[MUSIC PLAYING]
Massachusetts legislature-- I'm State Senator Will
Brownsburger.
And I'm here with my co-chair representative, Mike Moran.
And Representative Moran and I are the chairs of this hearing.
I'm going to do the honors in this particular run-through.
I'm going to introduce my senate colleagues who are with us.
We've got Senator Gobi, who is the vice chair.
And we've got Senator Hinds, who is
the westernmost member of the Massachusetts
Delegation at the Senate level.
[INAUDIBLE] in the 1st Congressional District as well.
That's right.
And Representative Moran, let me let you introduce your members.
All right.
Thank you, Senator.
And thank you to Congressman Neal
for taking time out of his schedule to attend this hearing
and give us his important feedback on redistricting,
and the process, and the importance of the 1st
Congressional District.
I'm going to quickly--
because of the technical difficulties
we're having and because of some of my commitments
that I've made, I'm going to be on and off this tonight.
So I want to introduce all the members of this committee, some
of who have logged in right now and some of who
will log in later.
But I want to start with my vice chair, the gentleman
from Lawrence, Marcos Devers.
I want to introduce the gentlelady from Provincetown,
Sarah Peake, the gentleman from Worcester,
James O'Day, the gentleman from Lawrence, Frank Moran--
no relative, just a good guy--
the gentleman from Lowell, Tommy Golden,
the gentleman from Mattapoisett, Bill Straus,
the gentleman from Worcester, John Mahoney,
the gentleman from Duxbury, Josh Cutler,
the gentlelady from Fall River, Carole Fiola,
the gentleman from Dorchester, Dan Hunt,
the gentleman from Springfield, Bud Williams,
the gentle lady from Pittsfield, Tricia Farley-Bouvier,
the gentlelady from Roxbury, Chynah Tyler,
the gentleman from Haverhill, Andy Vargas,
the gentleman from Duxbury, Kip Diggs.
The senior member of the Republican Party
on this committee is the gentleman
from Auburn, Paul Frost.
Also on this committee is Kim Ferguson from Holden,
and Nick Boldyga, Southwick, and Shawn Dooley from Norfolk.
And I'd also like to introduce at this point in time
the senior-most member of this committee and the gentleman
from Chicopee, Joe Wagner, to bring greetings from the 1st
Congressional District from the House of Representatives--
Joe Wagner.
Mr. Chairman, thank you very, very much.
And it's an honor for me to be here
with you, and our senate co-chair,
and all of our colleagues.
We continue down the road of working
toward defining congressional and senatorial and
representative districts here in Massachusetts.
The house chairman is not new to this,
obviously, having done it 10 years ago.
And the performance was really, really, really good.
We have a number of members from Western Mass on the committee.
And the house chair has introduced them.
So we're pleased to be here and talk
about issues important to us here in Western Massachusetts.
And we're honored to have Congressman
Neal on the line with us.
And we look forward to hearing from everyone
in Western Massachusetts here present
having an interest in the matter of redistricting.
And we look forward to your comments tonight.
I appreciate very much, Mr Chairman, the opportunity
to give a welcome.
And with that, I will kick it back to you
and/or the senate chair for additional remarks.
And we look forward to the testimony
that people will provide to us here this evening.
Thank you.
Thank you, Joe.
And again, thank you to all the members of the House
for attending this hearing.
And we're looking forward to hearing
what everyone has to say.
At this point, I'd like to pass it back to my senate co-chair,
Mr. Brownsburger, to carry on with the rest of this hearing--
Senator Brownsburger.
Thank you so much, Chairman.
I want to say just a couple of things
about how this is going to go.
We're going to hear from Chairman Neal momentarily.
And then we will call those who have signed up on our sign
up sheet.
And if you have not signed up but you do wish to testify,
what you want to do is go to malegislature.gov/redistricting.
You'll find the link to the hearing.
And you'll go through that.
And you'll get to the forum to sign up.
And I think that's really all we need
to cover before we get started.
So Mr. Chairman Neil, I want to thank you
for your patience with our preliminaries here.
We are, in fact, extremely honored to have you here,
really, and to be a part of the process of creating
the new districts in a way that's
supportive for everybody.
And so, Chairman, the floor is yours to offer your thoughts
on the redistricting process.
Well, thank you, Chairman Brownsburger
for your very good words.
And I want to thank Chairman Moran, as well,
and all the members of the committee.
Certainly we acknowledge the critical and important work
that's in front of you.
And we want to make sure that we thank you in proportion
to the responsibilities, as you've given us
an opportunity in Western Massachusetts
to state our case in this very important process.
In America, all of us should count and should be counted.
And no one is to be left behind.
That's the spirit of our constitution.
That's the spirit that lives on in our decennial census
and in the work of this very important committee.
I appreciate the challenge ahead of you.
I know you are all equal to the task and to ensure
that every resident of the Commonwealth
receives equal and fair representation.
The transparency of this process is an example for the nation.
And certainly proud of the example
that Massachusetts once again is setting.
While other states are passing laws
to restrict the right to vote, you
are engaged in a fair process with public hearings
like this one.
And very soon, I anticipate you will release draft maps
for public feedback.
This is a representative democracy
that is truly open to everyone.
And I'm glad you've asked me to be a part of it.
The 1st Congressional District is my home.
It stretches from Southbridge to Pittsfield
and includes 87 cities and towns in Central and Western
Massachusetts.
I'm really proud of the opportunity
I've had for all of these years to represent
my hometown of Springfield, the third largest
city in our Commonwealth.
The communities of the 1st District
have strong manufacturing industries
that build many of the things that we all
take for granted each day.
Our hospitals host world-renowned doctors
and scientists.
The 1st District is a center of higher education
with over 150,000 students pursuing higher education
at over two dozen institutions.
Meanwhile, the Berkshires have rightly
earned a reputation for world-class culture
from arts to theater and to film.
As this committee proceeds with its work,
I believe it's important to keep a watchful eye on maintaining
regional equity and respecting communities of interest.
I believe that Western Massachusetts
needs two members of Congress.
This is a unique region with a diverse mix of urban, suburban,
and rural communities, with a broad range of industries.
And it's home to deeply diverse communities.
With Massachusetts growing in population during this latest
census count, I am pleased that our congressional delegation
will remain nine members strong.
I can't tell you how important that is.
As a result, this committee has the opportunity to reaffirm,
as we decided 10 years ago, that Western Massachusetts needs
two congressional seats.
To me, this is a question of regional equity
across our state.
I am grateful for this opportunity
to speak to you today, and appreciate
the seismic challenge in front of you.
Thank you for your time.
I'd be happy to answer any questions that you might have.
