Citing Flawed Process, Losquadro Will Vote Against New District Lines

An original redistricting map drawn up by a legislative task force originally had to the South Fork, but after , the lines were redrawn, as the task force .

While a contiguous North Shore district was what he, local politicians, and voters had called for, North Fork Assemblyman Dan Losquadro, R-Shoreham, said he still intends to vote against the proposal, railing against the process - which needs much more transparency, he said - with which the lines were drawn.

Losquadro said the process, ultimately controlled by the majority party in each respective legislative house, is "not good for democracy. It's not good for the residents of this state to have a process that does not serve their interests. It only serves the interests of those willing to protect themselves."

The assemblyman likened the process to another recent vote he cast a ballot against - voting for Board of Regents candidates. While he found them qualified for the job, "the process by which all three are elected is flawed."

He said that on the western end of his district, Coram stands to be split up between three Assembly Districts, and while he can get a good idea of where his district's proposed changes would be, no detailed maps have been distributed. The Riverhead/Southold district, currently the state's First District, would become the Second Assembly District under the new plans.

Losquadro pointed out that without attention and support from locals, Southold and Riverhead would have been split up in Assembly representation.

"If that message wasn't conveyed and the public wasn't able to make its voice heard, it never would have changed," he said. "The residents made very clear themselves that they did not want any part of being lumped in with the South Fork."

The Assembly is expected to vote on the new districts on Wednesday, and is expected to gain majority support.

Losquadro and minority members in each house have at least one advocate for changing the redistricting process - Gov. Andrew Cuomo. According to Losquadro, a constitutional amendment is expected to be voted on this week that would make the redistricting process more transparent.