Dear Editor,
New Yorkers deserve fair elections, not partisan politicians changing the rules when they don’t like the results.
The latest redistricting push by Albany Democrats — supported by Democratic legislators representing Rockland County — is exactly what many voters dislike about politics: an attempt to redraw congressional district lines for partisan advantage. Congressman Mike Lawler has earned the trust of Hudson Valley voters by showing up, working hard, and delivering results. He has won multiple elections despite representing a district where Democrats hold a voter registration advantage.
Now, rather than defeating him at the ballot box, Albany Democrats are seeking to redraw district boundaries in a way that could make it significantly more difficult for him to win reelection.
That is not democracy. It is a political power grab. I also believe it is unconstitutional.
New Yorkers voted to establish safeguards against partisan gerrymandering and to promote a fair redistricting process. Those protections should not be discarded whenever one party is unhappy with an election result.
If Albany and Rockland Democrats believe they have better ideas, they should present them to voters and win the old-fashioned way. They should not use Albany backrooms and constitutional maneuvers to target Congressman Lawler—or any other duly elected representative.
Voters should choose their representatives. Politicians should not choose their voters.
Senator Bill Weber
New York State Senate, District 38
Editor’s Note: Assemblyman Aron Wieder voted against the proposal when it came before the Assembly and has publicly opposed efforts aimed at redrawing the district to target Congressman Mike Lawler.
The views expressed in this letter do not necessarily represent those of Monsey Scoop. Have an opinion you’d like to share? Send it to us for review.
Bill, although i would agree that politicians shouldn’t choose their voters, we both know the reason why the push to redistrict NY17 comes from. It is a fight back from the democrats against the redistricting in Texas and other republican led states.
So yes your point is true but look yourself in the mirror and tell me when did you call out the current US republican leadership for pushing redistricting in Red states to gain more RED seats.
Sen. Bill Weber wants to lecture us about “voters choosing their representatives.”
Cute. Mike Lawler only got to Congress because a GOP gerrymander was imposed by the courts after NY’s map was struck down. NY-17 has 50k more Dems than Republicans, but Lawler won by 1,800 votes on a district drawn to save him.
Now that Dems want a fair map, Weber cries “power grab.”
And of course he’s out here crying about power grabs while doing credit grabs for every road repair and ribbon cutting in Rockland. Funny how that works.
If you actually believe voters should choose, support a nonpartisan map that matches NY-17. Otherwise admit you’re just protecting a gerrymandered seat.
Voters choose. Not politicians.
ר’ מאיר ס’ממש א חילול השם וואס איר טיט ביטע סטאפט
ANOTHER ATTEMPT BY THE DO NOTHING CLOWN WEBER TO GET SOME COVREAGE, AS HE CANT DELIEVER ANYTHING
Useless bill doing another useless thing. Bring money for sidewalks and infrastructure that our area desperately needs. You’re a useless waste of a politician.