NEW YORK, NY - Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch and Citizens Union
Executive Director Dick Dadey, fresh from a trip to the State Capitol
in Albany on Tuesday, are heralding today's news that at least 80 members of the Assembly -
Democrats and Republicans - are committed to supporting Governor Andrew
M. Cuomo's redistricting reform bill, introduced by Assembly
Speaker Sheldon Silver just two weeks ago. That's a clear, bipartisan
majority of the chamber's 150 members, with more expected to join.
Following through on a commitment he made to his members and to Mayor
Koch, Silver opened the bill (A5388) to any member of the Assembly
wishing to add his or her name as a co-sponsor. As of late yesterday,
71 members were listed as sponsors, according to the online legislative
tracking system. At least nine additional members earlier
informed New York Uprising and/or Citizens Union that they had
submitted the necessary paperwork to become a sponsor, or that they
intended to do so once the bill was opened up.
"This is
truly enormous," Mayor Koch said.
"The New York
State Assembly -
the People's House - stands ready to pass the most crucial reform
necessary for restoring function and credibility to our state's
government. I give enormous credit to Speaker Sheldon Silver, whose
ability I have long known and always had faith in. Praise also goes to
every Assembly Member - Democrat and Republican - who took this issue
on, in particular Hakeem Jeffries, and Mike Gianaris when he was in
that chamber."
"Today's
milestone is unprecedented and unexpected," Dadey added. "We have
achieved for the first time a level of bipartisan majority support in
the state assembly to enact real meaningful redistricting reform. Asssemblymembers
are honoring the campaign commitments they made to NY Uprising,
Citizens Union, and to their constituents. The leadership and support
provided by Governor Cuomo, Speaker Silver and Assembly Member Jeffries
in introducing a bill modeled on one first introduced by then Assembly
Member Gianaris has made it possible for all of us to see the coming
end of rigged partisan gerrymandering."
"The next
step is for the Assembly to vote on the legislation, and I urge them to
do so swiftly," Mayor Koch said.
Koch had earlier set a March 1 deadline for legislators who signed the
New York Uprising reform pledges to add their name to the bill as a
co-sponsor. On Tuesday, he visited the State Capitol, joined by Dick
Dadey of Citizens Union, to meet with leaders and stand with more than
55 legislators who supported the bill.
"Our
attention now turns to the Senate, where the group I once called 'the
party of reform' controls the Chamber," Mayor Koch said. "54 Senators, including every
single Republican, signed the New York Uprising pledges committing to
support a non-partisan, independent redistricting commission. Now is
their chance to show the public that they meant what they said, that
they put progress over partisanship, that they understand the extent to
which New Yorkers have lost faith in their government - and to pass the
Governor's bill. I urge Dean Skelos, the Majority Leader of the Senate,
to stand tall and do in his chamber what the Speaker has done in
his."
"Working
with a rising tsunami of growing support among Democratic and
Republican state legislators, New York Uprising and Citizens Union have
helped change the discussion of redistricting reform from 'if' to
'yes'," Dadey said.
"Attention has now turned to the State Senate and Majority Leader
Dean Skelos to also honor the collective commitment his conference made
to the voters of New York
to enact legislative redistricting reform for the 2012 elections.
Individually, many Senators are clamoring to honor their pledge, but
are being prevented from doing so. It is time for the majority of
Senators - both Republicans and Democrats - to be allowed to act on
their promise, and support and vote on the Governor's bill."
What follows is an Op-Ed written by Mayor Koch which is running in
today's New York Daily News,
addressing arguments from Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos regarding
the constitutionality of independent redistricting.
