Census 2010

Redistricting process forms new 27th Congressional District

The drawing of new U.S Congressional District and State Senate and Assembly district lines in accordance with 2010 Census data got delayed in New York State for about as long as was possible to delay such business.

But with elections for Congress, State Senate and Assembly taking place in November, and a likely Congressional primary election on June 26, prospective candidates needed to know from whom they can seek primary and general election ballot petition signatures and exactly where they should be campaigning.

In consequence, within the past few days the final district boundaries for congress and the state legislative houses have been officialized in the form they will take for the next ten years. The state Senate and Assembly districts, drawn by their respective Senate Republican and Assembly Democratic majorities, have received the governor’s stamp of approval with the understanding that future redistricting will be placed in the hands of an objective bipartisan commission.

The final lines for New York’s congressional districts, now reduced in number to 27, were imposed by Federal Court after the state legislature was unable to reach agreement.

U.S. Congress

Livingston County will lie entirely within the new 27th U.S. Congressional District, which will also encompass all of Orleans, Genesee, Wyoming and Niagara counties, the western part of Ontario County, most of Erie County excepting Buffalo, and the Monroe County towns of Mendon, Rush and Wheatland.

In the Federal Court decision which finalized congressional district lines, court-ordered eleventh hour changes all pertained to the 27th District: By court order Wyoming County was united within the district; a split of Ontario County was reconfigured to ensure that the 23rd District achieved population equality; a zero population census block was moved from the 23rd District to 27th District to unify the Town of Canandaigua, and a census block containing two people was moved from the 25th District to 27th District to unify the Town of Hamlin, while a split of the Town of Clarkson is shifted from the northeast to the southwest in order to achieve population equality.

Much of the new 27th is the current 26th Congressional District where, last year, in the wake of the Chris Lee scandal, Democrat Kathy Hochul was victorious over Republican Jane Crowin. But the contest was only for the final year of what would have been Lee’s term.

In the redistricting, Hochul, after moving from Hamburg to Amherst to represent the current 26th District, has found herself sharing the new 26th District with incumbent Democrat Brian Higgins — tempting her to relocate to the new 27th, where she might again tap much of the vote which gave her victory last November.

Indeed, Hochul has declared her intent to seek the 27th District seat. ”I don’t want to give up on these people; My heart is in this district,” she announced last week.

Members of Congress aren’t required by law to live within their districts, but Hochul has said she will be moving within the new district lines.

Hochul can expect stiff competition from the Republican party, which hopes to win back a former stronghold territory.

Republican David Bellavia, an Iraq War veteran who lives in Batavia, has announced his bid to seek the 27th District congressional seat. Meanwhile, a host of other Republicans appear to be waiting in the wings, ready to make a run. Among them are 139th District Assemblyman Steve Hawley, an insurance agent and former hog farmer; former Erie County Sheriff and current State Senator Patrick Gallivan; former Erie County Executive Chris Collins; former State Attorney General Dennis Vacco, and 147th District Assemblyman Dan Burling (who is also interested in Gallivan’s seat, if Gallivan wins the congressional spot.)

A crowded Republican field is likely to force a primary on June 26.

State Assembly

A new state Assembly District No. 133 will include all 17 Livingston County towns, plus a section of southern Monroe County (Pittsford, Mendon, Rush and Wheatland) and northwestern Steuben County (Hornellsville, Dansville, Wayland, Cohocton and Plattsburgh).

When it becomes effective on Jan. 1, the district will be the natural home for Mendon-based incumbent Republican Assemblyman Sean Hanna, whose current 130th Assembly District has four Livingston County towns: Conesus. Livonia, Sparta and Springwater.

Livingston County will contain 48 percent of the district’s total population.

State Senate

Livingston County gets split in an irregular seesaw fashion between two State Senate districts.

There is the 57th, home to incumbent Republican State Senator Cathy Young, comprising Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties and which will be including the Livingston County towns of Ossian, Nunda, Mount Morris, North Dansville, Sparta, Springwater, Conesus and Livonia.

There is also the 59th, home to Republican State Senator Patrick Gallivan (unless he throws his hat into the congressional race — see below) which will have all of Wyoming County, 15 towns in Erie County, Henrietta and Wheatland in Monroe County, and the Livingston County towns of Caledonia, Avon, Lima, York, Leicester, Geneseo, Groveland, West Sparta and Portage.