KINGSTON -– A group of Ulster County Democratic voters Wednesday filed a lawsuit in State Supreme Court to force the Ulster County Commission on Reapportionment (COR) to comply with an October 2021 state law that set a legal standard of five percent difference between the mean population of the largest and smallest county legislative districts.
The Ulster County Legislative redistricting map, officially adopted by the COR on July 13, 2022, does not comply with the five percent standard set by state law, the resident plaintiffs maintain.
Recently, the COR was notified by the Ulster County Attorney that their map was out of compliance with the law and recommended that the COR reconvene and fix their errors.
However, the COR has not corrected the map and, in an October 18, 2022 letter to the Kingston Daily Freeman, COR chair Regis Obijiski stated: “Ulster County Reapportionment Commission that created the new map has no intention of going back and fixing their mistake…without a court order.” The commission made this decision without holding a public meeting, as required by law, the plaintiffs maintain.
In the civil complaint, community members argue that the COR’s map must be corrected. Failing that, the 23 county legislative districts it defines would stand until 2033 without meeting the standard of the October 2021 law designed to make redistricting fairer and less partisan.
The complaint also alleges that the map submitted by the COR divides the Ulster County municipalities of Gardiner, Lloyd, Plattekill, Town of Ulster and Shawangunk into multiple legislative districts, while the law prioritizes keeping municipal districts whole whenever possible.
“Since it was discovered that the map is legally defective about two months ago, I have argued that COR should reconvene and draw a new map that complies with the law,” said County Legislature Chair Tracey Bartels. “It is ridiculous that it should take a lawsuit by private individuals to get a public commission to fix the illegal issues.”
