Oneida County Draws District Lines, Public Meetings To Be Held

The new county district lines have been drawn, and for the most part Oneida County's legislators are happy.

"I think it absolutely will work. When you look at the numbers, I'm sure it's going to prove out. When you see a deviation down in the two percent range, how are you going to beat it?

That was Les Porter, whose 6th district contains about 9,800 people. He says many of the county's new district lines come very close to the ideal district population of 10,046.

Committee Chairman George Joseph agrees. He says the current lines didn't change much, but augmented the spaces that will be left open by removed legislators.

"It's challenging," Joseph says. "Nobody is ever going to be 100 percent satisfied with it. That's what it's about. From the position of being Chairman of this committee, I wanted to be objective and fair, and I'll be able to defend any of the districts that have come about."

Other legislators, like Frank Tallerino, say the new lines are unfair and work against the Democrats who are the minority party in Oneida County. Currently, there are six contested areas where there are two incumbents for one district. Among those, two pair Democrats against one another while one pairs Republicans head-to-head. The other three districts feature a Democrat versus a Republican.

The public will soon have a chance to add input as meetings begin Thursday with a public meeting at the Town of Westmoreland Town Hall. Other meetings are listed below.

March 1st: County Court House - Rome, NY
March 5th: Board of Legislators Chambers, 10th Floor of the County Office Building
March 12th: Board of Legislators Chambers, 10th Floor of the County Office Building