South Fork Assemblyman Fred Thiele has joined his colleague Dan Losquadro in calling for the North Fork to remain intact in a single assembly district.
Thiele had a positive initial reaction to a state legislative task force proposal that would reconfigure the East End districts — combining Southold with the South Fork towns and Riverhead with northeastern Brookhaven. See Jan. 26 story.
"I don't see any major changes in the way the East End gets represented or in the quality of the representation," Thiele told RiverheadLOCAL Jan. 26.
"We share many regional issues," Thiele said. "We all sink or swim together."
But the proposal was soundly panned by local elected officials in both Southold and Riverhead, by County Legislator Ed Romaine, as well as by First District Assemblyman Dan Losquadro. See Feb. 8 story.
Thiele said in a press release issued Thursday he has urged the task force to keep Southold in the same district as Riverhead.
Critical of the state for failing to task the redistricting process to a nonpartisan independent commission, Thiele said the plan proposed by the task force would compound that failure by ignoring home rule.
"The most important function of any elected official is to listen," Thiele said. "Therefore, I have urged the task force to modify the plan."
Thiele did not disclose what, if any, alternatives he would support.
The state must redraw legislative district lines in order to achieve population parity following the 2010 federal census. Each district needs to have about 130,000 people. The existing First Assembly District, which takes in Shelter Island, Southold, Riverhead and a portion of northeastern Brookhaven, had to be reduced by about 20,000 people. The Second Assembly District, which takes in East Hampton, Southampton and southeastern Brookhaven had to be reduced by about 15,000 people.
A final plan is expected to be approved in the next few weeks and will be in effect for the 2012 election.