Fair redistricting maps an elusive dream

Suffolk lawmakers this week served up a glaring example of how the once-a-decade redistricting processes can devolve into raw partisan gamesmanship.

Many in our region had expected Democrats under Rob Calarco, the legislature’s presiding officer, to keep their majority. But Republicans — even some who barely campaigned — prevailed at the polls.

So before losing clout, the Democratic "ins" took command of the redrawing process while they could — and advanced their preferred district map for 2023 and beyond, to be sent to Democratic County Executive Steve Bellone for his signature.

The chamber’s top Republican, Legis. Kevin J. McCaffrey, calls it a power grab. Calarco defends his district lines as sensible, evenhanded and competitive.

Either way, it ended up on too fast a track. On Tuesday, Democrats got a court-ordered delay overturned, a single public hearing was rapidly convened. The lame-duck legislature is expected to vote on the measure Dec. 21.

Unfortunately, Suffolk didn’t make use of a charter provision to create a bipartisan commission to draw lines. That would have at least superficially signaled earnestness of purpose. Instead, the leaders blamed each other for a failure to appoint a qualified panel in time for a mid-November deadline.

There is, however, some hope for more sensible districts this time out — and not to the county’s credit.

A state legislative bill recently signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul mandates all counties, towns, cities and villages make their districts contiguous, compact, closer in population, and not designed to protect individual incumbents. That’s a topic of insider conversation in Nassau, where a bipartisan commission is due to be appointed soon.

Meanwhile, the state’s first-ever independent redistricting commission has been plodding along. But as deadlines approach, there’s less hope of a plan for congressional, Assembly and State Senate districts that the Democratic powers in Albany won’t rewrite to their liking in the first few weeks of the new year.

Neither party’s advocates hold the position of the "good guys" in redistricting. Making politicians cede control of their do-or-die district lines to the goal of fairness might be impossible. There can only be public-minded efforts to chip away.

Deep-blue California’s independent commission takes more heat from Democratic partisans than from Republicans. One Democratic consultant in Sacramento said: "Everyone understands that redistricting is an ugly process no matter who does it, but what I’m seeing here is amateur sausage-making."

Redistricting experts expound the goal of keeping "communities of interest" intact. But states and municipalities are supposed to strive for one communal interest — a level playing field in choosing representatives.

More progress against gerrymandering can only come from an impartial and deliberative crafting of maps, free of blatant manipulation.

Otherwise, on Long Island and beyond, cynicism about our political process will continue.