Redistricting madness leaves Bronx residents angry, confused

Rep. Charlie Rangel, the longtime Harlem powerbroker, and Washington Heights pol Adriano Espaillat could vie to represent

a chunk of the Bronx on Capitol Hill under the latest redistricting plan out of Albany.

And proposed state Senate and Assembly district maps carve up some Bronx neighborhoods, such as Bedford Park and Morris Park.

Bronx voters left a community forum in Norwood last week bewildered by the convoluted process that draws new legislative district lines every ten years.

"This business is crazy," said Lorraine Stewart, a retiree from Tracey Towers in Bedford Park. "You can't sit in Albany and know what we need down here."

State lawmakers have yet to agree on a Congressional plan, with New York due to lose two districts. But maps drafted by a federal judge append Norwood, Bedford Park and Kingsbridge in the Bronx to the uptown Manhattan district long held by Rangel.

The plan could favor a challenger such as Espaillat, currently a state senator, because the new district would be majority Hispanic, not African-American.

Espaillat formed an exploratory committee Sunday to run for Congress.

The lines could become final if approved by a panel of three federal judges by March 20. But the plan will be scrapped if Senate Republicans and Assembly Democrats reach a deal first.

But the proposed maps divide the borough between four Congressional districts, including three based outside of the Bronx, in Manhattan, Queens and Westchester County.

Norwood resident Anthony Rivieccio, who attended the forum put on by advocacy groups Common Cause and La Fuente, called Rangel an outsider.

"When Charlie Rangel can find my house, I'll know how to respond," Rivieccio joked.

In 2010, state lawmakers vowed to make the process less political. But draft maps released by an Albany task force in January included Senate and Assembly districts gerrymandered to apparently protect incumbents and settle scores.

In the Bronx, the Senate district currently held by Jeff Klein is slated to absorb Riverdale and parts of Norwood and Bedford Park, taking blocks from Espaillat and Sen. Gustavo Rivera.

"We get sliced and diced," complained Barbara Stronczer, president of the Bedford Mosholu Community Association.

Morris Park could also fracture, with two Assembly districts drawn for the neighborhood.

"You give us two elected officials and you dilute our voice," moaned local leader Mark Gjonaj. "You scar our neighborhood for the next decade."

dbeekman@nydailynews.com

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