Move to expand Troy redistricting panel debated

The City Council held its first of three public hearings on a Republican proposal to amend the City Charter to expand the city redistricting commission from seven to 10 as the commission decides if council district boundaries must be redrawn.

In December, the then-Democratic council majority appointed the redistricting commission before the Republicans took control in January with a 4-3 majority.

Council heard the first public comments on the proposed expansion Thursday. The next two hearings are 5:30 p.m. Feb. 23 and 5:30 p.m. March 3, clearing the way for a vote at a March 3 meeting after the final public hearing.

“They were arrogant. They railroaded it through at the end of December. At least geographically let’s try to represent the city. Let’s expand it by three,” Council President Carmella Mantello, a Republican, said Friday.

Democratic Councilwoman Sue Steele of the 3rd District said the committee was appointed according to the city charter. The group is concentrating on analyzing the population in the city’s six council districts to ensure fair representation, Steele said.

“They’re doing the work. It’s data analysis,” Steele said.

The GOP says it’s outnumbered 5-2 on the redistricting commission. Mantello said Republicans protested in late December about the committee composition and promised to take action when the GOP took power.

Republicans want to add representatives from northern Lansingburgh, North Central and downtown. The current redistricting commission was established in 2015.

The League of Women Voters of Rensselaer County, which reviewed the 2020 census as it regards Troy, opposes the expansion. “This move is baffling,” Judy Meyer, league co-president, said in a statement, citing the intent of the 2015 charter revision commission to create an independent redistricting process.

Thursday night, Meyer spoke during the public hearing emphasizing that the work had started and there was no need to expand the commission.

Firefighter Eric Wisher, Troy Uniformed Firefighters Local 86 president, spoke in favor of expanding the commission to 10 members. Wisher said this would provide a broader representation of city residents by giving a voice to the neighborhoods.