Noam Bramson professes to be shocked that Albany Republicans created a State Senate district intended to benefit one of their candidates and tip the state legislature further in their favor.
Overall the New Rochelle Mayor has little good to say about recent political redistricting except his own. While offering only minor criticism of the new State Assembly districts, Bramson takes issue with the Congressional districts He saves his real fury for Suzi Oppenheimer’s State Senate district.
Bramson find that the new State Senate lines “make a mockery of any good-government redistricting standard” because they are designed to make the 37th Senate District more competitive for Bob Cohen.
Really?
Has the Mayor taken a good look at his own plan for New Rochelle?
The Mayor, as is tradition in New Rochelle, went house by house, street by street, with his political team, creating districts designed, first and foremost to reclaim District 4 for the Democrats and give his party a 5-2 supermajority on Council so that he could borrow money at will without interference from Republicans. In the north end, District 6 winds its way north and east, wrapped around District 5, in order to once again give the north end of New Rochelle the ability to control two council seats rather than the one seat they would be entitled to based on population. The largest concentration of Republicans is placed in one district, District 2 with the effect of giving the Democrats a significant edge in the other district.
And this is news, how?
Newsflash to Noam: It has always been this way. To the winner goes the spoils.
Of course, Noam does not much like the new lines for Congressional districts which have left him a man without a district for all intensive purposes.
…the court-imposed plan assigns little weight to historic patterns of representation. As a consequence, about 700,000 people in Westchester and Rockland — a majority of these two counties — were shifted into new congressional districts. New Rochelle has been represented by Congresswoman Nita Lowey for 24 years. We will now be represented by Congressman Eliot Engel within a district that crosses the Bronx-Westchester border. My characterization of this arrangement as “bad” is not a judgment on Congressman Engel, with whom I look forward to working, but rather reflects my feelings about losing Nita Lowey. She has been a terrific advocate (with whom, full disclosure, I have had a long professional relationship), and it’s a shame that the judicial map unnecessarily severs the connection that hundreds of thousands of residents have formed with their U.S. Representative.
Ain’t Karma a bitch?
Not Exactly True
Governor Cuomo had an iron grip on the redistricting and a Justice assigned to redraw district lines after a first draft fiasco, drew essentially what you see now with very little complaints on either side of the aisle.
Actually she did an admirable job — if she did not, Nita and Suzi would have made quite a stink and they didn’t. In fact, Nita expressed a certain youthful glee at being able to work in a new district and make an impact. She mentioned that she has a very strong working relationship with Engel and, if you want to read about legislative consistency, she is correct.
Suzi survived by a very narrow margin last time around and Bob Cohen will be a beast to beat coming up. George, who is a friend, is in for a tussle and I advised him to stay in his current seat. Like him or not, he runs against a strong opponent who I really like. I probably will walk away from this particular one.
Noam is wrong on the facts as well as on the reason he would make the claim that he has made. Cox has it right I think. There is very little room for him and my sources have shared with me that he has not done himself a bit of good by not working against the political grain and clean up the New Rochelle house. You do not build an extension on your home, go into debt by doing so, and simultaneously, find yourself with a roof needing major repair, a driveway whose term of depreciation has passed, and a boiler currently using no. 6 fuel oil.
He has a future and a career but only if he makes major, major changes in his personal style, outlook and decision making skill. I hope he does as he has great potential and maybe Nita can talk some sense into him.
I admire Cohen for moving to New Rochelle. He could have chosen a more amenable location, but he is willing to beard the 6:1 lion in his den (registered voters democrat vs. republican). When the campaign begins he might very well take a novel approach by looking a cities within a district view as well as simply ideological or typical electoral views. I hope the people who can think in the GOP get to him on this score….. Jim M. are you and S. Marcotte listening?
I remember a few years back when a young African American candidate, literally unknown to anyone in the district he was running in, came to town, occupied a room and took campaign photos with Noam and others. Never saw such ebullience in Noam’s body language and face; rumor has it he was hand-picked to come into the race and squeaked in under the Charter/Code time frame.
Maybe someone has that picture on hand. If nothing else, it pissed off Lopez who never got a similar photo op and who subsequently lost by 11 or so votes to our departed friend, Richard St Paul who also had occupany issues. Maybe both parties reached a rapprochment.
So, it is a little late to talk about “fairness” in redistricting or even in residency during a campaign. It is a typical bit of dirty business both parties share.
Concentrate on Harvard Political Philosopher Michael Sandel who can show anyone interested what the years will now require for governance especially if the Mayans give us leave.
And, a major part is in what the Community will be willing to bear in the market place. Again, I say Community…. even the dinosaurs who advise the administration have to sit up and take notice. It really comes down to my earlier example… let me put in 2012 City terms. “Unless we are occupied by idle idiots, no responsible voter will cast his ballot or give his approval for an echo bay, a new bond issue for moving the DPW yard, or a new Albanese apartment complex, if the business district is in dire disrepair, past investments such as Avalon need major attention based on becoming dormitories and Section 8 occupancies, crime is increasing which deters citizens and visitors from spending time in the few available points of entertainment and interest and so much more.
You need to fix the roof, convert the soon to be illegal number 6 oil over to a new boiler set-up, and repave as the depreciation schedule strongly urges under standard accounting principles.
But then again, maybe the occupants of the 6:1 majority don’t give a damn or plan to move at their earliest convenience.
Latimer picked the unions over the people
Nice write up Warren. Latimer didn’t like the senate lines at all. In fact after the vote finalizing them he was so upset he split and didn’t stick around for the pension reform vote. Just up and walked out.
What’s that say to the public? My read is he didn’t want to go against his union supporters (and there are many especially in government) so rather than alienate them, he left and just didn’t vote so he decided to pick the unions over the people. How very convenient.
Latimer & Bramson two peas in a pod
While George is a likable guy, he is a coward when it counts. Offering two bills, one to renew and one to eliminate the New Rochelle Tax-Cap, submitting legislation in the dead of night to give the NR Armory to Bramson and finally ducking, or should I say running from the tier 6 pension reform. George was elected to represent us, especially in the tough decision and George chose unions over taxpayers and I hope the electorate has a good memory when they pull the level for BOB COHEN in November.
As far as Bramson & redistricting are concerned. Noam supported redistricting that disenfranchised African Americans in NR. Noam also supported the revised redistricting plan that DID NOT return the African American representation to pre-redistricting levels as ordered by Judge Briant. The latest redistricting was manipulated by Noam to ensure a 5-2 super majority to payback Forest City for campaign contributions made to Bramson and to bond $20 million to move the city yard to Beechwood Avenue.
Both Latimer & Bramson are two peas in a pod and when combined there is not one backbone between them.