by Jerry Burke
With Seuss' birthday falling on Saturday, March 2, the timing couldn't be more perfect. Unfortunately for Alfano and many of his constituents in the 22nd Assembly District, his literary selection, a story about a nonsensical unwanted visitor reeking havoc on a peaceful home, may have been a little too perfect considering recent events.
A joint legislative task force on redistricting released its proposed map of the state last month, which redraws Senate and Assembly districts based on 2000 census figures. Many of those residing in Alfano's district, including the Assemblyman himself, were shocked to find the 22nd District, which has remained relatively intact for over 30 years, gone from Nassau County map entirely.
"This is why people hate politics," said Alfano, who has vowed to fight in order to keep his old district as intact as possible. "I've been here seven years. People know me, and I know the people here. We've come to far to give up now."
Under the proposal, Alfano would run this November in the proposed 14th Assembly District, an "L" shaped area encompassing North Valley Stream and Village of Valley Stream, as well as parts of Elmont, Hewlett, Lynbrook, East Rockaway, Rockville Centre, Oceanside, Baldwin and Freeport.
The end result: according to Alfano's office, the incumbent assemblyman would keep only 15 percent of his former district, including North Valley Stream and western Elmont.
A majority of Alfano's current district would shift into the proposed 21st Assembly District, a seat which is currently held by Republican Bob Barra. The 21st District would encompass Franklin Square, Malverne, North Lynbrook, South Floral Park, a majority of West Hempstead, Garden City South, Floral Park, Rockville Centre and South Hempstead, with parts of Elmont, Lynbrook. Bellrose and Hempstead.
Lakeview and West Hempstead east of Woodfield Road would fall into the proposed 18th District, currently represented by Earlene Hooper Hill. None of the proposed districts lines are final, however, and are still up for public hearings and review from many State agencies and entities.
The reason behind the redistricting sounds simple enough: it is done every 10 years with the intention of reflecting the changing demographics of the state and ensuring fair minority representation. However, Senate Democrats and Assembly Republicans charge that redistricting is simply an excuse for members of the majority parties in each house to hold on to seats.
While the Senate districts on Long Island remained relatively unchanged, the loss of one assembly seat has caused some major overhauling across the island, and while many districts saw shifting, none were a drastic as Alfano's.
"I'm getting the sense this was not as well-thought out as it could have been," said Alfano, who is especially upset over seeing the school districts he has focused on improving being split-up or taken away from him completely.
"In Elmont, only three of the schools (Alden Terrace, Gotham Ave. and Dutch Broadway) would remain in my proposed district. Now, the superintendent needs to speak to two different representatives for assistance? It doesn't make sense."
Alfano says while he has thus far only briefly discussed the issue with other officials, including state Sen. Dean Skelos, the reaction his office has received so far in opposition to the change has provided enough impetus to start digging in now for a fight. "We've received over 250 calls and letters (as of last Friday) and not one has been in favor of the proposal," said Alfano. "It real makes me feel like I have made a difference here, and I want to keep going."
The list of civic, chamber and school organization expressing their displeasure of the proposal grows daily. All of the school districts and fire departments have already spoken to Alfano's office, as have many individual voters and independent groups.
"How do you yell children who are as diverse as those he serves, speaking over 70 languages in an increasingly changing community (Elmont), that the man who accepts them with open arms and represents them proudly is not going to be there for them?" asked Patrick Boyle, Executive Director of the Gateway Youth Outreach Program, an organization who credits Alfano with securing over $650,000 in grant money over the last five years for after school programs in Elmont.
"I have invested a lot of time and effort into these communities, and they have in turn invested a lot in me," said Alfano. "People don't want to be disenfranchised. If the system isn't broke, why bother fixing it?"
Many believe the key to Alfano's success, including victories in heavily Democratic voting districts, has been his hands-on approach when dealing with the unincorporated areas along Hempstead Turnpike -- areas which find it difficult to find leaders who understand their unique needs and address them. "Unlike with County and Town governments, the communities in the area I currently represent have so much in common, it would be difficult to see them cut-up like this."
"Suffice it to say that no one, in any level of government, knows or understands West Hempstead - its people, its needs, its hopes for the future - better than Tom Alfano," said West Hempstead Civic Association President Seth Bykofsky. "Without question, no one has done more in furtherance of our community's collective goals than he has."
As a chair of the redistricting committee, Skelos has been the focus of many voters attempting to understand why their areas have been split apart. A spokesperson from his office said that the senator was well aware of community concerns, but considering the parameters by which the maps had to be drawn, it is not always feasible to contain a community in one district.
"We tried to do what we could," said Tom Dunham, a spokesperson for Sen. Skelos. He added that the redistricting process is far from over. "This is just a proposal. It has to come for a full vote and there are always court challenges," he said.
A series of public hearings on the proposal will begin on March 18 at the Suffolk County Legislature Auditorium, 725 Veterans Memorial Highway, Smithtown, at 10 a.m.
Meanwhile, Alfano, who is currently working on numerous projects in the area, tells his constituents not to panic just yet. "Until they tell me otherwise, this is still my district, and I will continue to work with everyone to make it a better place to live."
Jonann Brady contributed to this story.
