State Senate districts shift for local voters

May 20—Otsego County will be split into two different state Senate districts, and Chenango, Delaware and Schoharie counties would be placed in the same New York Senate district if the proposed district maps released Tuesday are approved by a Steuben County Supreme Court judge on Friday, May 20.

Judge Patrick McAllister ruled last month that the Democratic-led state Legislature gerrymandered U.S. House and state Senate districts to favor Democrats running for office. Jonathan Cervas, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, was appointed by the court to redraw the maps. He released his proposed state Senate maps Tuesday.

The proposed changes would make the 51st Senate District's boundaries include all of Chenango, Delaware, Greene, Schoharie and Sullivan counties; the towns of Worcester, Maryland, Milford, Hartwick, New Lisbon, Pittsfield, Morris, Butternuts, Unadilla, Otego and Oneonta and the city of Oneonta in Otsego County; the towns of Sanford, Windsor, Kirkwood, Conklin, Fenton and Colesville in Broome County and the towns of Shandaken, Hardenburgh and Woodstock in Ulster County.

State Sen. Peter Oberacker, R/C — Schenevus, said in a written statement he will run for re-election.

"I have said all along that I intend to run for re-election to the state senate and I reconfirm that commitment today. I am honored to serve the people of the 51st Senate District and look forward to continuing to stand up for the families and individuals I represent while forging new partnerships in neighboring counties," he said.

Oberacker had been facing a primary battle with state Sen. James Tedisco, R/C-Glenville, after the state Legislature approved new district lines. Tedisco would reside in the 46th Senate District if the judge approves the new boundaries.

State Sen. Mike Martucci, R/C-New Hampton, whose 42nd Senate District includes parts of Delaware County, is now running for the redrawn 42nd Senate District, which would include all of Orange County, except the city and town of Newburgh and the town of Montgomery, which would be placed in the 39th Senate District.

Eric Ball, D-Walton, who had been running against Martucci, said he will now run against Oberacker.

"Although this map is not yet final, I want to be absolutely clear: we will stay in this race," Ball said in a statement on his Facebook page. "Together, we can elect a steadfast voice for rural communities across Upstate New York. We entered this race to uplift the voices across our region and our commitment remains the same."

The other towns in Otsego County — Decatur, Westford, Roseboom, Middlefield, Cherry Valley, Springfield, Otsego, Burlington, Edmeston, Plainfield, Exeter, Richfield and Winfield — would become part of the 49th District.

Also included in the proposed 49th District boundaries are all of Herkimer, Fulton and Hamilton counties, all of Onieda County except the city of Utica and the towns of New Hartford, Paris, Bridgewater and Sangerfield; the towns of Lewis, Lyonsdale, Leyden, West Turin, Turin, Martinsburg, Greig and New Bremen in Lewis County; and the towns of Piercefield, Colton, Clifton, Clare, Fine, Russell, Pitcairn, Edwards, Fowler, Hermon, Gouverneur, DeKalb, Rossie, Macomb, De Peyster, Oswegatchie, Ogdensburg, Morristown and Hammond in St. Lawrence County.

The proposed 49th District is currently part of the 47th and 49th districts. State Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-Rome, is seeking re-election in the new 49th District.

The 52nd Senate District, currently includes two towns in Delaware County. The proposed 52nd District would include the parts of Broome County not included in the 51st District, and all of Cortland and Tompkins counties. State Sen. Fred Akshar announced he is running for Broome County Sheriff instead of seeking re-election this year.

Vicky Klukkert, staff writer, can be reached at vklukkert@thedailystar.com or 607-441-7221. Follow her @DS_VickyK on Twitter.