For Immediate Release
Contact: Lauren Mannerberg, lauren@anatgerstein.com, 929 553 7702
New York, N.Y. (September 22, 2022) – Citizens Union releases the following statement from Executive Director Betsy Gotbaum after New York City Districting Commission voted down the second draft of the district maps as part of the redistricting process for New York City’s 51 council districts:
“Today’s vote by the NYC Districting Commission comes as a surprise. Should the Council reject the Commission’s next revision, we are concerned that by delaying the process, there will be limited time for public input on the maps. We encourage them to quickly resolve their issues so there can be adequate time for New Yorkers to review these maps. The December 7 deadline for the final maps is around the corner, and any further delay will only minimize the time for public feedback on a revised map.”
“Today’s vote demonstrates the need for transparency throughout the process. Opening the Commission’s deliberations to the public would have allowed all commissioners to weigh in on the issues that led to today’s surprise vote. The Commission should hold its next deliberations in public to prompt healthy dialogue between commissioners. This act will reduce the potential power of outside influence on the process.”
“Based on our initial review of the proposed maps that were denied, it seems that the Commission was responsive to public feedback and many community concerns.”
“Since the NYC Districting Commission released their first draft of City Council district maps in July, thousands of New Yorkers have offered feedback on the proposed district lines. This is a testament to how important this process is to the future of our local democracy. We applaud all the New Yorkers who have been engaged in this process and made their voices heard.”
Citizens Union has closely monitored every New York City redistricting process since 1989. You can read more about our work on 2022 City Council Redistricting here.
If you would like to speak with a Citizens Union representative about the draft redistricting plan, please contact Lauren Mannerberg at lauren@anatgerstein.com.
About Citizens Union
For 125 years, Citizens Union has been a force for transparency, accountability and ethics in New York’s City and State governments. A nonpartisan organization, some of our current initiatives include a new agenda for police accountability, monitoring the City Council’s redistricting process and increasing civic engagement. Learn more at www.citizensunion.org.