ALBANY - Joseph Bruno, the state Senate's Republican majority leader, offered up a lot of applause for Eliot Spitzer's first State of the State message until the new Democratic governor got to the part about ending gerrymandering.
“I'm going to look at the film. I thought I was applauding at everything,” Bruno joked after the one-hour speech that included GOP-friendly calls for property tax cuts, an overhaul of the state's workers' compensation system and new economic development initiatives.
Not quite everything won Bruno's applause, and no wonder.
In fact, it is the skillful redrawing of state legislative district lines, required after each Census and now being eyed by Spitzer, that has contributed in large part to continued GOP control of the Senate in a state where there are more than 5 million enrolled Democratic voters and just 3 million Republicans.
The current system allows the Senate's Republican majority to come up with a plan for how its new district lines will look and the Assembly's Democratic majority draws up lines for that chamber. The two majorities then compromise on congressional district lines. When that is done, the two houses each approve the product and send it on to the governor, who generally shrugs and goes along.
No more shrugs, Spitzer said Wednesday.
“We will submit legislation that reforms our elections - specifically legislation that establishes an independent, nonpartisan redistricting commission,” the new governor declared. “Until this happens, I will veto any proposal that reflects partisan gerrymandering.”
Gerrymander is the term popularized in the wake of legislative lines approved in 1812 by Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry, including the creation of a district that looked something like a salamander. The concept is simple: Put enough of your party's voters in a district and few enough of the opposition party's voters so that your party has an advantage when the election rolls around.
The practice has been used very effectively in New York.
After the November elections, Republicans held 34 of the Senate's 62 seats and Democrats held 108 of the Assembly's 150 seats. Democrats have controlled the Assembly since 1974 while Republicans have ruled the Senate since 1965.
Bruno was quick to remind people after Spitzer's address that the next scheduled redrawing of district lines isn't something that's right around the corner.
“Redistricting is six years away, OK. You know what - that's a lifetime,” the Republican leader said. “That's another election (away) for this governor. That's three more elections for us. That's the least focus of any of our needs presently.”
“This governor is smart enough to prioritize and I would hope that we would prioritize that in two or three or four years,” Bruno added.
The message from Bruno was clear - the new governor should look elsewhere for early victories in his dealings with the Legislature.
Asked about the odds of the Senate approving Spitzer's legislation to create a nonpartisan redistricting commission, government reform activist Blair Horner said “the odds are dimmer than the odds for the Assembly Democrats approving it.”
Horner, who works for the New York Public Interest Research Group, also noted that the lead sponsor of such NYPIRG-backed legislation in the Senate, Nicholas Spano of Westchester County, was defeated in the November election - the only Republican to lose a Senate seat.
Nonetheless, Horner predicted the Senate GOP will eventually come around, especially if Spitzer wins a second term in 2010.
“At some point, enlightened self-interest will take over,” Horner said. “I believe both houses are going to ultimately decide it's better for them to come up with a new system than to have Spitzer veto their lines and have the courts draw the lines.”
Horner also said that having an independent commission drawing district lines wouldn't on its own necessarily mean a loss of Republican control in the Senate and might even prove helpful to the GOP in the long term if they did lose the chamber.
“If the Senate Republicans ever end up in the minority, they're going to be happy with an independent redistricting commission because otherwise the night of the long knives will take over,” Horner said. “Just ask (James) Tedisco.”
Tedisco is the leader of the remaining 42 Republicans in the state Assembly, where the GOP lost another three seats in November.
Not quite everything won Bruno's applause, and no wonder.
In fact, it is the skillful redrawing of state legislative district lines, required after each Census and now being eyed by Spitzer, that has contributed in large part to continued GOP control of the Senate in a state where there are more than 5 million enrolled Democratic voters and just 3 million Republicans.
The current system allows the Senate's Republican majority to come up with a plan for how its new district lines will look and the Assembly's Democratic majority draws up lines for that chamber. The two majorities then compromise on congressional district lines. When that is done, the two houses each approve the product and send it on to the governor, who generally shrugs and goes along.
No more shrugs, Spitzer said Wednesday.
“We will submit legislation that reforms our elections - specifically legislation that establishes an independent, nonpartisan redistricting commission,” the new governor declared. “Until this happens, I will veto any proposal that reflects partisan gerrymandering.”
Gerrymander is the term popularized in the wake of legislative lines approved in 1812 by Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry, including the creation of a district that looked something like a salamander. The concept is simple: Put enough of your party's voters in a district and few enough of the opposition party's voters so that your party has an advantage when the election rolls around.
The practice has been used very effectively in New York.
After the November elections, Republicans held 34 of the Senate's 62 seats and Democrats held 108 of the Assembly's 150 seats. Democrats have controlled the Assembly since 1974 while Republicans have ruled the Senate since 1965.
Bruno was quick to remind people after Spitzer's address that the next scheduled redrawing of district lines isn't something that's right around the corner.
“Redistricting is six years away, OK. You know what - that's a lifetime,” the Republican leader said. “That's another election (away) for this governor. That's three more elections for us. That's the least focus of any of our needs presently.”
“This governor is smart enough to prioritize and I would hope that we would prioritize that in two or three or four years,” Bruno added.
The message from Bruno was clear - the new governor should look elsewhere for early victories in his dealings with the Legislature.
Asked about the odds of the Senate approving Spitzer's legislation to create a nonpartisan redistricting commission, government reform activist Blair Horner said “the odds are dimmer than the odds for the Assembly Democrats approving it.”
Horner, who works for the New York Public Interest Research Group, also noted that the lead sponsor of such NYPIRG-backed legislation in the Senate, Nicholas Spano of Westchester County, was defeated in the November election - the only Republican to lose a Senate seat.
Nonetheless, Horner predicted the Senate GOP will eventually come around, especially if Spitzer wins a second term in 2010.
“At some point, enlightened self-interest will take over,” Horner said. “I believe both houses are going to ultimately decide it's better for them to come up with a new system than to have Spitzer veto their lines and have the courts draw the lines.”
Horner also said that having an independent commission drawing district lines wouldn't on its own necessarily mean a loss of Republican control in the Senate and might even prove helpful to the GOP in the long term if they did lose the chamber.
“If the Senate Republicans ever end up in the minority, they're going to be happy with an independent redistricting commission because otherwise the night of the long knives will take over,” Horner said. “Just ask (James) Tedisco.”
Tedisco is the leader of the remaining 42 Republicans in the state Assembly, where the GOP lost another three seats in November.
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