Town Democrats Fighting New District Map

Story by Matthew Hogan

Town Democrats are fighting the new district map approved by the Hempstead Town Board at its April 9 meeting, claiming that the map has disenfranchised Hispanic and African American voters.

According to Democrats, the two board voted on a map that create the new councilmatic district lines and ignored the Fair District Map Proposal, a map that created a second minority majority district.

Democrats say they have asked the U.S. District Court to appoint a special master to draw district lines that are "consistent with the requirements of the United States Constitution and the Voting Rights Act."

However, town spokesman Mike Deery said the town board has already met those requirements.

"The Hempstead Town Board supported the redistricting proposal in a bipartisan manner," Deery said. "The new district lines meet all legal requirements of the Constitution of the United States, the State of New York Constitution and the Federal Voting Rights Act."

Still, Democrats argue that the town deliberately diluted "the growing voting power of African-American and Hispanic-American voters."

"[The board has] intentionally cracked open minority neighborhoods and packed those minority residents into majority voting districts," said former town supervisor nominee Gary Port.

Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby, who oversees the largely minority First Councilmatic District in the Town of Hempstead, said that she does not see a problem with the new map.

“I am happy with the new redistricting plan, and the lines as drawn serve the needs of my district," Goosby said. "That’s why I voted for it.”

The First Councilmatic District of the Town of Hempstead includes Hempstead, Lakeview, Roosevelt and Uniondale, as well as portions of Baldwin, Freeport, Garden City, Lynbrook, Rockville Centre, West Hempstead and Westbury.