New assembly district plan would keep Riverhead and Southold together

Riverhead and Southold will remain part of the same assembly district under a revised redistricting plan released by the state legislative task force on redistricting, according to South Fork Assemblyman Fred Thiele (I-Sag Harbor).

Thiele released a revised map Monday afternoon showing the revised redistricting plan, which would shift Shelter Island from the North Fork district to the South Fork district, but leave Riverhead and Southold in the same district.

The first redistricting plan released in January would have split Riverhead from Southold and Shelter Island, and combined it with northeastern Brookhaven to create a new Second Assembly District. That idea spurred an outcry from local elected officials and some residents, who objected to Riverhead being cut off from the rest of the East End in representation in the State Assembly.

Assemblyman Dan Losquadro (R-Shoreham) said the entire East End would get the short shrift under the first redistricting plan, because the region would go from having two representatives in the assembly to just one.

Under the revised plan, The South Fork-Shelter Island district would be the First Assembly District. The Southold-Riverhead-eastern Brookhaven district would be the Second Assembly District.

The redistricting is required by the state and federal constitutional guarantee to equal protection under the law, to ensure that each district has approximately the same number of residents in it.

“I look forward to representing the new First Assembly District,” Thiele said. Ninety-eight percent of the district includes areas I already represent. Shelter Island, which will be added to my district, was part of my county legislative district in the late 1980s. I have continued to work with Shelter Island on many regional issues and look forward to representing them again,” he said.

“I am pleased that the redistricting task force listened to public opinion and kept Southold in the current district with northeast Brookhaven and Riverhead, as I had requested,” Thiele said.

It was not clear to what extent the western boundaries of the current 1st A.D. in Brookhaven Town — which now stretches west to Port Jefferson — would need to be adjusted in order to meet the population parity requirements.

Losquadro was not immediately available for comment. In a press release issued by his office this afternoon, Losquadro said he was pleased the task force listened to the concerns of North Fork residents.

“The North Fork and the South Fork are very different areas, and by preserving the North Fork as a single legislative district, we can make sure that our region has a strong voice in the New York State Legislature,” Losaquadro said.