Thank you so much for that, Chairman.
Are there other questions from the committee?
Mr. Chairman--
Representative Williams.
Thank you.
Thank you, my lifelong friend, Congressman Neal,
chairman of Ways and Means, thank you very much.
In terms of numbers being sent to us from the Census Bureau
from Washington, I think there's a September 30 timeline.
Is that going to be a real timeline?
Or, are we going to have to go beyond that?
Well, first of all a good word to you, Buddy Williams.
We have been friends since childhood.
And I think that the census got off to a bad start.
And I think that there were a series of shadows
that were cast upon the census.
And I think that that contributed
to the very slow undertaking of the count.
Then there were questions as to how people were to be counted.
I know in my own neighborhood, as the census was taken,
I had a chance to talk to one of the census takers.
And I only was too happy and helpful as they
were trying to gauge some households in the neighborhood
on a Sunday afternoon.
I think by and large, they did a really good job,
while simultaneously I know that we're certainly not
near the end of this process until those numbers are
certified and passed on to the various states.
And I anticipate, as all of you do,
that there will be a series of court challenges going forward.
Whether or not that happens in Massachusetts, I don't know.
But across the country, it is sure to happen.
So I don't want to volunteer a false promise or something,
it might not happen.
But I can tell you that in Massachusetts and the fact
that you've all been part of this committee,
the, again, the size of the responsibility
that legislators have every 10 years in making sure
that we adhere to one man or one woman
and one vote is really critical.
And I also would say that as quickly as we
can get the process underway, that would be great.
But I am also very mindful of the challenges that
are going to be forthcoming.
Thank you.
Thanks, Buddy.
I believe Senator Gobi has a comment as well.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
And always good to see you, Congressman,
and appreciate all the work that you do for our area.
And I just want to thank you publicly,
but also I do appreciate that you brought up
the regional equity, because that's obviously extremely
important, not just for the congressional seats
but for the legislative seats as well as we look
to this new redistricting map that we're
going to be looking at.
But I do appreciate your advocacy and all
that you've done for Western Mass, as well as Central Mass.
But again, the regional equity is something
that I share your concern and is well noted.
So thank you.
Well, thanks, Senator Gobi.
And you've indeed been a great pal over all of these years--
much appreciated.
Thank you.
I believe Representative Farley-Bouvier
has a comment or question.
Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman.
Sorry, am I echoing?
Nope, you sound good.
You sound good.
I just want to thank the congressman--
my congressman-- for joining us here today.
And he became my congressman as a result of the redistricting
last time, 10 years ago.
And at that time, there was, really,
a unified message from the Berkshires
to keep the Berkshires whole when it
came to the congressional seat.
And I think it's important for us
now to hear from the congressman on his view of that
because there's a lot of different ways
to carve up Western Mass, but I certainly
like to hear what you think about keeping the Berkshires
whole in this new map.
Well, thanks to you Representative Farley-Bouvier.
And you've been a good friend as well.
I wasn't wobbly on this issue 10 years ago.
And I'm not wobbly on it now.
There is no reason to split the Berkshires.
This is part of a community of interests.
And at the time, there was, as you recall,
an effort, at least in the discussion phases,
to divide the Berkshires-- trying
to figure out north of Pittsville, south
of Pittsville.
I was steadfast that I thought all of Berkshire County
ought to be part of the 1st Congressional District then
and now.
I couldn't agree more.
Thank you so much.
All right.
Well, that point is clearly made.
Any other questions, thoughts, comments from the panel?
I have one too.
Yes.
Good evening, Congressman Neal.
Great to see you.
Thanks for all of your work.
Kind of along the lines that Represent Farley-Bouvier
is discussing, you and I don't have many directions we can go.
We both border Vermont, New York, and Connecticut.
And so-- but I guess that question comes up
when people are talking to me about the State Senate
districts as well.
Would you go more to the north or more to the south.
And I'm just curious if you have any views on that for the 1st
Congressional District, and generally
where it would pick up population.
Well, I have no--
thanks, first of all, Adam.
And I-- word of thanks for your loyalties over the years too.
I have no current plans to invade Vermont.
I think that the people of Vermont
can be safe in their assumptions that there is no occupation
that's being planned.
But having to pick up some of the numbers here,
it seems to me that it's likely that we would
have to proceed to the east.
I'll leave the speculation specifically to all of you.
But over the course of the years,
I have represented communities all the way to Norfolk County
and Bellingham.
I represented the bulk of Worcester County
at different intervals in the early stages of my career--
Paxton, Holden, Princeton, Hubbardston.
Those were all parts of the 2nd District at the time.
And then with the amount of reapportionment all
through the Blackstone Valley, all the way to Blackstone,
Milford, and Bellingham, and even communities
that horseshoed around the city of Worcester,
north and south, at different times.
So I'm very familiar with that.
I was on the turnpike yesterday.
And I was looking at the Blackstone Valley corridor
signs.
And I was looking at the [INAUDIBLE]..
And Gobi would be very familiar with those.
And I was much involved in the establishment
of those successful pieces of legislation
a considerable period ago.
So it strikes me that since I can't head to New York,
I think it was probably a time when legislators were even more
creative.
And they would have tried that.
But I think that the fact that the courts are so much more
mindful now of how these districts are
drawn that headed east, I suspect,
would make the most sense.
Any other comments, questions, thoughts
while we have the honor of the presence of Chairman Neil?
Chairman, I want to say thank you again
for gracing us with your presence.
And thank you again for your patience
with our preliminaries.
And we look forward to working with you
as the process moves forward.
This is a big deal.
I know you're going to get it right.
And I certainly appreciate it the effort.
Thank you all.
Thank you.
Let's see.
So now I'm going to turn to a list of those
who have signed up on the form.
And the first person I have is Nancy Capron of Holyoke.
Nancy, are you on the call?
I don't see Nancy listed among those who
are attending at this moment.
So I'm going to go ahead and go to the next person.
Let me just-- got to keep a record here.
I see Marie Jacques Toussaint--
not appearing on the call.
I see Thomas Matusko--
not appearing on the call.
I do see a couple of elected officials who are on the call.
Let me try to let me try to get them in now.
I promoted Tom Matusko to the panel.
Thank you.
I believe Mayor Bernard is waiting to come on.
All right.
Well, let me represent Tom Matusko, who is currently--
is in the power.
You should be able to unmute yourself, Tom.
And why don't we make you a co-host so we
can see you momentarily here.
So you can turn on your video and your audio, Tom.
And then after that, we're going to go to Mayor LaChapelle,
and following that, Mayor Bernard.
I'm trying to turn my video on.
