New Maps Restore Original Boundaries
By Matthew Fischetti
mfischetti@queensledger.com
Greenpoint is no longer on the chopping block!
On Monday, Gov. Kathy Hochul approved the “newly” redrawn lines for the state assembly, which in large part represent the same boundaries.
As the Greenpoint Star has previously reported, the Independent Redistricting Committee had proposed lines back in February that would have split Assembly District 50 in half along McGuinness Boulevard. Nearly a dozen Greenpoint residents showed up to a redistricting town hall, vehemently opposed to the IRC’s proposed lines, saying that the bifurcation of the district would dilute their representation for critical community issues.
Now the current boundaries practically mirror the original district, besides two blocks (Division Place and Beadel Street along Porter Avenue.)
“Greenpointers spoke up and New York’s Independent Redistricting Commission listened! With final approval by the legislature on April 24, it’s now official: Greenpoint will remain whole and in one Assembly District, as it should be and has been for decades,” Assemblywoman Gallagher said in a statement to the Greenpoint Star. “This simply would not have happened without the hundreds of residents and organizations who submitted testimony or attended a hearing. Once the Redistricting Commissioners were able to hear about our history, our shared problems and vision for the future, they couldn’t not be persuaded. I am so excited and honored to continue representing every single Greenpointer.”
