rawr rawr NJ Democrats Essex Democrats corruption Obama Muslims

Map by Democrats chosen for redistricting

Monday, April 04, 2011

NEW BRUNSWICK - By a vote of 6 to 5, the commission to redraw the state's 40 legislative districts passed a new map drawn by Democrats yesterday afternoon.

Tiebreaker Alan Rosenthal sided with the Democrats after spending a month on the commission, and the last week holed up at the Heldrich Hotel in New Brunswick.

"I wanted it to be a tough decision. It was. It took five hours of deliberations before I decided on the Democratic map," said Rosenthal, a professor of public policy at Rutgers University.

Rosenthal said it was the "more conservative, less disruptive map."

One of the potential losers in the redrawn map is Democrat Brian Stack, the mayor of Union City and state senator of the 33rd District, who is an ally of Gov. Chris Christie.

Under the plan that was adopted, Stack loses West New York from his district and picks up a larger portion of Jersey City, depriving him of legislative ally Caridad Rodriguez (D-Hudson) and putting him into territory where he has a smaller power base.

Rodriguez is running for a West New York Commission seat.

The Republicans' plan would have barely changed his district, which would have had a domino effect that would have forced Bayonne to separate from Jersey City and hop across Newark Bay into Newark.

Republicans said they wanted that because the 33rd district was compact and has helped the careers of prominent Hispanic politicians.

"It's the only Latino-majority district in the state. It has served as a launching pad for the most accomplished Latino politicians in New Jersey history," said Assemblyman Jay Webber, leader of the GOP's redistricting team. "And so breaking it up doesn't make sense."

THE STAR-LEDGER