Can you see me?
Let me see if I've done that successfully.
Yes, sir.
There you go.
You're in business.
Thank you.
This is quite an audio.
Thank you, though, for the opportunity to testify.
So I am the executive director of the Berkshire Regional
Planning Commission, also known as BRPC.
The BRPC serves as the regional planning agency
for the municipalities of Berkshire County, which
is the westernmost county in Massachusetts,
with about 125,000 residents.
With about 950 square miles, Berkshire County
is the second largest county in Massachusetts.
There are 32 cities and towns in Berkshire County.
And to be sure, there are differences
between the municipalities in the county.
For instance, the two cities, which comprise nearly 44%
of the population, have similar issues
to other large urban areas.
Pittsfield, located in the center of the county,
is a gateway community.
North Adams, the smallest of the Commonwealth cities,
has some of the lowest income levels in the state.
On the other end of the spectrum,
however, there are very small towns, with 12 towns--
almost 40% of the municipalities in the county--
having populations under 1,000 residents.
Despite these differences, there is one common bond
between the communities of Berkshire County.
Residents of Berkshire County identify with and take pride
in being from Berkshire County.
There is a strong county identification.
The geography of Berkshire County
reinforces this identification.
Mountains and hills on the eastern and western boundaries
of the county limit access across those features.
Most residents travel north and south,
with Pittsfield serving as a regional employment and service
center.
Public transportation is oriented north and south.
For these reasons, county integrity should be maintained.
And the entirety of Berkshire County
should remain in one congressional district
so that the interests of Berkshire County residents
can be represented consistently and uniformly by one
congressman.
On the state side, I am advocating
for the senate and house districts
to be sized at the low end of the allowable range
due to the relatively large number of municipalities
in each district, the sprawling nature of the districts
with limited transportation access,
and the changing demographics caused by the COVID-19
pandemic.
The Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden senate
district, which currently is served by Senator Hinds,
is a large, sprawling district with 52 municipalities
in parts of four counties.
It would take Senator Hinds nearly two hours
to travel between the two extremes of Heath and Mount
Washington, mostly on secondary roads.
While the nature of communication is changing,
the personal connection between constituents and legislators
is still an extremely important component
of equitable representation, although the situation
is changing.
Many of the communities in this district
still do not have complete coverage by broadband.
On another matter, the 2020 census
will likely show a declining population in Berkshire County.
This census happened before the full impact of the COVID-19
urban exodus could be accounted for.
County households, as well as the other anecdotal indicators,
such as an article in The New York Times,
show that Berkshire County, as well as
other rural parts of Massachusetts,
is likely to gain population.
It seems like urban dwellers in the large metropolises
have finally learned the benefits of a calmer lifestyle,
especially now that teleworking has become commonplace.
Setting rural districts, such as those serving Berkshire County,
small now while keeping metropolitan urban districts
large now would account for anticipated future population
shifts as rural districts gain and urban districts
lose, thereby maintaining equitable representation.
Berkshire County is currently served by four representatives.
The county, as has been stated earlier,
is bounded by Vermont, New York, and Connecticut.
If districts need to grow, they can only grow to the east.
Doing so could result in the residents of Berkshire County
losing representation.
As the part of the state farthest from Boston
and the seat of power, Berkshire residents already
frequently feel that their issues and concerns
are not understood or listened to by eastern legislators.
We strongly advocate for as little change
to the representation of Berkshire County,
as well as all of rural Western Massachusetts, as possible.
Representative Farley-Bouvier represents the 3rd Berkshire
District in the city of Pittsfield.
Pittsfield is the most urban Berkshire community
with a relatively large nonwhite population.
She understands and represents the unique needs
of that community extremely well.
Pittsfield continues to need a strong voice.
Representatives Pignatelli, Mark, and Barrett mostly only
represent a blend of small towns,
in the case of North Adams, a small city,
and small rural communities.
I am a member of the Rural Policy Advisory Commission,
also known as RPAC.
RPAC was created by the legislature in 2015
with the mission of enhancing the economic vitality
of rural municipalities.
In the fall of 2019, the RPAC issue the Massachusetts Rural
Policy Plan.
That plant conducted an analysis of rural assets and challenges
and clearly demonstrated how rural areas need
specific policy investment and regulatory actions
to support their unique issues.
Currently, the 4th Berkshire District
encompasses much of Southern Berkshire County
and is represented by representative Pignatelli.
While these towns face most of the same issues
as other rural communities, increasingly, these towns
are facing a high second home market.
Communities have a history of working together
to address this common situation.
Paul Mark represents the 2nd Berkshire District,
this district is mostly comprised
of small rural towns in the northeastern part of Berkshire
County and extends into Western Franklin County to the east.
The Berkshire communities in this district
have many of the same socioeconomic challenges
as the rural Franklin County communities in that area.
Representative Mark has been a strong voice
representing rural issues.
John Barrett currently represents the 1st Berkshire
District.
This district is in the northern part of Berkshire County.
Anchored by North Adams and containing
other small rural towns, the residents of this district
are still transitioning from a manufacturing economy.
Therefore, while there are unique circumstances
in each of the communities in the three rural districts,
they need to continue to be represented
to preserve the rural voice.
This division, along with the strong Pittsfield district,
represents the Berkshire communities of interest
very effectively.
This is why we need four Berkshire districts.
The BRPC is very familiar with the demographics, economy,
and culture of the Western Massachusetts region,
and would be happy to provide any data analysis as it
would be helpful.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
And thank you for your consideration
of the unique needs of the Berkshire region
as you make these difficult decisions.
Thank you very much for that thorough testimony.
That was extremely helpful.
Made a lot of very useful points as we consider this--
what we're up against here.
Do members of the committee have questions or comments?
Rep.
Farley-Bouvier?
No.
I guess I just want to thank Tom.
And yes, if you need data about-- and sliced and diced
in any way, Tom's the go-to guy to get that.
So, appreciate it.
Wonderful.
Thank you so much for your testimony.
Well, thank you for your work that you do.
All right.
So I'm going to leave it to Andrew
to move people up and down.
I think the next person we want to get promoted is--
we got the mayor already here.
Hey, there she is.
Thank you very much, Andrew.
Mayor LaChapelle, I hope that you're able to get in.
You need to unmute.
And let me make sure that--
are you a co-host?
Let me make you a co-host so that you
can turn your video on.
Thanks.
There you go.
I think you should be able to be present here.
There we go.
There you go.
Thank you.
Good evening.
Thank you, Chairman Brownsburger and members of the committee.
It is very comforting to see so many Western Mass
knowledgeable representatives on this call.
And I appreciate the opportunity to testify.
