Westchester Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins, also Chair of the NYS Independent Redistricting Commission, IRC
By Dan Murphy
A recent court decison ordered that a new set of congressional lines be drawn in New York State for the upcoming 2024 elections. In Westchester, the new lines will redraw the 16h and 17th Congressional districts. held by Rep. Jamaal Bowman (16) and Rep. Mike Lawler (17).
Westchester Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins, in his other role as Chair of the NYS Independent Redistricting Commission, IRC, now sits as head of a body entrusted to come up with a new set of Congressional lines for New York State that is amenable to both democrats and republicans.
In 2014, New York voters passed a referendum in 2014 creating the IRC in the hopes of drawing fair, non-partisan congressional boundaries. Since then, the IRC has been unable to come to an agreement agreeable to both parties. The IRC is made up of ten members of both parties; Republican Charles Nesbit is the Vice-Chair of the IRC.
if the IRC is unable to come to an agreement, then the boundaries will be drawn by the democratic controlled state legislature. Two years ago, this scenario occurred. The IRC deadlocked, (without Jenkins), and democrats in the state legislature passed congressional lines that republican objected to as being unfair. The courts agreed and appointed a special master to draw the lines for the 2022 Congressional elections.
And in those 2022 Congressional elections, republican did quite well in New York State, winning 10 House seats, including 5 on Long Island and NYC, 5 upstate, and one in Westchester for Lawler. That number is now 9 with George Santos expelled.
Republicans were hoping to have the current lines in use for their 24′ releection campaigns. What will the new boundaries proposed by the IRC look like in the 10 republican seats, at least 7 of which can flip back to democrat.
A path to a democratic majority in the House in 2024, runs through New York, as does a republican majority. This is the task before Jenkins and the IRC.
Westchester democrats and republicans we spoke to called it “a nearly impossible task.”
In today’s hyper-partisan political climate, “it is hard to get 5 democrats and 5 republicans to agree on what day it is. But I think Ken is someone who can seek consensus and compromise. The question wil be if republicans are willing to meet him in the middle,” said one Westchester democrat.
Jenkins served as a County Legislator, and for four years as Chair of the BOL. He ran for County Executive on two occasions. County Executive George Latimer tapped Jenkins to serve as Deputy County Executive six years ago. During that time Jenkins has forged strong ties to democrats across Westchester County and is widely seen as the front runner to become the next County Executive in 2025. County Executive George Latimer is term-limited from running for a third term.
Independent voters are hoping that Jenkins can bring about the compromise that voters asked for in 2014 Good luck Ken and Happy New Year!
