Dear Lucas,
It's official! ReShapeNY , Citizens Union's nonpartisan statewide campaign to end partisan gerrymandering and bring redistricting reform to New York State, kicked off formally last Monday with dual press conferences in Albany and NYC.
A broad-based coalition of 30 civic organizations co-chaired by nine influential civic leaders , ReShapeNY joined Citizens Union in calling for the passage of legislation that would change the current rigged system of drawing lines where politicians choose their voters and replace it with a citizens redistricting commission. The commission would be independent, representative, politically balanced, and fairly chosen to draw congressional and legislative district lines that do not favor or oppose any incumbent, challenger, or political party. You can download our summary platform online.
Overwhelming support in the legislature already exists for this reform as 60 Senators and 121 Assemblymembers support independent redistricting.
The effort has been helped along by the strong commitment of Governor Cuomo who introduced his own very good bill and again pledged to veto any lines that are drawn directly by the legislature.
Though you may have read that the State Senate passed a proposed constitutional amendment also on Monday, the bill is a red herring because not only does it have bad elements, it also delays enactment until 2022. Redistricting reform is needed now in time for the 2012 elections.
Independent redistricting has been a top priority for Citizens Union for the past six years and its work, along with that of our partner, NY Uprising , led by former Mayor Ed Koch, has changed the discussion of this issue from "if" to "how".
Through ReShapeNY , the public - that's you - will press our elected officials to keep their promises on redistricting reform. Action alerts from ReShapeNY will let you know how and where to make your voice heard. Visit www.reshapeny.org for information and updates.
If you know a group who may want to help out or endorse the campaign, contact Alex Camarda at acamarda@citizensunion.org
Please also consider making an additional gift to Citizens Union to support ReShapeNY's efforts to end partisan gerrymandering.
Want to learn more? Join us tonight for a free panel discussion and screening of the documentary movie Gerrymandering :
Thursday, March 17th from 6:00 - 9:00 pm
Congregation Rodeph Shalom, the Schafler Room (7 West 83rd St between Central Park West and Columbus Ave)
Panelists: Senator Adriano Espaillat, Assemblymember Hakeem Jeffries, Rachael Fauss of
Citizens Union, Blair Horner of NYPIRG and Susan Lerner of Common Cause/NY
RSVP to 212-544-0173 or email eventsRSVP@adrianoespaillat.org
Sincerely,
Dick Dadey
Executive Director