I'm going to read a brief statement.
Great.
During the last redistricting process,
the population of District 1 slash
Western Massachusetts either saw weak growth
or, in some instances, a decrease.
As a result, elected representation
of the cities and towns west of Worcester
have been consolidated over and over again.
While population size is one determining
factor in the redistricting effort,
it's not the only factor.
I encourage the chairpersons and committee
to view Western Mass through these other lenses,
recognizing that equal representation extends
beyond the quantity of people.
While we anticipate that the population statewide has grown,
it appears to have done so disproportionately
around different regions.
As reported, Secretary Galvin has
indicated that the Congressional Districts 1 and 2 may expand
to encapsulate more population, with the eastern parts
of the state are likely to shrink.
This follows a trend from the 2010 census,
which resulted in a shrinking of Western Mass
congressional delegation and more sprawling
legislative districts.
This region has seen great turnover
in our elected officials at the municipal and state levels.
With record level of voter and community engagement
in Easthampton, we'll be utilizing ranked-choice voting
in this coming November election.
At a time when voting rights are violently
assaulted in our own capital, we should
be taking extraordinary steps to protect our democracy.
Lopsided geographic representation
and further consolidation of districts in Western Mass
could be a disservice to the people here.
While we may be tempted to view the western part of the state
as a sum of whole, there are drastic differences
in our municipalities.
This diversity is in fact what makes the region so special.
The majority of District 1 has been represented
by Congressman Richard Neal.
His tenure has been marked by delivering money back
to this region from North Adams to Sheffield.
We have been lucky to have someone in Congress who
understands the depth and the breadth of needs that
range from Springfield, our third largest city,
and Easthampton, our third smallest city.
We hope to continue our strong working relationship
with Chairman Neil.
Easthampton is the only city within the 2nd Hampshire
District group with the towns Granby, Hadley,
and South Hadley.
We're fortunate to have State Representative Dan Carey, who
is a native of Easthampton and a strong advocate
for our unique needs.
We hope to maintain the existing house district,
recognizing that expanding the district
is likely to mean the addition of another small to mid-sized
city.
And that may put our city at a disadvantage for resources.
Easthampton rests at the top of this 2nd Hampden and Hampshire
state district, represented by John alveolus broadly speaking,
it would be a disservice to our communities to further expand,
recognizing the challenges we face
when compared to eastern districts in Suffolk
or Middlesex County, marked by compact geography and far more
homogeneous needs.
In closing, I ask the redistricting committee
to be mindful that Western Massachusetts governing
districts on the state and federal level
are the strongest with like communities
who have the same challenges and strength.
We do best with solidified representation.
Thank you for the opportunity to offer comments today.
Thank you very much for your testimony--
very much appreciated.
Appreciate you bringing the perspective of a mayor.
Are there comments or questions from members of the panel?
I think everybody appreciated your testimony very much.
And we have no questions.
Thank you for being with us.
Thank you very much.
All right, take care.
So next, we've got a second mayor under, I believe.
Can we have Mayor Bernard?
Here he comes.
Should be able to turn on your video and unmute.
Let's see.
The video-- you need to be promoted to co-host.
Can you take care of that Andrew?
I cannot.
Only you can, as the host.
Feel free to make me the host.
I'd be happy to--
I have made you the host.
On it, thank you.
There you go.
You should be able to-- there you go, Tom.
There we go.
Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you members of the committee.
I especially want to thank my senator, Senator Hinds,
and my friend from the Berkshires, and someone who,
if you've spent any time with Rep.
Farley-Bouvier, you know she talks about collaboration
and how important that is-- so certainly
a friend to the 1st Berkshire District,
where I serve as mayor.
I just want to really share some appreciation with Tom Matusko
for setting the stage for what I'm about to say
and presenting the data.
He said it really clearly.
We need a strong voice.
We need for strong voices in the Berkshires.
Tom said it very clearly.
There are challenges for us in the Berkshires
that have to be understood and carefully
considered as part of the difficult work
that this committee has to do.
And they are related, as others have said, to regional equity
and to representation.
We know the size of the 1st Congressional District.
Chairman Neil mentioned it--
87 cities and towns, Senator Hinds, 52 cities and towns.
That's a challenge we feel at the state and federal levels.
And we know that we have a strong, effective
legislative delegation.
But as much as anything, the past year of COVID
demonstrated why we need as many voices
as possible in the Berkshires and from the Berkshires
representing us.
It does help to ensure, for the reasons
that Tom Matusko laid out, that the Berkshires
and the unique context of our communities
is part of the critical conversations that happen when
decisions are made statewide.
And it helps to protect and represent our interests
and to make sure that Western Massachusetts doesn't get
subordinated into a one-size-fits-all conventional
wisdom as we look at the needs of the Commonwealth.
So I'm going to share the ask that others
have made, that we keep the Berkshires whole in order
to keep our constituents connected to their government,
to their elected officials.
That, again, means we need to have four representatives who
have at least some interest in the Berkshires.
And to Tom's point earlier, that means
that we want to keep our population
on the lower end-- the lower 5% of that magic 43,937 number.
So we want to be on the low range, that
41,740, and that our senate districts mirror
the congressional district as much as possible.
Again, I would just encourage you
to take advantage of the incredible resource that
exists with Berkshire regional planning, the data
that they can provide, and the information that they
can share with you as you proceed with this.
Again, I want to thank you for your work.
I want to thank you for the time.
And as others, I'm happy to answer any questions.
Thank you very much, Mayor.
Really appreciate you being with us.
Are tehre questions from members of the panel?
If you don't mind, Mr. Chairman.
I know I'm taking up a lot of space today.
But I'm sure you understand why.
Totally.
Following up on the mayors, which I really appreciate
both mayors coming on.
I'm going to actually say something that might sound
a little bit controversial.
And that's what I'm going to say to you, Mr. Chairman,
that I do not believe that your constituents in your district
and the constituents of Senator Hinds
have equal access to government.
And that's for two reasons--
one, the distance-- maybe three--
the distance we are from the capital
and trying to get to the state house
to try to get any work done, the broadband
challenges we certainly have, but also
because of the sprawling district
that our senator represents.
And I know I'm supposed to be only thinking
about house districts.
That's my job here on this committee.
But it makes a difference.
I actually call this senate district the monster,
because it's that big.
And the variety of needs is that different.
And you try to get to one event--
one meeting or another--
actually, Zoom has helped a lot.
I think the Senator will agree that he's
able to get to more places.
But I really would like us to be thinking about beyond,
as Mayor LaChapelle said, just about a numbers game,
but the issue of access--
equal access to government is an issue
here for the people of the Berkshires.
