One thing the last two years should have taught every New Yorker is that one party rule in Albany can be a disaster. The tenure of Malcolm Smith – or was it John Sampson – as Majority Leader of the Senate did not work out, as anyone would have predicted, and certainly not as even Democrats wanted.
That should give everyone a little moment of pause before we rush through Mayor Koch’s redistricting proposal before we’ve really had a chance to examine it and try to imagine just how it might work in real life. However, some are in a rush, with the 2010 census data in and the window to comply with the mandate to redraw legislative lines slowly closing.
Former Mayor Koch is one of those in a rush. His New York Uprising group asked legislators last year to take a pledge to commit to supporting non-partisan redistricting for NY, and most did. But then, it was a pledge without a specific bill. And, as always, the devil is in the details.
The bill introduced by Governor Andrew Cuomo and being supported by Koch calls for a commission to be appointed, with members being chosen by the majority and minority leaders of both houses of the legislature, and some being picked by the governor. The bill also mandates that criteria like racial, ethnic and gender diversity be taken into account, and it allows for former elected officials, members of the executive branch, or lobbyists, as long as they have been out of government for more than four years.
Not only does this allow for partisan surrogates to be appointed, but because it gives the governor power in this process, it inherently tilts the balance of power in the commission to whichever party holds the executive office.
The goal of non-partisan redistricting is an important one. New York has the lowest turnover rate of elected officials of any legislature in the country. That means that our elected officials are not really accountable to the people. And that is because of how the lines are drawn. However, it is more important to get the plan right to make sure it is truly fair and non-partisan. The voters deserve nothing less.
That time is short for this redrawing and then next redistricting is 10 years away is not a reason to rush this very important reform. Mayor Koch is smart enough to realize that this isn’t a truly non-partisan plan, and it’s not ever a fairly bi-partisan plan. Even he shouldn’t be in a rush just because 10 years seems like a long time to wait.
Robert Hornak is a Queens-based political consultant, blogger, and an active member of the Queens Republican Party.
