New District Maps: Paulin Picks Up Edgemont, Stewart-Cousins Loses Scarsdale and Westchester Divided into Four Congressional Districts

After months of discussion and debate, New York State’s state legislature maps for the Assembly and Senate have been approved along with the new congressional districts. They are expected to be signed into law by Governor Hochul.

Under the new maps, Scarsdale residents will continue to be represented by State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, who is herself a Scarsdale resident. She will add Edgemont to her district. However, in the NYS Senate, Scarsdale will now be in Shelley Mayer’s district, rather than in the district of Democratic Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins, who is a familiar face around town.

Commenting on the new maps, Paulin said, "I’m thrilled that the proposed new map for my Assembly district now includes Edgemont! It’s a great fit for Edgemont to be in a district with Scarsdale as they share many community organizations and institutions – such as Scarsdale Edgemont Family Services, boy and girl scout troops, and news services. I’m looking forward to representing the best interests of Edgemont and will continue to represent and advocate for Scarsdale and the other communities in my district. I’m hopeful that after the bills for the new district maps are approved in the Legislature (the Legislature’s vote is on Thursday, February 3) Governor Hochul will sign them into law!

In the proposed Senate district, Scarsdale will now be represented by Senator Shelley Mayer while Edgemont will continue to be represented by Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins. I highly respect and have great relationships with both of these Senators. Even though Edgemont will be getting a new Assemblymember and Scarsdale will be getting a new Senator, from having worked with both of them over the years I’m confident that we’ll continue to be a successful legislative team for the Scarsdale and Edgemont communities."

In the new congressional maps, Westchester County has been divided into four districts, with the shore towns of Rye and Mamaroneck joining a district that contains Nassau and portions of Suffolk County, formerly represented by Thomas Suozzi who is running for Governor. Scarsdale will remain in the district that is now represented by Jamaal Bowman, but the district lines have been changed so that he loses some portion of the Bronx, but extends further north to Putnam and Carmel.Jamaal Bowman's district will extend from the Bronx to Carmel

Mondaire Jones, who formerly represented communities as far east as Port Chester and Rye will lose sections of Westchester and pick up more of Sullivan County. He will also pic up Edgemont which was formerly represented by Bowman.

Why is Westchester being divided into a jigsaw puzzle? Census data necessitated that New York State must lose one seat in Congress. At the same, Democrats, who now control a 2/3 majority in each house of the NYS Legislature, have the ability to unilaterally approve the new districts for New York State. 

According to experts, due to their current supermajorities, Democrats are using the tactics that both parties have utilized in the past when they have had full control of redistricting in other states. Notably, this was done by the Republican Party in several states in 2012, including in New York State when the Republicans redrew the NYS Senate lines heavily in their favor. As a result, the Democrats have undone the heavy-handed Republican gerrymandering in the NYS Senate from 2012, and have redrawn the Congressional lines to favor more Democratic leaning districts. Democrats are hopeful that these new Congressional maps will allow them to pick up three additional seats in Congress for New York State.

However, the League of Voters of Scarsdale concurred with the LWVNYS who said, 

“New Yorkers have been completely shut out from the redistricting process. Instead of ensuring that the public has a say in what their future districts will look like, the Legislature has instead disrespected the process put in place by voters in 2014 by planning to steamroll redistricting legislation through the Assembly and Senate. New Yorkers deserve a transparent and fair redistricting process, and it is shameful that the Legislature has denied them this. The League of Women Voters of NYS believes that voters should choose their representatives, not that representatives should choose their voters. Partisan gerrymandering is banned under the state constitutional amendment passed in 2014, yet the maps released on the 31st and the 1st reflect a Legislature that appears to care more about favoring partisan interests than it does for fair maps.”

See the new maps below:

Pound Ridge, Bedford and North Salem will be in Sean Maloney's district with Duchess and Orange counties.

The shoreline communities of Rye, Mamaroneck and Pelham will now join a LI district formerly represensted by Thomas Suozzi.

Mondaire Jones has traded portions of Westchester for Sullivan County.