Profiles in gerrymandering: Astoria, Maspeth & Woodside

Redistricting Maps 3
Ditmars / Astoria

The Commission has proposed moving a geographically large portion of the present 22nd Council District - including Rikers Island and LaGuardia Airport - into the 21st. These changes, while fairly significant, do not affect the residents of the 21st or 22nd Council Districts. However, a six-block portion of Ditmars near the Rikers Island Bridge and LaGuardia Airport has also been proposed to move from the 22nd Council District to the 21st. The QCC opposes this seemingly arbitrary move, which isolates a small portion of Ditmars from the rest of the neighborhood.

Woodside

The Commission has proposed moving several areas in Woodside from the 26th Council District to the 22nd. While QCC agrees with many of these changes, an 8 block area adjacent to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway near Broadway should be retained in the 26th Council District, as it is an immediate continuation of the neighborhood to the south.

Maspeth

The Commission has proposed to radically alter the 30th Council District on both its northerly and southerly boundaries. This includes moving approximately 40% of Maspeth from the 30th Council District to the 26th (Figures 14, 15 and 16).

Prior to the 2000 census, Maspeth was divided between three Council Districts: the 26th, 29th and 30th. When the area was redistricted in 2003, a successful effort was undertaken by the Juniper Park Civic Association, which represents Maspeth and Middle Village, to unite 90% of Maspeth into one Council District - the 30th (Figure 17). The Commission's proposed redistricting will undo this previous work and once again divide Maspeth The QCC proposal supports Juniper Park Civic Association in its appeal to keep Maspeth mostly intact within the 30th Council District.

The geography and street grid of Maspeth are unique in that the Long Island Expressway literally plows through the center of the Maspeth commercial district, dividing the southern portion of Grand Avenue from the northern portion. However, the lines that the Commission are proposing use Grand Avenue itself as a significant dividing line, even south of the Long Island Expressway. Dividing Maspeth in this fashion will only complicate the ability of the community to get fair representation, as significant coordination will have to occur between elected officials, civic organizations and business groups in order to have any action taken on a particular issue.

The Juniper Park Civic Association and QCC have devised an alternate plan (Figure 15) that would remove less than 20% of Maspeth from the 30th Council District - keeping 62 blocks within the 30th and moving 52 blocks to the 26th - while guaranteeing that the commercial district along Grand Avenue on both sides of the Long Island Expressway remains primarily within one Council District.
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In other words, Liz Crowley doesn't want the half of Maspeth that includes the St. Saviour's-Martin Luther park sites that she fucked up so badly to be in her district anymore. Plus, her most formidable opponent lives in the excised area. So she got this stupid, gerrymandered plan proposed by her cronies on the board to protect her incumbency.