Redistricting Hearings Spark Debates

It was a night of democracy in action as 84 people signed up to speak before a jam-packed LeFrak Concert Hall at Queens College. They came to be heard about the proposed redistricting of the city council lines. Political leaders, civic leaders and community residents spoke passionately about their opinions of the new plans.
Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan brought the screaming and yelling assembly to their feet with her demand that the redistricting commission drop their plan to merge a segment of southern Ridgewood into a predominantly Hispanic council district in neighboring Bushwick, Brooklyn. "We want to keep our neighborhood in Queens where it belongs!" she shouted as she presented petitions with 3,600 signatures against the redistricting plan.
Another speaker had collected 4,200 petitions from Ridgewood residents in one week with the same demands. Of these, he said, 20% came from Hispanics.
Home-made paper signs reading "Keep Ridgewood in Queens!" and "Bushwick Do Not Kidnap Part of Ridgewood!" were backdrops to eloquent speeches. There were frequent interruptions and raucous chants of "Ridgewood! Ridgewood!"
For four hours, emotionally charged pleas were made by Ridgewood residents expressing outrage that their Queens neighborhood would be drawn into Brooklyn. Hispanics and non-Hispanics alike voiced their deep sense of identification with their diverse neighborhood, and said they did not feel the need to be represented by one of their own ethnic group.
"I cant tell my children who grew up in America that we were relocated like animals to be with our own kind. We are not different. That is why we came to this country in the first place," said Giovanni Duffer, born in Ecuador.
Duffers wife, Betsy spoke in Spanish through a translator. "I came to this country 20 years ago from Ecuador directly to Ridgewood. I never felt discriminated against."
American-born Virginia Comber was equally passionate. "We all appreciate the neighbors we have no matter who they may be," she said. "It breaks my heart to see this happen. I love New York, but my heart belongs to Ridgewood, Queens."
Wild applause broke out following Monsignor Ed Scharfenberger of St. Matthias speech. His parish would be divided in half if the lines were redrawn. "It is the home-crafted harmony of diverse neighborhoods that keep this great country strong. You are ripping the heart out of my parish."
Richard Wessely of the Fresh Pond Road Chamber of Commerce sounded a practical note. "We fear lower property values, increased insurance rates and redistribution of services not for the better," he warned.
However, Ridgewood was not the only neighborhood expressing their concerns for the proposed line shifts.
A number of people spoke passionately about the proposed configuration of the new District 25 in Corona and Jackson Heights, which they said would dilute the Latino vote in that area.
Phil Raguso, a Republican from northeast Queens, said that by dividing the Mitchell Linden buildings in the 19th district would eliminate any opportunity for a Republican to be elected from that area.
Lew Simon, representing the Rockaways, said his peninsula desperately needed a united voice in the City Council. He demanded that the 11-mile island, accessible only by two bridges, become one district. It is now two.
Murray Berger from the Kew Gardens Civic Association made his second redistricting meeting appearance, hoping that his community would finally get one councilperson to represent them.
Lucia Gomez added a calmer perspective, stating that there was a need for the commissioners to educate the community about why these lines were presented.
The commissioners stayed an extra hour because of the large number of speakers wishing to be heard.
The final draft is due to be submitted to the city council on December 18. The map can be revised again and a third round of hearings may be scheduled. They expect the new lines to be finalized by next spring. A nine-member majority is needed to submit the recommendation to the US Justice Department. The federal government has the final approval.
The next public hearings are December 2, at Hostos Community College, Center for the Arts and Culture in the Bronx; December 3, at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan; and December 4, at the College of Staten Island. All meetings are from 6 to 9 p.m. Residents of all neighborhoods in the city are welcome at all the hearings, regardless of where they live.