Western and Central New York come out only slightly the worse for wear in newly released congressional districts, drawn by Democrats in the state legislature after a voter-mandated redistricting commission deadlocked.
The districts, released Sunday night, impact the broad swath of New York west of Syracuse, including the Rochester and Buffalo metropolitan areas and the regions generally known as Western New York, Central New York and the Southern Tier.
The downside of the new districts is that they divide much of the region along an artificial north-south line, instead of an east-west line that better reflects regional characteristics. One district – New York 24 – stretches from Niagara County to Watertown – covering communities that share a Lake Ontario shoreline, but nothing else. Likewise, New York 23, the Southern Tier district, cobbles together disparate regions that have nothing but the Pennsylvania border in common.
The upside of the new districts is that they preserve dedicated representation for Rochester, Syracuse and Buffalo. The Buffalo media market ends up being influential – if not determining – in three districts, with Rochester and Syracuse also touching – through their television and radio stations – three districts.
The 25th District of New York – represented by Joe Morelle – grows naturally to include Canandaigua. That expansion does bring Democrats into the district, helping Morelle, but it also respects a logical connection made clear by the six lanes of Thruway traffic that tie Canandaigua to Monroe County every day.
Further, the expansion leaves almost unchanged the 60-40 Democrat advantage the district typically has on major election days.
In Buffalo, New York 26 remains a rock-solid Buffalo district, representing the city, Niagara Falls and Grand Island. Both 25 and 26 do exactly what a congressional district is supposed to do – demarcate a clear community of shared interests and identification. Each city and many of its suburbs will have a dedicated member of Congress, which is a very good thing.
In Syracuse, interests of the national Democratic Party – to gerrymander as many extra Democrat districts as possible – got in the way of regional interests. To tip another district Democrat, Utica was tacked on to an expansive swath of rural Republican countryside to the east and south, instead of being put in the same district as Syracuse.
Splitting up the Democrats in Syracuse and Utica separates people of like interest and circumstance in order to win extra seats for Nancy Pelosi.
That’s too bad.
But not the end of the world.
Syracuse, instead, is the hub of a district that includes Geneva, Auburn and the progressive hotbed in Ithaca and Tompkins County. That makes it a very Democrat district, but it dilutes representation for urban Central New York Democrats and rural Finger Lakes Republicans.
The current Syracuse congressman – John Katko – has unfortunately announced that he will not run again. That’s too bad, as he is the only Republican who could, in an off year, win this New York 22 district.
Another possible candidate of prominence would be Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh, the third generation of his family to have broad CNY political power. His reluctance, however, to actually enroll in a political party would probably leave him unappetizing to either Republicans or Democrats.
In New York 23, the Southern Tier district, some of the poorest and most politically powerless people in the country will have just one member of Congress to speak for them. Incumbent Tom Reed has long since announced he’s not running, and establishing enough name recognition across this district to move the needle would be a heavy lift for anyone.
Natural candidates, however, would seem to be Chris Moss, the county executive and former sheriff in Chemung County, and George Borrello, a businessman, former Chautauqua County executive and current state senator.
Where the district lines could be better is if districts 23 and 24 were divided east and west along a line dropping south from Monroe County to the Pennsylvania Border. That would allow Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany and maybe Steuben counties – which identify with Buffalo – to be part of a true Western New York District. The eastern portions of the two districts could then be put together into a district that represented much of Central New York and the Finger Lakes.
Closer to New York City, the legislature butchered districts to advance the interests of national Democrats. But west of the Mohawk Valley, that was far less evident and the districts are – with the exception noted above – a pretty good deal for most residents.