Saratoga Springs could experience significant change in NYS Senate representation
By Saratoga Springs Founder and Publisher Dan De Federicis
There have been many news reports about New York’s Independenet Redistricting Commission(“IRC”) failing to agree on one comprehensive plan for redrawing New York’s Congressional districts, as well as the State Legislature’s Senate and Assembly districts. None of these reports, however, have examined how the Commission’s dueling plans would affect Saratoga Springs and the outlying area.
New York’s Independent Redistricting Commissionresulted from a NYS constitutional amendment voters approved in 2014. It was supposed to take the politics out of the redistricting process, which occurs every 10 years after the U.S. census. Spoiler alert: it’s not working so far. On Monday, January 3rd the commission submitted two competing plans to the NYS Legislature, rather than just one cohesive plan. A similiar result happened in September of 2020. Both times the five Democrats and five Republicans on the Commission could not come to agreement on one plan and instead sent the State Legislature two rival plans to consider for redistricting the State Senate, Assembly, and U.S. House of Representative districts.
One of the two competing proposalsby the IRC would place all of the city of Saratoga Springs in the 49th State Senate District, currently represented by Senator James Tedisco. A small western portion of The Spa City is currently in Tedisco’s district, but most of the city is currently located in the 43rd Senate District, represented by Senator Daphne Jordan. This “plan B”, if enacted, would be a major change to Saratoga Springs’ senate representation because the city has a significant historical connection to the 43rd Senate District. The late Senator Joseph Bruno, a Skidmore alumnus, represented the 43rd district, including Saratoga Springs, for decades until his retirement in 2008. Bruno, who became Senate Majority leader in 1995, was credited with steering millions in state money for various projects in Saratoga Springs and is widely credited with being the key power broker to obtain state funding to build and then expand the Saratoga Springs City Center, which opened in 1984.
Above: the current 43rd Senate District, which includes Saratoga Springs. Below: proposed Senate Disrict 49, which would include Saratoga Springs Source:Nys independent Redistricting commission
The 43rd Senate district, as currently drawn, is expansive and extends east and south from Saratoga Springs through parts of Washington and Rensselaer counties all the way down to (the entirety of) Columbia County. If Plan B for the State Senate is ultimately adopted by the NYS Legislature, Saratoga’s new Senate District, the redrawn 49th, would extend essentially in the direct opposite directions, west and north into Herkimer and Hamilton Counties, which include large expanses of sparsely populated, or even unpopulated, Adirondack Park areas. The district would go west almost to Utica and as far north as Long Lake.
None of thecommission’s Congressional or Assembly proposed redistricting plansmake major changes for Saratoga Springs residents, however, there would be changes for other Saratoga County residents. Both Plans A and B of the commission’s Congressional redistricting keep Saratoga Springs in the 20th Congressional District, currently represented by Rep. Paul Tonko. The towns to the east and west of Saratoga Springs, namely Charlton, Milton, Galway, Saratoga and Stillwater, would be moved from District 21, currently represented by Rep. Elise Stefanik, to District 20. It is noteworthy that Rep. Stefanik’s residence, as well as that of one of her challengers, is in the town of Saratoga.
Likewise, both of the commission’s proposals would keep Saratoga Springs in the 113th Assembly District, currently represented by Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner. The plans, however, do significantly change the eastern boundaries of the Assembly district, and Assembly Plan B would not include any of Washington County in the district. The current district, as well as plan A of the proposals, includes several towns in Washington County.
The process is far from over, and these proposed district lines may ultimately be nothing more than footnotes to redistricting history. The State Legislature will vote to accept or reject one of the two plans for each legislative house. If it rejects both of them, the commission has one more opportunity to draw new districts for the legislature to accept. Should the legislature also reject what would be the third set of proposals, the process is turned over to the state legislature to complete. With Democrats firmly in control of both houses, there won’t be even the guise of “independence”. Stay tuned.
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