Well you're-- by the way, thank you.
I'm happy to hear your thoughts about the Senate districts.
I think you have every right to have
an opinion on that subject.
And I thank you.
The challenge, of course, is to--
we do have--
I think that's an argument for going on the light range,
on the low end of the plus or minus 5%.
I mean, that's all we can do.
Agreed.
It's hard.
This is hard.
Other thoughts or questions, comments for Mayor Bernard?
And I thank you again, Mayor Bernard.
All right, thank you Mayor Bernard.
Thank you very much.
Appreciate you being with us.
Appreciate you weighing in.
Keep those thoughts in mind.
So is Al Blake among the attendees today?
Al Blake is on the sign up list, does not appear
to be on the list of attendees.
There's a chance that he's the Berkshire NAACP login.
That's a chance.
OK.
Well, let's go with that.
We've promoted him on that.
Let me ask him to unmute himself.
Thank you.
Want to him-- can you hear me?
Yes.
Yes, indeed.
Thank you.
Thank you for the opportunity.
My name is Al Blake and I have had a home in Becket
in the Berkshires for more than 40 years.
I'm currently a member of the town Planning, Zoning,
and Energy Committees, also a member of the Berkshire
Regional Planning Commission-- and shout out
to our chairperson for his comments--
and also several other local and state non-for-profit
organizations.
We moved full time to the Berkshires in 2010,
just prior to the last redistricting,
and unfortunately did not have an opportunity at that time
to provide input.
So I appreciate this opportunity to do so.
Major issues, such as housing, broadband, food security,
environmental, economic, and racial justice, transportation,
education, and the criminal justice system
are different in smaller, rural communities
than in larger cities, and the needs of both
should be addressed equitably.
I feel that can be done by keeping our counties together,
and I will say a few suggestions that I
think will make this a successful redistricting
process for all.
We do not want--
We lost you there at, we do not want.
--redistricting to dilute the rural votes.
So Franklin and Hampshire counties [INAUDIBLE] has
recognized that much activity happens at the County level,
for example-- mentioned earlier--
Let me interrupt you, Al.
Let me interrupt you.
[INAUDIBLE] county of government--
yes.
I think we're having a demonstration
of the broadband problems in Berkshire County.
Amen.
That's a perennial problem, unfortunately, here in Becket,
especially, so--
Why don't you go back over-- why don't you
go back over what you said the last paragraph or so,
which we did lose.
OK.
Major issues, such as housing, broadband, food security,
environmental, economic, and racial justice, transportation,
education, and the criminal justice system
are different in smaller rural communities
than in larger cities.
And the needs of both should be addressed equitably.
I feel that can be done by the following--
we do not want redistricting to dilute the rural vote.
So keeping Berkshire, Franklin, and Hampshire at county seat
is recognized at the county level,
for example, within Berkshire Regional Planning and Franklin
County governments.
And keeping the counties together
will facilitate the work that we do together.
Having a transparent redistricting process
that equity presents BIPOC communities, low income people,
and immigrants in our district, I
am committed to advocate for a statewide map that
keeps our communities whole and increases the number
of majority BIPOC districts.
If we work together, we can create districts that maximize
our community's chances of authentic representation,
and open new opportunities for building power.
Thank you for your time.
I think we got that.
I think at about the 98% level.
Thank you
And again, that was a good demonstration of the challenges
of broadband out there.
Yeah.
So we appreciate your testimony.
Thank you.
I think strongly on the same point of,
let's keep the country together.
If I may, could you talk a little bit
about how Berkshire and Franklin or Berkshire in Hampden
work together, Because That's something I'm interested in.
And I lost a little bit of it due to the problems.
Sure.
Can you still hear me?
In and out.
OK, I'll try.
As I said, I'm chair of the Energy Committee in Becket.
And I've done a lot of work with both Berkshire and Franklin
County.
And both of those counties have strong energy committees
that represent their rural communities.
I haven't done much work in the other counties,
but I know for a fact that both the Franklin
County and Berkshire County have worked well together
and continue to do so, and adding the other counties
together with the regional governments
that we used to have, I think, would go a long way
to represent the people of those counties.
Thank you.
That came through loud and clear.
Thank you.
Other questions for Mr. Blake?
[SIDE CONVERSATION]
All right, Mr. Blake, thank you so much for being with us.
Appreciate your testimony.
Thank you for having me.
I believe the next person up would be Nancy Stenburg.
You see Nancy?
[INAUDIBLE]
I'm not seeing Nancy on the call.
So I'm going to go next to Michael Zanca.
Is Michael Zanca on the call?
Not seeing him.
Geoffrey O'Connell?
Nope.
Jack Perenick.
I see Jack.
Mr. Chair, Mr. Chair?
Yes.
Geoff O'Connor, I think, would be with a G.
And Linda O'Connell, his partner,
had mentioned that he was there a little bit earlier.
Just in case he does hop on, I know
that there was a conversation between, I guess,
some of the staff and her on our chat.
But we can move on until you guys figure out
if he's on or not.
Somebody who's identifying as the owner
has said that they are here.
So I'm promoting owner to the panel list.
Owner must be Geoff O'Connell then.
Yes, sir.
OK, great.
So promote him to a panelist.
In fact, make him a co-host, Andrew so he can--
Yep, ready to go.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
All right, Mr. O'Connell, you should
be able to turn on your video as well, if you'd like to.
There you go.
Welcome.
Thank you I'm here, actually, to address
an issue within CD1 relating to the State
Senate and Springfield.
Thank you for the opportunity to do it.
My name is Geoffrey O'Connell.
I recently moved from Springfield Ward 6 in the 1st
Hampden and Hampshire District to downtown Springfield's Ward
1 in the Hampden district, where my Senator is Adam Gomez.
And I come before you today in support
of maintaining two state senate districts that include wards
and precincts in Springfield.
I oppose consolidation of Springfield
into a single district.
As the third largest city in the Commonwealth,
Springfield should be treated equitably
with Boston and Worcester, which are each represented
by more than one State Senator.
I also support redistricting that
creates a Massachusetts General Court that better reflects
and serves historically underserved and disenfranchised
communities.
I'm sure others more rightfully qualified
to address those issues will do so later.
But I believe the goals are compatible.
I believe that to make the arc of history bend toward justice,
redistricting must be sensible and sustainable.
You must be guided by the realities
of what constitutes a genuine community of interest.
My perspective is that of a journalist and a newsroom
executive whose work entailed an analytical understanding
of how communities and the markets they comprise function.
In my years of publishing, understanding
how people interact in geographic units
was critical to fully serving readers,
not only where they live but where they work,
where they grab a pizza, where they go on dates,
where they go for health care.
