Monroe County Executive Adam Bello has vetoed the "Crescent" redistricting map approved by the Monroe County Legislature.
Bello says he had no choice except to veto the law, because in his view it packs minority voters into districts with White voters, diluting the Black vote rather than expanding minority representation.
That's exactly what the majority of county legislators who approved the Crescent Plan said they were trying to avoid, and they say it's the plan favored by the county executive and an outside investigator he hired that unfairly dilutes the Black vote.
The Crescent Plan was approved in a contentious county legislature meeting three weeks ago.
Supporters say it guarantees five Black Majority districts that would presumably elect Black or diverse candidates. Bello says his plan would provide for six Black-majority districts.
Statement from Monroe County Executive Adam Bello:
As I have made clear, I cannot support the proposed redistricting map submitted by the Monroe County Legislature because it reduces opportunities for communities of color to elect their candidates of choice.
I have consistently maintained that legislators should not draw their own districts. An independent process would have put the needs of the community before the petty partisan interests of incumbent Legislators. Last January, I proposed creating an independent redistricting commission. However, the Republican majority of the County Legislature chose to put their own interests first and failed to bring the proposal to a vote.
The map submitted by the Legislature President Sabrina LaMar and the Republican majority packs minority voters into districts that already elect minority-preferred candidates rather than expanding opportunities for minority representation. Expert analysis has confirmed both the equitable and legal flaws of the map submitted by the legislature.
As a result, the Legislature left me no choice but to veto the local law (Intro No.291 of 2022) entitled Amending Monroe County Charter and Administrative Code Relating Legislative District Boundaries and the Term of Office of Members of the County Legislature.