KINGSTON – Following the release of the proposed congressional district maps drafted by the court-appointed special master, Assemblyman Kevin Cahill (D, Kingston) criticized the plan to place the City of Kingston into two separate districts.
Cahill submitted public comment to Justice Patrick McAllister of the 7th Judicial District regarding the division of the city.
Under the proposed plan, Uptown Kingston would be drawn into a district stretching from the Massachusetts border to the Finger Lakes, while Midtown and the Rondout would be included in the same district as New Paltz, Poughkeepsie and Newburgh.
“It is difficult to discern how our divided voice would not be drowned out by regional needs and concerns of residents of the Southern Tier and Central New York in the proposed 19th Congressional District, places with vastly different demographics, economic underpinnings and social concerns,” Cahill said.
The long-time state lawmaker said splitting the city “and then separating part of it from other nearby diverse municipalities such as Ellenville, Poughkeepsie and Newburgh will, in effect, dilute the voices of communities of color throughout the Hudson Valley in direct violation of the 2014 state constitutional amendment requiring districts to be mindful of disenfranchising minority populations and clearly represents a prohibited violation of federal voter and civil rights.”
Public comment regarding E2022-0116CV Harkenrider v. Hochul can be submitted to the court record by emailing Brenda Wise at bwise@nycourts.gov. Comments will be accepted until Friday, May 20, when Justice McAllister will be allowed to make changes to the map before finalization.
“The first step in adequate representation in Washington is having your voice heard in the court. I encourage every Kingston resident to share with the court how tearing our community in two will affect our families, friends, and neighbors,” Cahill said.