In essence, what political, economic, and cultural
situations actually cross city boundaries,
defying lines on ward and precinct maps.
I think you hear from the Berkshires similar concerns
about genuine communities of interest.
Demographers and market analysts and the businesses
that rely on them have long used what's
called the metropolitan statistical area to roughly
analyze and broadly characterize these human groupings,
these communities of interest.
A more instructive analysis, at least for Springfield,
is the combined statistical area.
This designation seeks to group together towns and cities
that have a very high level of overlap in commercial trading
areas, labor markets, media markets--
that is smaller cities and towns centered
on a large central city with shared fates.
In the Commonwealth, only Boston and Springfield
are designated consolidated statistical areas.
That's because actions in each of these central cities
strongly impact the surrounding communities.
And the surrounding communities impact the central urban area,
sometimes for good, sometimes for ill.
Allow me to submit for your consideration
a personal example of what happens
when governments are cavalier in defining communities
of interest.
In 1979, I was editor of the Valley
Advocate, a newsweekly with offices
in Springfield and Amherst.
I led a team of investigative reporters examining
the possible impact of the proposed [INAUDIBLE] shopping
mall in the city of Holyoke, and the region's largest shopping
district, downtown Springfield.
We concluded in a nationally award winning series
that the impact would be devastating.
And in time, it was.
Many of Springfield's iconic retailers closed their doors.
Springfield, as the political and cultural heart
of the region, was diminished.
And so, as with many changes in which cities are left behind,
the impact on the subsequent loss of shopping and jobs
accessible by foot and public transportation
landed disproportionately on communities of color.
Springfield's having two voices in the State Senate
with a strong commitment to the people of Springfield is fair,
just, and in line with what we know
about the centrality of the most populous urban centers
in combined statistical areas.
Having these two senators also tied
to Springfield's adjacent communities
bolsters regional cohesion and strength--
two voices seeking common ground on, well, common ground.
So redistrict with an understanding
of naturally occurring communities of interest.
Then do everything in your purview
to enfranchise, empower, and enable
the full voting participation of historically
disenfranchised communities.
Don't just juggle the numbers to fashion a lone senate
districts for Springfield, elect one person of color,
and call this a solution, lift every voice
in every corner of the Commonwealth.
Build a sustainably diverse future
across all communities in all that you do.
I thank you for your time.
Thank you very much for your testimony--
much appreciated.
Are there questions for Mr. O'Connor?
O'Connell-- forgive me, sir.
No problem.
The little spreadsheet I have was truncating
the end of your name there.
I know the issue well.
You're doing great.
Thank you.
All right, well, you--
very, very knowledgeable perspective,
very much appreciated.
I thank you for your testimony.
Thank you.
Next up, I think we have Jack Perenick of Longmeadow.
Jack, you're up.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
There we go.
Thank you.
I'm Jack.
I am right now a resident of Hampden County.
And I just want to speak on how important it is for Hampden
County, which is very nearly a full county inside the 1st
Congressional District-- we actually--
a bit of Palmer, which was separated to maintain
perfect equality after the 2010 census,
was actually severed from the district.
99%-- we are fully within the 1st Congressional District.
And I just want to speak a little about how important it
is to make sure that the divide--
Representative Neal touched on how the 1st Congressional
District, mathematically, must extend eastward.
There's nowhere else for it to go.
That is simply a mathematical reality.
However, the choice on where it goes eastward
is extraordinarily important to maintain
the importance of this district, as well as
not affecting the 2nd Congressional District
and damaging both in that process.
I work for the District Attorney's Office.
I am the president of the Youth Advisory Board.
And one of the biggest things we do in our office
is we go out to school districts.
And we speak to all the parents of the school district at once.
And you would not believe how many times when we do that,
we cross into the 2nd Congressional District.
And that is because, right now, the district does not
extend far enough east on the south,
along the Connecticut border.
Right now, if you look at the lines that are currently
drawn very specifically, all you have to do
is look at Warren and Brookfield to understand
why the 1st Congressional District needs
to expand support along the Connecticut border.
Right now, there's unified school district
for North Brookfield, East Brookfield, and Spencer.
Right now, they are severed along the 1st
and 2nd Congressional District.
As we all know, the 1st Congressional
needs to pick up 40,000 new residents.
And this is actually a great opportunity
to expand the district while uniting communities
there within the same school district here,
and as such are very well unified.
The reason that these districts go to unify and form
consolidated districts in the first place
is because they have a lot in common.
They have well-developed public infrastructure
to keep them united.
And they often have family lines that go across towns.
And so by expanding the first congressional
into Warren, North Brookfield, Spencer,
and then finally picking up the remaining pieces by fully
uniting the city of Webster along
with the end of the Connecticut border
as we hit Rhode Island is not only something that
has to be done mathematically, but by doing so,
we actually unite a singular cultural area of the district
and solve a problem that's been plaguing the southern part
of this county.
I will just say, as someone from Hampden County,
I'm very proud of our congressional representation
in the west, and our dual representation.
Having two chairmen and two committees
is extraordinarily important, but also
how important it is to keep Berkshire County and Hampton
County fully united within the first congressional district.
I know very few people in the county
other than myself that have actually been to all 23 towns
and cities in the district.
I've been to all of them.
And what people don't realize is the Berkshires don't
end with Berkshire County.
The Berkshires, both as a mountain range
and as a cultural area, expand to six towns
in Hampton County--
in Russell, Blandford-- as we go for even further
into Granville, and Southwick, and Russell,
there are areas that are very much
a part, both geographically by road condition and culturally,
a part of that region.
And so making sure that we continue
to create that as we go eastward is very important.
And I just want to speak on how important it is that the second
congressional district maintain pieces of Hampshire
and Franklin, and really echo the Congressman in saying that
what cannot be allowed to happen is a district which expands
mathematically westward and does so without regard for that very
important split in the counties.
That cannot be allowed to happen simply because if we continue
to extend towards the Connecticut River on that
district, you will do irreparable harm to both
districts, both in their intellectual abilities--
the five college system being, right now,
kept almost entirely together, with the only exception
of South Hadley, it's very important that we make sure
that as the 1st and 2nd Congressional Districts are
required to grow, that we do so without breaking apart the very
important balance that has held them together for so long.
And so by adding into that, critically, North Brookfield,
Spencer, Webster, and, as necessary,
making sure that when population balancing has to occur,
it does so with a very precise attention to town lines--
very important not to break precincts within a town
because that can create undue pressure.
And it further prevents people from being
able to socialize and discuss the politics
within their town that isn't split across borders.
