The Republican Party recently nominated New York State Assemblywoman Donna Ferrara of Westbury to run for a newly reapportioned 15th Assembly District (A.D.) Ferrara, who is the current assemblywoman of the 15th A.D., was selected over Marc Herbst, current assemblyman for the 14th A.D. She will run for re-election this November against Democratic candidate James Buonagura of Hicksville.

The new state legislative district boundaries, as drawn by the Joint Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment, have reduced Long Island's Assembly delegation from 22 to 21 seats, granting the remaining seat to New York City. The elimination of a Long Island district, however, means that Hicksville, which currently falls within the 14th A.D., will be reapportioned to the 15th A.D. With both Herbst, a resident of Hicksville, and Ferrara now residing within the same district, the Republican party was left with no other choice but to choose between the two representatives.

In a previously published report, Joseph Mondello, Nassau Republican chairman, said the GOP chose Ferrara because some 80 percent of the newly configured 15th A.D includes her current district with Hicksville being the only addition.

"I have served in the assembly for 10 years and I am honored to have the nomination once again," said Ferrara in a recent telephone interview. "I feel bad because Marc is my closest friend in the Assembly. While I am pleased to have the seat, it is bittersweet because I am upset that he has lost that seat. But I know he has a bright future in terms of politics and elected office."

The reapportionment of the assembly districts adheres to the principals expressed in the Voting Rights Act and follows each decennial census of the state's population in an effort to ensure that citizens are appropriately represented by their elected officials.

The 15th A.D is comprised of communities within the Town of Hempstead, Town of North Hempstead and Town of Oyster Bay. The district will run east from East Garden City and include its current territories of Mill Neck, Matinecock, Muttontown, Upper Brookville, Brookville, Old Brookville, Old Westbury, Westbury, Salisbury, East Meadow, Oyster Bay, Syosset, Jericho and Woodbury.

While the15th A.D. has gained Hicksville, it has lost North Bellmore to the 17th A.D. which currently falls under the jurisdiction of Maureen O'Connell. In addition, Carle Place will remain in the 17th A.D. and New Cassel will remain in the 13th A.D. under Assemblyman David Sidikman.

The new boundaries will be in effect for the 2002 election.

Also known as delimitation and reapportionment, redistricting results from population changes that are weighed against political considerations to determine whether a political district's lines need to be dramatically altered, slightly adjusted or left alone. The redistricting plan will determine how every citizen and community will be represented at the state and federal levels of government for the next 10 years. It will also determine whether New York's diverse communities will have sufficient political strength to elect candidates of their choice.

In a previous The Westbury Times article, Assemblyman William Parment, co-chair of the Task Force, said "If there were no population changes we wouldn't have to do this, but the population changes are such that some districts have as few as 100,000 people and some have as many as 170,000 people. [The] US Supreme Court's requirement for equal representation, the so-called one-person one-vote standard, must be met following each census."