BPC, FiDi Linked to Staten Island in Much Decried New Assembly District

Now one Assembly member will represent two very different parts of the city: northern Staten Island (left) and Battery Park City. Photos: Google (Staten Island); Carl Glassman/Tribeca Trib (Battery Park City)

“Absurd.” “Insensible.” “Ridiculous.”

Those are just a few of the descriptives that shocked Battery Park City community leaders are using to characterize a newly redrawn New York State Assembly district map that lumps their neighborhood with northern Staten Island.

Earlier this month, the Democrat-led Legislature passed—and Gov. Hochul signed—new congressional and legislative maps that include a radical change for Battery Park City, which currrently is divided into Lower Manhattan Assembly Districts, 65 and 66. The neighborhood’s new district, which also includes the west side of the Financial District, (plus Governors Island and Liberty Island) will become part of Assembly District 61 that now only includes Staten Island’s North Shore. 

At a recent meeting of Community Board 1’s Battery Park City Committee, members decried what they said was a lack of common interests in the two disparate areas.

“To be represented by somebody who’s so distant geographically and whose focus is on a very, very, very different community with very different needs than ours seems really unbelievable to me,” said Robin Forst, noting that Battery Park City is far more aligned with Tribeca and Greenwich Village.

“Our community has become orphaned,” said fellow committee member Robert Schneck.

Maryanne Braverman, a leader of the group BPC Seniors, mused that “maybe the Staten Island ferry will serve as an office for our new representative.”

Yuh-Line Niou, who now represents the southern half of Battery Park City as part the 65th Assembly District, is challenging incumbent Brian Kavanagh for his State Senate seat. (Northern Battery Park City currently falls in Deborah Glick’s 66th Assembly District, which also includes Tribeca and other neighborhoods to the north. Other than losing Battery Park City, Glick’s district remains mostly unchanged.)

State lawmakers, dominated by Democrats, drew up the new maps after an independent commission, equally represented by both parties, couldn’t agree on one. Republicans have filed suit against what it calls an “obviously biased” congressional map that favors Democrats. A challenge to the Senate and Assembly maps may follow. 

Just who will represent Battery Park City in the Assembly is all but certain to be determined in the June 28 Democratic Primary. With roughly 80% of the population in the new 61st District residing in Staten Island, Charles Fall, the incumbent, would be hard to beat for his only announced opponent, Justine Cuccia, who is from Battery Park City. Cuccia, chair of CB1’s Battery Park City Committee, is a veteran local activist and first-time political hopeful who had expected to run for the 65th Assembly District. That is, until she suddenly found herself living in the redrawn 61st. 

In telephone interviews, Fall and Cuccia said they are undeterred in their quest to appeal to voters far flung from their base. And both, while acknowledging they’ve spent barely any time in the other’s district, say they are working to catch up on local issues across the water.

“In my conversations with folks I’m getting up to speed on those hot topic issues that people really care about there,” said Fall, who is running for a third term. “I will petition the area and I will have a team that’s hearing people out. That’s just a fact.” He said he has asked Assembly leadership for an office in the Manhattan district.

Asked if the redistricting doesn’t make his job harder, he laughed. “I think it made it more interesting. I’m literally learning about a whole new section that I didn’t have before. So I’m looking forward to learning more and doing my best to deliver.”

(SILive.com reported on Feb. 14 that Fall may announce a run for congress rather than his current seat.)

For her part, Cuccia said she’s been boning up on issues important to northern Staten Island by studying the minutes of the local community board. And with ballot petitioning beginning next month, she said she’ll be there gathering signatures and talking to people. “It’s up to them to tell me what they want. I’ve got a lot of learning to do. But once I know what they need advocacy for, then that’s what I do best.” And there are some common interests, she noted, affordable housing and coastal resiliency among them.

“They’re our new neighbors now,” she added. “They’re part of our neighborhood.”

Fall and Cuccia are scheduled to participate in two candidate forums, each sponsored by a Lower Manhattan political club. The Downtown Independent Democrats will hold their forum for the 61st Assembly District during its general membership meeting, open to the public, on Wednesday Feb. 23, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The forum is expected to begin between 6:45 and 7 p.m. Viewers can go to the club’s website and look under “Events” to rsvp and get the Zoom link. New Downtown Democrats hosts a public virtual forum on March 2 at 6:30 p.m. that includes candidates for the 61st Assembly District as well the 10th Congressional District, now held by Rep. Jerrold Nadler. To receive the Zoom link, write to info@newdowntowndems.us.