK 101 ROOSEVELT ISLAND RESIDENT DICK LUTZ 103 PUBLISHER - MAIN STREET WIRE (ROOSEVELT ISLAND COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER) GALE BREWER 106 COUNCIL MEMBER - NYC COUNCIL, DISTRICT 6 JAMES HONG 110 SPOKESPERSON - ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY COALITION ON REDISTRICTING AND DEMOCRACY BARBARA ZUCKER 116 BOARD MEMBER, WOMEN'S CITY CLUB OF NEW YORK RON HAYDUK 119 PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE - BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE, CUNY HENRY CHANG 126 OCA-NY JESSICA VICUNA 133 ACT NOW DANIEL MARKS COHEN 136 STATE COMMITTEE MAN, 69TH AD - NYC DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE AHMED TIGANI 142 VICE PRESIDENT - MANHATTAN YOUNG DEMOCRATS 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 Demographic Research and Reapportionment, 9-21-2011 MAE LEE 146 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - CHINESE PROGRESSIVE ASSOCIATION SEDELLE THOMAS 150 MEMBER, BRONX UNITY DEMOCRATIC CLUB SUSAN LERNER 152 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - COMMON CAUSE NY TRUDY L. MASON 160 STATE COMMITTEEWOMAN MICHAEL GRUMET 165 OPERATOR OF THE 47TH STREET BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT AND LITTLE ITALY RESIDENT CAROL RINZLER 167 FOUNDER - 1000 PLUS FRIEND OF NYC PARKS MICHAEL MCKEE 169 TREASURER - TENANTS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE LEIDA SNOW 175 LOU SEPERSKY 178 LOUISE DANKBERG 184 DISTRICT LEADER MARIA TERESA FELICIANO 188 PRESIDENT - DOMINICAN AMERICAN NATIONAL ROUNDTABLE (DANR) PAOLA MARTINEZ 196 YUDELKA TAPIA 198 CARMEN FLORES 201 POSTAL WORKER - NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LETTER CARRIERS ANTHONY GRONOWICZ 204 ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF HISTORY AND ADVISOR - STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION OF BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN COLLEGE 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 Demographic Research and Reapportionment, 9-21-2011 TODD BREITBART 210 LEONARD KOHEN, ESQ. 226 ELECTION LAW ATTORNEY CARMEN ACOSTA 232 ASOCIACION DE MUJERES PROGRESISTAS WILBUR WEDER 234 MICHAEL LANDAU 237 CHAIRMAN - COUNCIL OF ORTHODOX JEWISH ORGANIZATION OF WEST SIDE BRAD HOYLMAN 241 CHAIR, MANHATTAN COMMUNITY BOARD 2, DEMOCRATIC DISTRICT LEADER 66TH AD PART A ETHEL SHEFFER 245 AICP, MEMBER - MANHATTAN COMMUNITY BOARD 7, FORMER PRESIDENT - NEW YORK METRO CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN PLANNING ASSOCIATION JULIE MENIN 248 CHAIR, MANHATTAN COMMUNITY BOARD 1 CATHERINE MCVAY HUGHES 252 VICE CHAIR - MANHATTAN COMMUNITY BOARD 1; CHAIR - WORLD TRADE CENTER REDEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE STEVE CARBO 257 SENIOR PROGRAM DIRECTOR - DEMOS IBRAHIM KAHN 263 DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF - SENATOR ADRIANO ESPAILLAT ALLISON TUPPER 268 (READING JORDAN BUDD'S TESTIMONY (ACT NOW)) RUTH HALBERG 270 STATE COMMITTEEWOMAN 65TH AD - MANHATTAN JAMES G. CLYNES 273 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 Demographic Research and Reapportionment, 9-21-2011 ROBERT E. CORNEGY, JR. 276 DISTRICT LEADER 56TH AD HELEN ROSENTHAL 280 ALTOGRACIA GUZMAN VARGAS 283 KATHLEEN TREAT 289 RUBEN VARGAS 290 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 Demographic Research and Reapportionment, 9-21-2011 2 (The public hearing commenced at 10:00 3 a.m.) 4 ASSEMBLY MEMBER JOHN J. MCENENY, CO- 5 CHAIR, NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATIVE TASK FORCE ON 6 DEMOGRAPHIC RESEARCH AND REAPPORTIONMENT: -- 7 people who have signed up based on previous 8 hearings. All 84 at least of these people will 9 probably not speak. On the other hand, there 10 will be additional people going on who will 11 arrive during the course of the day. 12 This is, as you know, the LATFOR, which 13 is the New York State Legislative Task Force on 14 Demographic Research and Reapportionment. My 15 name is Jack McEneny. I'm the member of the 16 Assembly who's the co-chair. And the other co- 17 chair to my immediate left is Senator Mike 18 Nozzolio. 19 We have, in addition, two members of the 20 minority of each house. To my right, Bob Oaks 21 and to the left of Senator Nozzolio is Senator 22 Martin Dilan. There are two citizen members. To 23 the right on the Assembly side is Roman Hedges. 24 To my left is Welquis Lopez. And we are also 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 Demographic Research and Reapportionment, 9-21-2011 2 joined by the executive directors; co-executive 3 directors Debra Levine, for the Senate and Lou 4 Hoppe for the New York State Assembly. 5 We are going to ask, because of the 6 large number of people wishing to testify, to 7 please keep your remarks to five minutes. Now, 8 many of you have nice, single-spaced, well 9 thought out comments. They will be admitted as 10 part of the procedures. They become part of the 11 official record. Try and summarize that in 12 fairness to the other people here. And bear in 13 mind that all of this is being televised, in that 14 we create a record which will go on the LATFOR 15 web page and from the record there will also be a 16 transcript with stenographers taking down your 17 exact words. So whatever you say will live 18 forever in cyberspace. 19 The function of this organization is one 20 that is required by the New York State 21 constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 22 and is an attempt to take the districts that are 23 currently in place for the United States 24 Congress, the New York State Senate and the 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 Demographic Research and Reapportionment, 9-21-2011 2 Assembly and take a look at those districts which 3 are now obsolete because of our shifting 4 population and to change the districts and draw 5 new districts. 6 It's a process which is under a great 7 deal of pressure right now. We started as soon 8 as we could immediately following the session. 9 No alternative method was agreed upon during the 10 session and we are having two sets of hearings. 11 The first 14 hearings, which will end in October- 12 -November now, excuse me; before election though, 13 is more conceptual, more academic. You tell us 14 in general what you'd like to see done, what's 15 wrong with the current districts, what 16 neighborhoods you'd like to keep together, etc. 17 After that, we go and actually draw 18 lines based upon the input that we receive by 19 mail, some of it electronically. There have been 20 a number of maps that have been specifically 21 submitted and that's especially useful. It's 22 alright to look with tunnel vision at what you 23 want for your district, but we have to think what 24 the bumping effect is if you're taking territory 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 Demographic Research and Reapportionment, 9-21-2011 2 from an adjoining district or you have left over 3 territory that has to be put into another 4 district. So those of you that have been giving 5 us maps we very much appreciate. 6 Without further adieu, I'd like to turn 7 it over to my co-chair, Senator Michael Nozzolio. 8 SENATOR MICHAEL F. NOZZOLIO, CO-CHAIR, 9 NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATIVE TASK FOR ON 10 DEMOGRAPHIC RESEARCH AND REAPPORTIONMENT: Thank 11 you, Assemblyman and good morning, ladies and 12 gentlemen. This is the fourth hearing that we're 13 conducting in New York City.