Thiele May Represent Southold, Shelter Island Under New Districts

The South Fork will share its state assemblyman with Southold and Shelter Island towns starting in 2012 if a redistricting plan unveiled Thursday based on the 2010 Census is adopted.

The office of , I-Sag Harbor, said in a statement Thursday afternoon that he has learned that under the plan his district would have new boundaries and become the new First Assembly District. He will continue to represent East Hampton and Southampton towns. But with the addition of Southold and Shelter Island towns, Thiele will lose a portion of southeast Brookhaven Town.

Assemblyman Daniel Losquadro, R-Shoreham, currently represents the First Assembly District, and Thiele represents the Second.

The new First Assembly District includes as much of the East End as is constitutionally possible, said Thiele, an East End separatist who would like to see the region split from Suffolk County and become a new entity, Peconic County.

Losquadro said Thursday that he has the most populous Assembly district in the state, serving nearly 150,000 constituents, so he knew he would lose part of his district. However, he said he would have preferred to keep the North Fork.

"I think the North Fork is better served by being contiguous with the North Shore as far as representation goes," Losquadro said. "Shelter Island has its own unique set of issues and could be served by either the North or South Fork, but the issues are different between the two forks. For one, the North Fork has a much higher rate of primary homeownership than the South Fork. And the North Fork has a much larger agricultural sector than the South Fork."

Thiele's current district has a population of 142,833, which is 13,744 constituents more than the average assembly district, according to his office. His new district will have a population of 128,929, 160 persons fewer than the average.

"My Assembly district had to be reduced in population under the state and U.S. Constitution," Thiele said. "This district plan does that without dividing communities in my district to serve the political needs of those to the west.”

The redistricting plan will be subject to public hearings and amendments and the final adopted plan will take affect in time for the 2012 election.

As is currently proposed, Losquadro's region will extend further west, to Mount Sinai Harbor. In the process, Losquadro will pick up part of the region he previously represented as a Suffolk County Legislator for seven years.

Thiele would lose the Brookhaven Town hamlets of Mastic, Mastic Beach and Shirley, but retain Manorville and the Moriches. The district would be 75.8 percent white, 4 percent black, 17.1 percent Hispanic, 1.1 percent Asian, and 0.6 percent American Indian, his office said.

Thiele was elected to represent the 2nd Assembly District in a 1995 special election. He ran as a Republican then, but a few years ago he changed his registration to the Independence Party. He had the backing of the Democratic Party during and took 58.6 percent of the vote.

The political make-up of the proposed new district could effect Thiele's chances of re-election.

Thiele said the new First Assembly District would be "politically competitive and does not discriminate against any minority group."

However, he said he will not vote for any redistricting scheme that does not include a constitutional amendment to ensure all future redistricting plans are prepared by an independent, nonpartisan commission. 

With reporting by Joseph Pinciaro.