REDISTRICTING HEARING COMES TO ROCHESTER; LATFOR GETS AN EARFUL

Rochester, N.Y. -- A proposed redrawing of New York State’s political districts came under intense criticism this past week, as civil rights leaders said the maps did not fairly represent blacks, Hispanics and the LGBT community in an increasingly diverse state. Some Democrats have even gone as far as saying they would file a lawsuit asking a judge to intervene.

The proposed State Senate and State Assembly maps, released last week, are being disputed by several good-government groups, newspaper editorial boards and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who called into an Albany television program on Monday to declare the proposal “hyperpartisan,” and vowed to veto it.

Locally, Rochester resident Ove Overmyer testified before the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research andReapportionment (LATFOR) commission Wednesday morning in council chambers of the Monroe County Legislature. You can read a transcript of his testimony below.

The critics say that many of the proposed legislative districts seem to have been drawn to protect the interests of incumbents, and that the Legislature has not yet proposed a new map of Congressional districts, even though a judge has ordered that the primary elections for House races be held in June instead of September.

But among the strongest objections are those being raised by groups representing minority voters, who had hoped that the decennial redistricting would give them fair and equal representation.

One thing is for sure, the battle to draw the district lines with fairness and equality has just begun.

Below is the LATFOR testimony of Mr. Overmyer.

Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment

Redistricting Hearing
Monroe County Office Building
Monroe County Legislative Chambers, rm. 406
February 15, 2012

Testimony of: Ove Overmyer

Ove Overmyer

Thank you for allowing me to testify today. My name is Ove Overmyer. I am employed as a librarian with The City of Rochester. In the interest of full disclosure-- I am also an elected officer of the Civil Service Employees Association, New York’s largest public employee union. I am president of the City of Rochester Library Workers, Monroe County Local 828 Unit 7420.

Among many other responsibilities, I am also a writer and photographer for The Empty Closet, New York State’s oldest continually published LGBT newspaper with a print subscription of over 10,000 readers. I’m also a caregiver of three teenage boys who attend the Rochester City School District.

But I’m not here today to talk to you about a union agenda, media concerns or parental responsibilities—I’m here representing myself as a constituent who cares deeply about his family and community, and as a person who cares about advancing policies that allows citizens to fully participate in the democratic process.

I live on a small residential street called Canfield Place in the city—it’s a very quiet one way dead end street near the East End and Monroe Ave areas. The houses on my street were built at the turn of the 20th Century—almost all of them are owner occupied homes. I have been residing there for 6 years-- I previously rented an apartment on East Main Street near the Auditorium Theatre. I moved to Rochester in 1996 after living twenty years on Long Island and New York City.

When I moved here, I was looking for a neighborhood that was culturally rich and diverse. As a labor and LGBT activist, I was also looking for volunteer opportunities and found my way to the east side of the city, donating many hours at the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley which is now located in the Auditorium Theatre in the Neighborhood of the Arts.

As you may know, this part of Rochester, the east, southeast and Southwedge part of the city, is a contiguous community of interest if there ever was one. The new Assembly district maps for The City of Rochester, specifically the newly redesigned 137 and 138 Districts, represent the ultimate partisan gerrymandered districts people just love to hate for obvious reasons to all who live here.

In an article written Feb. 7, 2012 in the Wall Street Journal, The Senate's Republican majority was quoted as saying the proposed lines comply with all voting rights acts and protect the voices of minority voters. I would argue when it comes to the Senate and Assembly Districts covering the Rochester area and its gay residents, nothing could be further from the truth.

Presently, I reside in the 131st District and we presently have a contained community of interest. The new district maps have now been butchered into objectionable puzzle pieces of some unknown value and quantity. The City of Rochester is also divided into three senate districts, which makes even less sense.

I would like to submit for the record, according to the US Census, The City of Rochester has the fourth highest number of self-identified gay households in New York State. The 14607 area zip code, basically the contiguous neighborhoods I’m referring to, is the sixth gayest zip code in New York State—including all five boroughs of New York City and Yonkers.

If communities of interest are drawn to reflect the social, cultural, racial, ethnic, and economic interest’s common to the population of the area-- we must reconsider redrawing these lines on the east side of The City of Rochester.

If you want to help build our city and help our small businesses grow, please keep in mind when you review your plan that our community of interest is a local population that already has common social and economic interests that benefit from the unified political representation provided by inclusion within a single political district—which now happens to be the 131st District.

I know many area residents who identify as gay or lesbian who chose to buy a house in the East End, Neighborhood of the Arts, or Monroe Avenue area because of its rich diversity and because it was populated by many gay friendly businesses.

I submit to you that the proposed Districts 137 and 138 deeply divide our neighborhoods with similar identity, racial and economic characteristics.

To be even more direct, I was deeply disappointed when I first saw these redrawn districts. I feel as if the rug has been pulled out from underneath me. You took me and my neighbors, many of them self-identified same-sex households on Lafayette Park, Gardiner Street and Buena Vista Place and put us in a district that could in essence, might as well be half way around the world. We have very little in common with downtown or North east residents— if you take a look at the City of Rochester road map, you can clearly see a gargantuan barrier moat called the Inner Loop which divides us like oil and water.

Please believe me when I tell you I know my community— I have worked and volunteered in every corner of this city and know our Rochester residents and communities of interest very well.

I implore you to keep my neighborhood intact. It makes more sense to assemble the Northwest part of the City together and keep the South, Southeast, Southwedge part of the city together.

I would also add that I recommend that LATFOR undergo substantial revision for proposed Assembly Districts 137 and 138.

I also believe that district lines should be fairly drawn pursuant to a set of clear criteria and be executed in a non-political manner.

If we value traditional redistricting factors, like contiguity, identity, compactness and respect for county, city, town, village, and school district lines whenever possible, we have failed miserably at our first attempt to redistrict.

I also recommend we establish a permanent Independent Redistricting Commission to redraw boundaries for congressional and state legislative districts.

In conclusion, I see redistricting in New York as a system that has prioritized incumbency and partisan interests over democratic representation. This process needs to be about the people and not the politics. To help restore faith in our State government, we need to reform the system.

By considering my suggestions and recommendations, I would argue that this process would take a giant leap forward toward greater independence, transparency, and a commitment to fair representation and equality.

Respectfully Submitted,

Ove Overmyer
Rochester, N.Y. 14607