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
