Bipartisan Redistricting Commission Gains Momentum

During Tuesday’s Town of Brookhaven board meeting, the board unanimously adopted Supervisor Mark Lesko’s resolution to set a public hearing on March 29 to establish a bipartisan Redistricting Commission.

According to the town, the Redistricting Commission will make recommendations to the town board for new council district boundaries, which were established 10 years ago.

“The Bipartisan Redistricting Commission will take the politics out of the process of redrawing the lines and give the Town Board an objective plan that will benefit the people of Brookhaven, not the political parties,” said Lesko, in a statement.

Currently, there is no codified process for redrawing the Council District lines. This is the first time the town would use a bipartisan commission to redraw its lines, a good-government method that will create a formal, fair, and equitable process. It will also ensure that the reapportionment will provide for an equal weight in vote for each council district, the town said.

Lesko’s proposed Bipartisan Redistricting Commission will be modeled after Suffolk County’s Commission. It will be comprised of eight members, including:

• Three democrats
• Three Republicans
• Two at-large members from the minor parties

Each major party must appoint at least one person from an established voter rights or civic organization and one person from an established minority organization.

The following will be prohibited from serving on the Commission:

• Anyone who has served as an elected official at any level since 2007
• Anyone who has held a party office above that of committee person since 2007
• Any relatives of current elected officials of the Town
• Anyone in a party leadership position

According to the town, if the Commission is established, its redistricting plan must be submitted to the Town by September 15, 2012. Commission members will analyze census statistics to determine if and how the lines should be redrawn to ensure that constituents have an equally proportional voice in town government.