NYC Districting Commission Final Draft

Subject: NYC Districting Commission Final Draft

 

November 16, 2012

Dear fellow New Yorker:

The NYC Districting Commission today approved a revised plan for the boundaries of the fifty-one City Council districts in the City of New York. The revised plan follows the Commission's second round of public hearings, held in all five boroughs, and extensive outreach by Commission staff.

Over the course of four months, communities throughout the five boroughs shared with the Commission their views as to how they would like the districts to be drawn. During the course of this process, over 1,157 people attended the public hearings and more than 350 of those provided testimony. The Commission also received comments from nearly 5,300 individuals who submitted statements via e-mail or hard copy, and nearly 20 alternative maps that were submitted on-line and/or created in the Commission's "Resource Room" with the assistance of Commission staff. The Commission's Community Outreach team also addressed nearly 40 local community boards throughout the five boroughs educating the public about the districting process.

Having considered these recommendations, the Commission believes that the revised plan reflects what was shared with the Commission, within the legal restrictions set forth by the New York City Charter. Among the highlights of the revised plan is that it contains a total of 35 Council districts in which protected racial and language minority groups represent an overall majority of the total population in the council district—over two-thirds of the 51 total Council districts in the City. By comparison, this is five more of such districts than the previous 2003 districting plan, which had 30 "majority-minority" districts at the time of adoption. In addition, for the first time, Staten Island will have three districts wholly contained within its borders, and will no longer share representation with residents of Brooklyn.

The proposed City Council district plan can be viewed online through the Commission's website at http://www.nyc.gov/html/dc/html/maps/maps.shtml . Within a few days you may also view the proposed plan in person at the following locations:

Manhattan : NYC Districting Commission Office
253 Broadway, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10007

Bronx : Bronx Borough Hall
851 Grand Concourse, Suite 301
Bronx, NY 10451

Queens : Queens Public Library at Flushing
41-17 Main Street
Flushing, NY 11355

Brooklyn : Brooklyn Borough Hall
209 Joralemon Street
Brooklyn, NY 11209

Staten Island : Staten Island Borough Hall
10 Richmond Terrace
Staten Island, NY 10301

Pursuant to the requirements of the New York City Charter, the Commission submitted the revised plan to the City Council for its consideration. According to the Charter, the plan will be deemed adopted unless, within three weeks, the City Council adopts a resolution objecting to the plan and returns it to the Commission. If the City Council objects to the plan, the Commission will hold additional public hearings regarding the plan, on dates to be determined, before the plan is finalized by the Commission.

On behalf of the Commission, I thank you for your participation in the New York City Council districting process and encourage you to continue participating until a plan is finalized.

Sincerely,

Carl Hum

Executive Director