Hakeem Jeffries: Unite the Hill
Posted on 25. Aug, 2010 by Jim Flood in All Politics is Local
Hakeem Jeffries
Fort Greene, Clinton Hill and Wallabout are currently served by one community board, one police precinct and one school district. Fort Greene, Clinton Hill and Wallabout are represented primarily by one City Council member, one State Senator and one Congressman. But when it comes to the New York State Assembly, a jagged line separates the majority of the neighborhood, represented by Hakeem Jeffries (D-57th), from a segment to the north that falls into the district of Joseph Lentol (D-50th).
Assemblyman Jeffries wants to bring the neighborhood together.
Once the 2010 Census is complete, New York’s Assembly, State Senate and Congressional districts will have to be redrawn to reflect shifts in population. Jeffries hopes that one outcome will be a unification of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill in the district he represents.
Traditionally, redistricting is a backroom political process that revolves around gerrymandering (link), or drawing the district lines in such a way that the majority party either maintains or increases its hold on power.
Groups that advocate for government reform, such as the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) and New York Uprising, an organization founded by former New York City mayor Ed Koch, are pushing for a nonpartisan redistricting process. While the Democratic leadership in the legislature has thus far not shown any eagerness to change the current system, Jeffries has co-sponsored a bill that would create an independent, nonpartisan commission to oversee the process of redrawing the state’s political lines.
Redistricting is a personal issue for Assemblyman Jeffries, who was featured in a new documentary film entitled “Gerrymandering”, regarding his own experience of being cut out from the 57th Assembly District lines after the 2000 Census.
Assemblyman Jeffries recently sat for an interview to explain his rationale for bringing all of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill together in the 57th district.
Can you think of some specific examples of problems that have been caused by this division of Clinton Hill between two Assembly districts?
Absolutely. The Clinton Hill Co-ops, which has been in the neighborhood for years, has two different sets of buildings. One set of buildings, which is located on Clinton between Greene and Lafayette, is within the Assembly district that I serve. The other set of buildings fall within the Assembly district served by Joe Lentol.
During my first term in office I was actively involved in an effort to obtain refunds for residents of the Co-ops who were clearly being overcharged for their electricity as a result of a glitch in the newly installed submeters. Even though I didn’t represent individuals in the north complex, I found myself ultimately involved in advocating on their behalf as well, because it was the same set of concerns. However, I was restricted in the outreach I could conduct in my governmental capacity, because resources can only be directed at individuals whom you actually represent.
So for instance, when I called a town hall meeting to discuss the problems that residents were having, I could only mail to the individuals who lived within the district that I represent, and had to rely upon word-of-mouth communication for the other residents in the north complex to participate. If and when they showed up, we were able to help them resolve some of the problems they were confronting.
Similarly, we engaged in a campaign to save the G train when it was facing budgetary cuts that would have effectively eliminated the ability for it to provide adequate service to members of the Clinton Hill community. We conducted a “Save the G Train” rally and town hall meeting, but again I was limited in the outreach I could conduct to individuals that I represented. Other members of the Clinton Hill community did attend and participate, but not to the degree that they otherwise might have if I were able to engage them in the struggle to save the G train.
At the end of the day, whether you live in the Assembly district I represent or in the Assembly district that Joe Lentol represents, all Clinton Hill residents rely on the G train to get to and from work and to other destinations. All of those residents should be able to petition the same Assembly member to work on their behalf.
How would this redrawing of the district be achieved?
I am strongly advocating for a nonpartisan redistricting commission that would take the process of drawing political lines out of the hands of the Legislature and into the hands of unaffiliated citizens, who might then be able to draw lines based on communities of interest, and not incumbent protection. I should add, the “communities of interest” standard would take into account whether there are clearly defined geographic boundaries attendant to a neighborhood and characteristics that are shared in common, such as police protection, community board, means of mass transportation, fire and school district.
How many of your Assembly and Senate colleagues are advocating for nonpartisan redistricting?
The Nonpartisan Redistricting Commission bill that has been introduced in the Assembly, which I co-sponsor, does have substantial support, but the leadership of the Assembly has not decided whether that is the method that should be employed in connection with the drawing of political lines. It’s also important to note that the Senate version of the bill was recently passed out of committee, and Senate Democratic Leader John Sampson said that he would permit the bill to come to the floor of the Senate for a full vote by that body. That represents substantial progress, and helps create momentum for us to push that legislation forward in the Assembly.
Do you have an idea of a part of your district that should be cut out to balance out the addition of the remainder of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill?
I think that to the extent possible, it’s important to have lines that represent actual neighborhood boundaries. Under that standard, a natural boundary at the northern end of the district would be Flushing Avenue, and a natural boundary at the southern end of the district would be Empire Boulevard. Similarly, a natural boundary at the west end of the district would be Flatbush Avenue, and a natural boundary on the east would be Nostrand. Using those streets as the boundaries for a contiguous assembly district, all of the Hill would be within the district I currently represent.
There are a few election districts west of Flatbush Avenue that fall within Park Slope, that would seem more appropriate to be in the Assembly district that’s currently represented by Joan Millman, and there are a few election districts that are south of Empire Boulevard that might naturally fit within another district, though those are people I work closely with and have fought hard for and would be reluctant to lose in terms of representation.
Since this district and the entire surrounding area is safely Democratic, does that gives you a better chance of being able to achieve this change?
The absence of a partisan implication in how lines are drawn in Brownstone Brooklyn, given the overwhelmingly Democratic registration, does provide an opportunity to draw political lines based on communities of interest that otherwise might not exist if the establishment were concerned about the possibility of making a district more Republican.
What effect do you think outside pressure will have on the chances for an independent redistricting commission?
The recent gerrymandering documentary as well as the campaign that has been launched by former mayor Ed Koch and good-government groups is increasing public awareness about the importance of this issue. I also believe that the dysfunction that we see on display right now in our state government helps to heighten awareness among the public about the need for a change. That heightened awareness gives us an opportunity to fight hard for a more nonpartisan way of drawing political lines, which ultimately should benefit the Fort Greene, Clinton Hill and Wallabout community.
