Over the objections of North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena, Democrats on the Town Board voted to empower themselves to appoint most members of a redistricting commission.

At a meeting on Feb. 17, the board voted 4-3 along party lines to establish a seven-member nonpartisan temporary redistricting commission, with each board member appointing one person.  The action represented a change from a decade ago when Jon Kaiman, then the town supervisor, had two additional picks, totaling nine for the commission.

Every 10 years, council districts are eligible to be redrawn in the town following the release of the latest census figures, which came out Aug. 12. According to the data, North Hempstead’s population increased 5 percent. 

Redistricting is not mandatory but the commission can determine that it is necessary after an analysis of current district lines and the census data. Any reconfigurations would need to be approved by the Town Board, which Democrats control 4-3, and be completed within one year after the census data was released. 

DeSena, a Republican, sought to strike the resolution establishing the panel, which was submitted by Councilwoman Veronica Lurvey, from the agenda at the beginning of the meeting. But Town Attorney John Chiara said the board in the past allowed agenda items to be removed only with unanimous consent, which was not granted.

DeSena said Kaiman’s proposition a decade ago allowed the supervisor to make appointments and give appropriate guidance to the committee. She said Lurvey’s resolution was similar to Kaiman’s but took away her two extra appointments. 

Under the format introduced by Kaiman, Republicans would have five appointees to four for the Democrats. 

“Why are we drastically altering it?” DeSena asked. “As far as I can tell, the only thing that’s changed is that I am the one sitting in this chair after the residents of North Hempstead elected me as supervisor. It’s been clear over the past 45 days that I’m not your pick for supervisor and that was fine. We’re all entitled to our opinions. But that doesn’t change the fact that I am the supervisor, and I am entitled to what has been established under the previous precedent.”

Lurvey said she requested via email to meet with DeSena on Feb. 3, 7, 9 and 14 to discuss the matter, but DeSena said it was clear that the decision had already been made after Lurvey said she had already met with three other council members and the four agreed on the commission’s makeup. 

“The reason why items are put on the agenda two weeks before the Town Board meeting is so that everybody on the council can see what items there are and can engage in a discussion,” Lurvey said. “Sometimes that discussion results in amendments to the items, sometimes those items are struck. Sometimes those items are continued, but when there is no engagement from the other side except to say, pull the item from the agenda, then there can be no discussion.”

The commission will be made up of Mary Kay Barket, DeSena’s nominee; Dana Boylan as chair, Councilman Robert Troiano Jr.’s nominee; Jill Wasser, Councilman Peter Zuckerman’s nominee; Sumeet Datt, Councilman Dennis Walsh’s nominee; Patricia Schneider, Lurvey’s nominee; David Yaudoon Chiang, Councilman David Adhami’s nominee; and Harrison Feuer, Councilwoman Mariann Dalimonte’s nominee.

The next North Hempstead Town Board meeting will be Thursday, March 10.