As is now well known, County Executive Steve Bellone has vetoed IR-1964. IR1964 established a new County Legislature district map, including 4 majority minority districts for the first time in the county’s history. Although the Legislature was then majority Democrat and could have passed a gerrymandered monstrosity, they instead submitted a map which politically split districts evenly based on 2020’s election results, ensuring fair representation for all of the voters.
By his veto, Bellone has turned his back on nonpartisan community groups, voting rights advocates, and every last one of his constituents. Bellone’s deal on redistricting is self-serving and shameful. 
If that somehow was not frustrating and disappointing enough, Bellone struck a backroom deal with the new Republican Presiding Officer McCaffrey.  The County Executive took it upon himself to sell out the people of this county, especially the voting rights of our minority communities, all for his personal political gain, and he simultaneously left out the Minority Leader of the Legislature, a member of his own party, who is now the only Black Suffolk Legislator – Jason Richberg. While we fully expect Republicans to speak over the already marginalized groups in this county, despite their consistent lack of diversity within their caucus, and trample on these groups’ rights and needs for the benefit of the Republican party, we expect and demand better from our own as Democrats. 
It was clear during the public hearings for IR-1964 that the GOP’s major concern was that they were prevented from custom drawing district lines for their current incumbents – a concern that the Republican Legislators made no effort to hide despite the fact that such district drawing is illegal.
It is equally clear that the County Executive’s major concern is using redistricting to take the credit for the Legislature that passed it and make himself the hero. What are we to conclude from this but that fair and equal representation isn’t a priority to Bellone or Republicans? Bellone’s disingenuous attempts to convince the constituency of the rightness of his path has shown his true character.
This isn’t over, and we are not going away quietly; so we hope you and your new found partner McCaffrey are ready for a long battle. We will be there to make sure our voices are heard in any future redistricting commission. Shame on you, Steve Bellone. We will not overlook or forget this and you should consider yourself on notice.