STATEMENT BY DICK DADEY

CITIZENS UNION DECRIES STATE BUDGET EXTENSION of
CURRENT SYSTEM of GERRYMANDERING

Calls on State Legislature to Enact Redistricting Reform in Time for 2012 Elections

Independent Commission Necessary to Remove Conflict of Interest When Legislators Draw their Own District Lines

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Citizens Union is disappointed that the state budget agreement as amended today extends the current system of drawing partisan gerrymandered lines for legislative districts through 2012. This would have been the first opportunity for the entire state legislature to show that it is serious about redistricting reform. Instead of funding and extending the work of the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment (also known as LATFOR) in the General Government and Public Protection bill, S.2807-C/A.4007-C, it should be enacting legislation to create an independent redistricting commission and providing funding for that nonpartisan effort.

LATFOR is controlled by legislators, who directly appoint its members and are themselves members of the commission, and is still currently responsible for drawing the new district lines for the 2012 elections. This is unacceptable given the public clamor for a more independent process. The budget legislation will likely be voted on today as part of the legislature's efforts to pass the budget on time before the April 1 deadline.

What is also hard to fathom is that an overwhelming number of legislators made campaign pledges - a majority of members in both houses - to create an independent redistricting commission in time for the 2012 elections, and a growing number of legislators support either Governor Cuomo's redistricting reform legislation to create an independent commission, or other reform legislation introduced by Senator Michael Gianaris, Senator David Valesky, and Assemblymember Hakeem Jeffries. In the Assembly, Governor Cuomo's bill now has the support of a majority of members. By extending LATFOR in the state budget, legislators will be voting to continue the current system rather than enacting these important reform measures.

Citizens Union calls on the legislature to keep their campaign promises and create an independent redistricting commission before the end of session. Legislators must keep their commitments by enacting redistricting reform this year to put in place an independent commission to draw lines for 2012, because New Yorkers deserve better than empty or broken promises for reform. With the passage of a budget that provides funding for LATFOR, the issue of redistricting reform is far from over, and in fact, the real battle is just now beginning.