A plan devised by a group of state lawmakers to redraw the boundaries of New York’s legislative districts is drawing fire from a number of Bronx residents and groups that are worried the new maps could divide the political power of certain neighborhoods.

A bipartisan panel of Senate and Assembly members, known as LATFOR, is charged with creating the new districts every 10 years based on Census data to keep up with population changes. LATFOR released its proposed maps for the State Senate and Assembly two weeks ago and is holding hearings across the state this month to collect feedback on the plans.

For years, good government groups have advocated for an independent redistricting process, arguing that politicians can’t map their own districts without bias. In the past, the majority parties — Republicans in the Senate and Democrats in the Assembly — have used the process to consolidate power.

At a hearing in the Bronx last week, nearly 50 speakers testified, many of them saying the new maps are gerrymandered and drawn in ways that benefit incumbent candidates.

“The lines were drawn for no other purpose than allowing an elected official to handpick his own constituents,” said Fernando Tirado, chair of Bronx Community Board 7.

Norwood and Bedford Park leaders said the proposed districts for both Senate and Assembly split the adjacent neighborhoods politically, despite their common demographics and socio-economic needs. They said the community’s political clout is lessened when it’s broken up by districts.

“Norwood and Bedford Park are separated and broken apart in this plan,” said Don Bluestone, executive director at the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center in Norwood. “This is a poor community. Part of the reason it is poor, and has gotten poorer, is because it cannot speak with one voice.”

“To break up what little political influence we have — you’re going to devastate this community,” Bluestone added.

He and others testified against the proposed maps for the assembly districts encompassing Bronx Community District 7, which, like the ones put in place 10 years ago, continue to divide the area across three separate districts — the 81st, 80th and 78th, currently represented by Assembly Members Jeff Dinowitz, Naomi Rivera and Jose Rivera, respectively.

The changes proposed to local senate districts drew even greater criticism. For the last 10 years, most of Norwood and Bedford Park has fallen collectively within the 33rd District, now represented by Gustavo Rivera.

The new proposal would drive a jagged dividing line through much of Norwood, splitting the community haphazardly between the 33rd district and the 34th district, represented by Jeff Klein.

Williamsbridge Oval Park, for example, would be divided in half between the two districts, with its west side falling in Klein’s district and the east side remaining in Rivera’s. [See map, above]

“Our community will again be sliced and diced,” said Barbara Stronczer, of the Bedford-Mosholu Community Association. “If Bedford Park is going to be in the 33rd, fine, just keep us in the same community. Don’t pick up a building here and there.”

Several speakers were concerned that some sections of Norwood, which the proposed maps would move into Klein’s district, appeared to be ones which are historically white, and more affluent.

“This is so systematic, it makes me think of redlining,” testified Gregory Jobo Lost, a Norwood resident and deputy director of the nonprofit University Neighborhood Housing Program, referring to the old bank practice of ignoring certain neighborhoods.

The proposed border between the 33rd and 34th districts is so crooked and illogically drawn, he said, that his 15 minute walk to work would involve switching back and forth between them five separate times.

“Words cannot describe what this district looks like,” he said.

Klein said that while redistricting is always a “heart-wrenching process,” he does not think the map drafted for his district changes much. Under LATFOR’s proposal, Klein’s district would also absorb most of wealthy Riverdale from Rivera’s 33rd District.

Rivera, a vocal supporter of independent redistricting, called LATFOR’s maps “laughable.”

“We should not be picking our voters, they should be picking us,” he said. “It’s a perfect example of how that process leads to a bad product.”

During the 2010 election year, Rivera and hundreds of other legislators and candidates signed a government reform pledge sponsored by former New York City Mayor Ed Koch, promising to establish an independent panel to take over redistricting. Two years later, that pledge has fallen flat.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, however, has vowed repeatedly to veto any maps put forth by LATFOR or any other legislators if they aren’t arrived at independently. The issue will most likely be decided in court.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.