Three versions later, the redrawn City Council district maps appear all but completed.
There was no need for a formal vote, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said Thursday.
“We only need a resolution if we reject the maps,” she told reporters. “We’re not passing a resolution because a majority of council members have supported moving forward with the current maps as is.”
What You Need To Know
- The City Council did not take an official vote because a resolution is only necessary if a majority rejects the maps
- The most recent version of the maps include an Asian American majority district
- Not everyone is happy about the effective passage, including a Council Member whose district is split in five
- Districting Commission members' signatures are needed before maps go to the city clerk
She did issue a formal letter.
Addressed to city Districting Commission chair Dennis Walcott, it indicated that the chaotic months-long process of creating new council district boundaries is nearly over.
“The Council accepts the Plan without objection, noting that it was passed by 13 members of the Commission after extensive deliberation over legal considerations,” Adams wrote.
A preliminary plan was introduced in July.
A revision was released in September, but then in a surprise vote it was rejected by a slim majority of the commission.
The most recent version came out earlier this month.
“The difference between the initial maps and the final results from the commission — or what appears to be the final results from the commission — were a very, very big, very, very big difference,” Adams told reporters.
Staten Island is no longer entirely contained in three districts.
And District 43 in Brooklyn was drawn to capture an Asian American majority.
But that move meant City Council Member Ari Kagan’s current District 47 will be split in five.
“Of course, I’m outraged, I’m pissed, I’m angry. I believe that in a democratic society, people should have a say,” he told NY1.
The Districting Commission held a dozen public hearings.
Kagan said he believes its members, appointed by Mayor Eric Adams and the council’s majority and minority caucuses, could reject what the council has sent back to them.
“Officially, it’s an independent commission,” he said. “The commission could come back and make changes if the commission feels it’s absurd.”
Commission spokesperson Eddie Borges said Thursday that the notarized signatures of the 15 members were being collected so the maps could go to the city clerk for certification.
And he confirmed a previously scheduled public commission meeting will still take place next Tuesday.