By The TimesLedger
What were they thinking? Despite a massive public outcry, on Dec. 18 the city Districting Commission unanimously approved a second draft of the redrawn city council lines that would place part of Ridgewood in a Brooklyn council district.
The people of Ridgewood have made it clear that they do not want this to happen. They fear they will become a poor stepchild in the Brooklyn council district.
But, much more important, these residents are part of a tight-knit community. It is unthinkable that their voice should not be heard and given great weight.
The commission’s cockamamie redistricting will now go to the U.S. Justice Department for final review. The people at the Justice Department will know and care even less about the Ridgewood and its residents. The opportunity for blocking the redrawing of the district lines grows fainter by the day.
The commission is hellbent on slicing up Ridgewood. In its misguided effort to achieve fairness, the commission will disenfranchise many residents of Ridgewood. If this is the best that the Districting Commission can do, the people of New York would be better off without it.