And so my strongest plea to you would be,
when population balancing needs to occur,
do so in a way that does not transfer of precinct
out of a town, but rather transfers the entirety
of a town to a district to make sure that that balancing
can occur.
I thank you so much.
I would appreciate any questions that you have.
But I'm very passionate about the 1st Congressional District
here.
And I want to make sure that we use this population
rebalancing, actually, as an opportunity to make sure
that our expansion south along the Connecticut border
keeps us more united and actually strengthens
community bonds in that area.
Thank you so much.
And I would welcome any questions you have.
Thank you very much for your passionate testimony--
much appreciated.
Are there questions for Mr. Perenick.
Think you got your message across.
Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Let me now recognize Cheryl Rose.
Hi.
OK.
Just my-- my internet's a little bit slow,
but not as bad as Al's.
Thank you very much for the opportunity to comment today.
I think we've all seen that redistricting has been elevated
in the national conversation.
And I've certainly come to appreciate how it is really
at the core of our democracy in a truly
representative government.
I guess I just want to echo a few of the things that
have been said and just put my own two cents in here.
I live in Dalton, which is in the eastern part--
in the central east of Pittsfield and then up
and into the hill towns.
And representative Mark is my representative.
And he has to cover all the way to Greenfield.
So he covers quite a distance.
I want to just attest to the intimacy of Berkshire County,
as somebody who is active on a number of issues
in my political party as well as on environment
and other just issues that involve government
and being involved in the issues.
We work up and down the county and, across the county line,
east over into Franklin County and Hampshire County.
And that's where I feel closest.
And I want to comment that I've lived
in the Berkshires for about 35 years.
And it was very palpable, when we lost our congressman
and became joined with Springfield,
how much our voice was diminished.
I want to make that comment, that I do
feel that Springfield really dominates this district right
now.
And I feel underrepresented in that sense,
I think the Berkshires absolutely should remain whole.
We are geographically big, but very intimate
in many, many ways.
My understanding is our population
is 1/7th of the district.
So you can imagine how we are diluted
compared to an urban center like Springfield.
So when I look at the map of our district
and I hear Congressman Neal speaking about Worcester
County, it really makes me nervous
that you're going to add more areas of population that
are close to Worcester and more Springfield.
And that just feels more and more
like we're just getting further and further from the center
of our representation.
So I'm just asking, I guess, two things, which are one,
please keep Berkshire County whole, yes.
And two, if you have to add population, which
is my understanding, that you go more east into Franklin
County and Hampshire County.
So that's where-- I feel like our rural counties are
underrepresented right now.
And adding more things close to Worcester or Springfield
is not going to help us that way.
So that's what I wanted to share.
Thank you.
Thanks for the chance.
Thank you very much for that.
Thank you very much.
Clear message-- any questions from members of the committee?
Thank you so much for taking the time to testify--
much appreciated.
Thanks for the opportunity.
So let's see.
I believe we've recognized Tom Bernard.
Is Rose Webster-Smith here?
Not seeing her under that name.
David Greenberg is here.
How about David Greenberg?
Can we recognize David Greenberg?
David you should be able to both unmute yourself and turn
on your video at this point.
Ok.
Oh, there I am.
Thank you.
All right.
Well, I'd first like to thank redistricting committee chair
Senator Will Brownsburger and Representative Mike Moran,
as well as other members of the committee,
for hosting this public hearing and for their commitment
to engaging with citizens of the Commonwealth
throughout this process.
My name is David Greenberg and I have been a resident of Colrain
for roughly 35 years.
And I'd like to echo what Al and Cheryl said a little bit back.
I believe that the counties of Berkshire, Franklin,
and Hampshire define a community of interest.
And I would hope that they are part
of one congressional district.
I believe that this area of Western Massachusetts
has much in common, including a level of virality rarely seen
in other parts of the Commonwealth.
Franklin County has a population density
of 104 people per square mile, the lowest in the Commonwealth,
followed by Berkshire County at 142,
Hampshire County ranks fifth at 315.
This means that we have severe challenges in common.
They include funding our very large regional school
districts, delivering public transportation services
to our residents, and providing broadband coverage
to our communities.
The Mohawk Trail Regional School District
is the largest geographical district in the Commonwealth,
comprising 256 square miles and eight towns.
Transportation costs are extremely high.
And the Commonwealth has never fully covered the cost
as it promised to do when regionalization
was being encouraged.
Declining populations are forcing some towns
to close their local schools--
Leyden and Heath come to mind--
which is a huge area of concern.
Many of the districts in the three counties
have similar challenges.
Public transportation routes for an aging population
are extremely limited.
Funding is inadequate.
Again, this problem is common to the three counties.
Roughly 12 years ago, I co-founded WiredWest
to advocate for broadband connectivity
in Western Massachusetts.
At its height, WiredWest represented 44 towns
in the most rural parts of Berkshire, Franklin,
and Hampshire counties, towns where for-profit internet
providers ignored because of their low density, which
severely limited the profit potential of companies
like Comcast and Verizon.
Our collective advocacy-- took a long time-- eventually paid
off.
In many of these towns, they're finally
building municipal fiber networks.
I'm hoping to finally get connected in about two months.
WiredWest is an excellent example
of the three counties coming together
over an issue of mutual concern.
Per capita income is also very similar for these three
counties-- $35,376 for Berkshire,
$33,694 for Franklin, and $36,896 for Hampshire County.
Historically, towns have come together at the county level
to achieve common goals.
For example, the Franklin Regional Council of Governments
provides services to many of the 29 towns in Franklin County.
The Berkshire regional planning commission
serves a similar role in Berkeley County,
collaborating with 32 communities,
as we heard about earlier.
I believe our county should gather for the many reasons
that I've outlined.
I want to thank the commissioners
for their consideration of keeping Berkshire, Franklin,
and Hampshire Counties in one congressional district.
Thank you.
Thank you-- clear message, makes a lot of sense.
Let me ask you a question, if I may.
When you think of the community of interest, especially that--
I'm sort of interested in the way you
look at the senate district.
Do you consider the hill towns, like a Russell, Blandford,
Goshen, Ashfield, Heath, Claremont, Shelburne
Falls, those kind of towns-- do you consider those sort of part
of the Berkshire orbit?
Well, I would, except the transportation problems are
so difficult. It takes a long-- for me to get to Pittsfield,
I have to take 91 down to the turnpike.
Or, I have to take 116 across, or Route 9.
It's a long way to travel.
Where do you live again?
I'm sorry.
It's a hard-- it's hard to travel
to Berkshire County for us because of the mountains
and the lack of east-west roads.
I mean, there's Route 9, there's 116, and there's the turnpike.
