Oneida County Board Of Legislators Chairman Chooses 6-Member Redistricting Committee
By: Rachel Polansky
Updated: December 5, 2012
After months of debate among elected officials and community members,
voters approved the decision to reduce the Oneida County legislature
from 29 members to 23. The next step? Which legislators get cut and how
do the lines of legislative coverage get re-drawn?
The chairman has chosen a 6-member committee that will represent the board. The members will create new districts for Oneida County based on census numbers and demographics. But not everyone on the board is happy with this plan.
"I objected to the formation of that committee because of the content of that committee," says Frank Tallarino, Democratic minority leader.
Tallarino is referring to the 6-member committee that consists of 4 Republicans and 2 Democrats.
"The composition of the board does not reflect 2 to 1. I would've hoped the committee would have followed what the normal committees follow. The chairman didn't do that," says Tallarino.
But George Joseph, who is the board's Republican majority leader, and serving as committee chairman, argues Tallarino's claims.
"The chairman represented the county as a whole in choosing his board members. He's got 1 from each city, and 4 from the towns," says George Joseph, Republican majority leader.
"In 1990 it was 4 and 2, 2002 it was 4 and 2, and now 2012 its gonna be 4 and 2, yes it is fair. It's the majority of the board. If you look at the numbers, if you look at the people on the committee, they're very fine legislators and will do a good job for this community," says Gerald Fiorini, chairman of Oneida County Board of Legislators.
Fiorini says it's not about Democratic or Republican. He says each part of the county will be fairly represented.
"Every legislator who is on that committee represents a certain part of Oneida County so every part of this county is represented by at least one legislator," says Fiorini.
And Joseph says his main focus is giving county residents their proper representation.
"It's gonna be about the numbers, the census numbers, we're gonna look at the effiency of consolidating districts in way that makes the most sense," says Joseph.
The first committee meeting will be next Wednesday December 12th. And Joseph says he hopes the committee will have its recommendations completed by April.
The chairman has chosen a 6-member committee that will represent the board. The members will create new districts for Oneida County based on census numbers and demographics. But not everyone on the board is happy with this plan.
"I objected to the formation of that committee because of the content of that committee," says Frank Tallarino, Democratic minority leader.
Tallarino is referring to the 6-member committee that consists of 4 Republicans and 2 Democrats.
"The composition of the board does not reflect 2 to 1. I would've hoped the committee would have followed what the normal committees follow. The chairman didn't do that," says Tallarino.
But George Joseph, who is the board's Republican majority leader, and serving as committee chairman, argues Tallarino's claims.
"The chairman represented the county as a whole in choosing his board members. He's got 1 from each city, and 4 from the towns," says George Joseph, Republican majority leader.
"In 1990 it was 4 and 2, 2002 it was 4 and 2, and now 2012 its gonna be 4 and 2, yes it is fair. It's the majority of the board. If you look at the numbers, if you look at the people on the committee, they're very fine legislators and will do a good job for this community," says Gerald Fiorini, chairman of Oneida County Board of Legislators.
Fiorini says it's not about Democratic or Republican. He says each part of the county will be fairly represented.
"Every legislator who is on that committee represents a certain part of Oneida County so every part of this county is represented by at least one legislator," says Fiorini.
And Joseph says his main focus is giving county residents their proper representation.
"It's gonna be about the numbers, the census numbers, we're gonna look at the effiency of consolidating districts in way that makes the most sense," says Joseph.
The first committee meeting will be next Wednesday December 12th. And Joseph says he hopes the committee will have its recommendations completed by April.
