Onondaga County lawmakers are getting closer to deciding on a new set of legislature district maps. A public hearing held Tuesday was the last step before lawmakers can vote on what the county’s 17 legislative districts will look like next year.
Three people spoke up at the public hearing, with two in favor of Republican-drawn maps. Syracuse resident Kevin Ryan said the maps drawn by Republicans keep neighborhoods and communities together.
"What they do for me as a resident of the city is to keep wards intact and communities of interest intact,” Ryan said. “And by doing that, I think that the legislature, as I said, having narrowly tailored the new maps to comply with the court order, does that. And I think these are good maps."
Former DeWitt legislator Mary Kuhn supported the Democratic maps, which were released only a few hours before the hearing.
"So in general, I think the communities of interest are better represented,” Kuhn said. “It's a tighter map and I hope that there is some consideration. I know that Democrats are in the minority, but I think in the spirit of bipartisanship, as we've heard, it would be nice to really look at the spirit of what these maps are to represent."
Legislature Chairman Tim Burtis said there will be more opportunity for public comment in writing, and before the December 3 meeting, when a vote is expected. Before then, he hopes to come to an agreement with Democratic Minority Leader Chris Ryan.
"I'm looking forward to getting through this and hopefully Chris Ryan and I, and the legislature, we can all agree on a map so that we can go forward because the next set of maps are going to be due soon,” Burtis said.
A State Supreme Court judge ordered the county to redraw maps following a lawsuit by Democrats that contended the current maps, drawn in 2021, were partisan. The two sides settled the lawsuit, and a judge ordered the new maps in place when the 2025 election season begins early next year.
Burtis said he hopes this will avoid another lawsuit.
“The Democrats along the way have said that they're going to sue us again over these maps,” he said. “And so it costs taxpayers dollars one way or another. And we don't want that to happen.”
