In today’s Zoom with Czarny I sit down with Bill Kinne the representative from OCL 15. He represents one of the more gerrymandered districts in our county stretching from the valley to the village of Solvay. He has been serving and fighting for our county for over 20 years. I hope you enjoy.
In surprising turn, GOP leader calls current Onondaga County district boundaries a mistake – Syracuse.com
“(At the first meeting)… Czarny pushed to move the public hearings. He said there is no time for elections commissioners, who are active members of the commission, to attend hearings, analyze data and draw maps in the middle of busy local elections.”
Statement on Release of census data and proposed hearing during Early Voting Hours and unusual interference by the County Executive in Reapportionment Committee process.
Statement from Dustin M. Czarny
Onondaga County Elections Commissioner (D) and member of the Onondaga County Re-Apportionment Committee
Date: October 16, 2021
Subject: Release of census data and proposed hearing during Early Voting Hours and unusual interference by the County Executive in our process.
Late Friday evening I much of the Census Data I have asked for regarding the work needed to be done by the Re-Apportionment committee to draw new Census lines. I will begin the work of analyzing this data ahead of the public meetings scheduled this week and next. In addition to the data, I received a notice of public hearings in addition to the previously released hearings on October 22nd. The hearing notice can be found here:
Click to access 10.27.21ReapportionmentPublicHearingNotice.pdf
I have several concerns about the new list of hearing dates. The official hearing notice contains three dates. We were expecting two dates on Thursday October 29th and Friday October 30th as outlined in the October 13th meeting: (http://ongov.net/legislature/documents/10.13.21ReapportionmentCommissionMinutes.pdf) However the official hearing notice contains a third date for Wednesday October 28th.
While I applaud the addition of evening hearing dates, all three dates are scheduled during Early Voting hours where the Election Commissioners are duty bound to monitor voting in Onondaga County. Mr. Hulslander’s insistence on forging ahead with public hearings in such a compact schedule is not only gravely irresponsible for the mission of the Reapportionment commission it is now making the Elections Commissioners, one third of the committee, choose between our duties to the voters of Onondaga County and our Chartered roles on the Reapportionment commission.
These Early Voting hours were established by statute in May of 2021 and easily obtainable on our website: http://www.ongov.net/elections/early-voting.html. It is hard to fathom a reason for our commission to move with such speed. Furthermore, the lack of input from commission members on the committee meeting dates and schedule raises the question of whether this is gross incompetence or designed to limit the participation of the chartered members of the commission. It is a point I will continue to raise as Commission members should be allowed to vote and set this schedule. His insistence he has total authority and control is legally questionable and morally reprehensible in leading a government body.
It does seem Mr. Hulslander does talk to one person, County Executive Ryan McMahon. In the Syracuse.com article titled “In surprising turn, GOP leader calls current Onondaga County district boundaries a mistake” (https://www.syracuse.com/politics/2021/10/in-surprising-turn-gop-leader-calls-current-onondaga-county-district-boundaries-a-mistake.html) Mr. McMahon is quoted several times indicating he has had conversations with the commission.
Since he was not in the room on October 13th,I can only assume he means conversations with Chairman Hulslander. “After looking at the schedule, McMahon insisted the commission hold at least one hearing in the city during the evening hours.” This resulted in the additional meeting being added to the schedule. What role Mr. McMahon has in making this decision for the committee without any notice being given to it is questionable. In another instance McMahon told Syracuse.com “The commission has told the county executive’s office to expect maps to be presented to the legislature Nov. 3 and to ask for a vote of the legislature Nov. 12.” This is very alarming. For instance, there is no scheduled meeting of the Onondaga County Legislature on November 12th. Nor did we set a final date for voting on the maps, though a committee meeting was set for November 3rd at 1pm. Mr. Hulslander spoke for the committee once again without notifying us.
I understand that Mr. Hulslander was County Executive Ryan’s handpicked member of this committee and enjoys a close relationship with the County executive serving as his campaign attorney in 2019, however it is inappropriate to set schedules on the insistence of the County Executive without first getting consent of the Reapportionment committee. I plan to bring up these issues at the Tuesday October 19,2021 Reapportionment Committee meeting at 10am in the County Legislature chambers. I hope to get the committee to resolve these matters so our work can be accomplished in an organized and fair manner.
Learn more about the propositions on the other side of your ballot – Newschannel 9
“I always hope voters will do the research before they get into the polling place on these because they can be confusing because the language is meant for changing the constitution of New York State…”
Zoom with Czarny: Diane Dwire for OCL 6
Today’s Zoom with Czarny I sit down with Diane Dwire for County Legislature running in OCL 6, representing the South western portions of Onondaga County in Camillus, Marcellus, Skaneateles, Spafford, and Otisco. This former nurse and village councilor has a wealth of experience she would like to bring to county government. I hope you enjoy.
Democrats outraged at Onondaga County redistricting, Republicans say they’re overreacting – WRVO
Czarny raised a number of concerns at the meeting. He wants the population shifts of each town, district and ward from the 2020 Census. He wants to know who is going to draw the maps and if all the members will have access to the software. He said meeting now is taking time away from the two elections commissioners’ jobs, when they should be focusing on the November election. And things got heated when he questioned the commission’s chair, Kevin Hulslander, on his authority to decide when the public hearings will be held.
“He put his finger in my face, and yelled at me and said, ‘You said that I had authority,’” Czarny said. “I said I’m not questioning your authority, I was questioning the wisdom. But I don’t believe you have the authority to just set these meetings by yourself.”
First Public Hearings Set As Onondaga County’s Redistricting Commission Rushes To Redraw District Maps Before Election Day – WAER
“Mr. Knapp said none of this would happen before the election,” Czarny said.”Most of the work will be done after election day,” Knapp told WAER News on Oct 5.”I envision this going well into November, past the November 2nd election.”But with committee meetings and public hearings packed into less than three weeks, Czarny is calling foul.”Now he’s saying the vote won’t happen before the election, but all the work that goes into is? It’s a blatant deception.”
Democrats argue Onondaga County redistricting process is being rushed – Spectrum
“The public should be involved in the drawing of these maps. And the fact that they’re putting these meetings, all of them, before the election — taking time and energy from the two elections commissioners — in a hope to push this map through, before the election, is tantamount to election interference,” Czarny argued
Commissioner in a Car: Absentee Ballot Deadline approaches
Today I talk about the October 13th voter registration adress change deadline as well as the October 18th Absentee ballot application deadline and updates on budgeting and redistricting.
Republican-led panel to draw new legislative districts for Onondaga County – Daily Orange
“They seem to be acting like what we’ve seen with the national Republican Party, using redistricting as a tool to empower minority rule.” Czarny said.
Dustin M. Czarny 