Here We Go Again, NY State Redistricting Commission Draft Assembly Map Moves Roosevelt Island From Manhattan To Queens - Will Final Redistricting Assembly Map Restore Roosevelt Island To Manhattan As Was Done For State Senate And NYC Council?

Here we go again. Looks like @NYS_IRC moved Roosevelt Island into a Queens Assembly District in draft map. @SeawrightForNY https://t.co/3EhDSfSxh3

— Roosevelt Islander (@Rooseveltisland) December 1, 2022

According to the NY State Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) draft Assembly map released Thursday December 1, Roosevelt Island and portions of the Upper East Side will be moved from Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright's Manhattan 76 Assembly District

See the full map at https://newyork.redistrictingandyou.org  

to the mostly Queens 36th Assembly District currently represented by Zohran Mamdani.

See the full map at https://newyork.redistrictingandyou.org

City & State New York reports:

... As it stands, Assembly districts don’t span the East River to join Queens and Manhattan. But the new proposed District 36 would bundle into one seat the Upper East Side of Manhattan, Roosevelt Island and the Long Island City and Astoria waterfronts in Queens....

Patch Upper East Side adds that the IRC's draft map:

... calls for the 36th Assembly District — now based in Astoria and represented by Democrat Zohran Mamdani — to shift westward, taking over Roosevelt Island and roughly 60 blocks between East 42nd and 61st streets, east of Second Avenue...

As previously reported, the draft redistricting plans released earlier this year for the NY State Senate and NYC Council both removed Roosevelt Island from its traditional Manhattan districts but were restored in the final maps after strong community protests by Roosevelt Island residents and elected officials.

Roosevelt Island resident Joyce Short was a leader in the successful organizing efforts to keep Roosevelt Island in the traditional Manhattan State Senate and City Council Districts. Ms Short is getting ready to organize against the draft Assembly map removing Roosevelt Island from the rest of Manhattan. According to Ms Short:

Hearings on the issues will run from January 9th to March 4th. We'll need to organize our efforts and speak with a clear voice based on reasonable concerns. I'll be putting something together shortly so folks can pick and chose what they'd like to focus on. If you have something we should include on that list, please let me know.

Here's more on the NY State redistricting maps. 

Stay tune for more.

UPDATE 12/6 - According to Roosevelt Island's NY State Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright:

Commissioners on New York's redistricting panel voted Thursday to advance a new proposed map for state Assembly legislative boundaries. I am very disappointed to see that the proposal for our AD76 would eliminate Roosevelt Island and redistrict it to a Queens Assembly District. I am committed to fighting alongside constituents to keep Roosevelt Island where it belongs.

Roosevelt Islanders were so powerful in their testimony during the New York City Council districting process, I believe together we can make an unequivocally strong argument to keep Manhattan's Roosevelt Island with our Manhattan Assembly District 76. The process for state redistricting requires rigorous scrutiny, consistent with a process that ensures fairness, provides a platform for all voices, and carefully reviews all options.

The next steps are a series of public hearings around the State. The hearing in Manhattan will be on February 7, 2023 at the Hunter College Kaye Playhouse. I urge all concerned to share their views by testifying in person or submitting comments to the Commission directly at www.nyirc.gov/participate.