I'm in the very northern part of Franklin County.
Which town are you in, again?
I'm sorry.
Colrain.
Oh, Colrain.
That's right.
You said that at the outset.
Thank you.
So when I worked with WiredWest, I
mean there certainly is a commonality
of interest among some of the towns you've mentioned.
But I think transportation issues make it difficult
for us to do a lot of work with Berkshire County.
I tried, when I was the head of a technology
consortium of schools, it was mostly Franklin and Hampshire
counties.
We reached out to the Berkshires,
but it was just too difficult.
In those days, of course, we had face to face meetings,
which last year or so we could have done Zoom easily
with folks in the Berkshires.
But the city, one, itself takes hours to drive from one end
to the other.
So I don't know if that answers your question.
I think so.
Thank you.
Other questions for Mr. Greenberg?
Thank you very much, Mr. Greenberg--
appreciate your thoughts.
Thank you.
Let's see.
Is Manraj Gill on the line?
Not seeing Manraj.
Mayor LaChapelle has already testified.
I don't see Lisa Berkowicz.
I don't see Osa Flory, I don't see--
I guess Cheryl Rose has testified already.
Ernesto Cruz-- Ernesto Cruz is on the line.
Let's remote Ernesto Cruz.
Hello, can you hear me?
We can hear you.
And we can't see you yet.
But you do have the ability to-- there you go.
Thank you.
Thank you, Senator Brownsburger.
I'm Ernesto Cruz.
I'm in the Hampden district.
And I work with Neighbor to Neighbor.
We represent members from underserved communities
and working class communities.
And we aid them in the civic process
to advocate for themselves.
Thank you for hosting this to all
of the legislators on the committee.
And thank you for really being there for us
as we ask questions.
And this is not the first time that I've
been engaging in this with Neighbor to Neighbor.
So I'll just advocate on behalf of some
of the members who weren't able to make it here today.
So they had three main concerns that we've
been able to synthesize.
And we're going to be conducting more outreach to get more input
and more maps before the August deadline.
So number one is that members believe
we're in a lose-lose situation, due to population trends.
So whether we put everyone in less districts
or separate groups that we represent into more districts,
we believe we're losing representation to some degree.
And that's an issue that they're concerned with.
Another thing is that the current split between east
and west along I-91 puts Springfield
with communities across the river
and on the other side, which don't share our issues.
And so nothing against them, but the issues are different.
And we believe that Springfield and Chicopee and Holyoke
have more in common that we think is important.
And that also leads to the fact that, as a delegation
in Western Mass, our members are well served also
by representatives in Northampton
and other areas that listen to our membership
regardless of the district that they reside in.
Then the final point is that looking ahead,
upgrades in transportation and infrastructure--
they may trap us into districts that we
have to live with for 10 years that could change abruptly
and drastically.
And this could create disenfranchisement
through gentrification and displacement,
the likes which we haven't seen in our lifetimes.
So that's something that we're looking at, not just the way
the districts look today, but what
do they look like if we have high speed rail?
What do they look like if we have other issues that we can't
foresee right now and we are then locked into districts
where we become further disenfranchised?
Thank you for your time.
I really appreciate it.
And we will be collecting more feedback from the community.
Thank you.
We appreciate the work that you do
to bring the voices of the community
together and present them to us in a synthesized way.
That's very helpful.
Do members of the panel have questions for Mr. Cruz?
Chairman Brownsburger-- a rep, by the way, I have--
Ernesto, I just have one quick question.
Does Neighbor to Neighbor have any recommendations?
Right now we're going to be conducting more feedback.
So for us, it's really about getting it from community.
So be on the lookout for invitations for more of that.
So we'll be hosting some that are hybrid events where
some people in person and some people
online-- where we'll be drawing out the maps together.
But it's an open invitation to anyone in Western Mass
to come meet with us and work on keeping districts
together and really discussing the particulars.
Just make sure you get that information to the committee
so we can have it in a timely manner.
Thank you.
Thank you for your testimony.
OK.
If I'm not mistaken, there is nobody
else who's asked to testify.
I tell you what I'm going to do--
I'm just going to make a couple of comments--
but Mr. Cruz, I think--
forgive me.
I think we've-- no other questions for Mr. Cruz, right?
OK.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Thank you so much for your testimony, Mr. Cruz.
What I'm going to do now is just make a couple of comments
to give people a second in case somebody
else is trying to get in because we missed them.
I see a question in the chat, which
I'll just go ahead and answer because it
is a technical question.
The amount of conservation land, or this land area,
has nothing to do with the definition of a district
in census calculation.
What we have to equalize in the redistricting process,
or come close to doing so, is population, not land area.
And of course, in Western Massachusetts,
that does create the challenge, because of the low density,
that the districts get very spread out.
But the fundamental principle which guides everything we do
is, one person, one vote.
And so that means that we count people, not trees
when we do redistricting.
And in terms of the time frame, we are hoping to--
we have what we view as a hard deadline of finishing
our redistricting process all the way to end of job,
meaning we have passed a law implementing
a new redistricting plan, and it's
on the governor's desk by late October, early November.
And that reflects constitutional timelines
that affect the planning for people
who are seeking to run for state representative,
either as incumbents or as challengers.
They have to live in their district for one
year before they get elected.
So if they're going to be elected in 2022, in November
'22, they need to be a resident of their district in November
2021.
So that shapes our timeline.
And the Senate in the Congress, they
basically all have to be done at the same time.
So that means that we need to have our plans done, as I said,
end of October, early November, and to give ourselves
some time--
the public time to see what we're doing,
give us some time to debate.
That really means that by the end of September--
very close to the end of September, earlier if possible,
we do want to have plans on the street for people
to be reviewing.
So that is our timeline.
And one thing that may be confusing for people,
there are two releases of the census data.
Census data will come out in its final, final form
in the end of September.
However, the same data will come out
in a different format, which we can work with,
in the middle of August.
So we will be working on our districts
in the middle of August and hopefully getting things
together for late September.
That is our timeline.
And we're doing hearings across the state of the same type.
And we also will be doing some special language hearings
to make sure that people can participate in any language.
And before we entertain a motion to adjourn,
I haven't gotten notice of anybody who's
trying to testify, does any member of the panel
wish to make any comments or raise any issues?
Mr. Chairman, if I may.
Yes, Representative Williams.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Is there anyone still on from the Berkshires, the 413?
I'm just trying to get a little clarification
on if we expand the 1st Congressional District,
we've got to pick up 30,000, 40,000 votes, whatever it is,
and we have to go east.
Some folks are questioning, we should go more
into the Berkshires.
Can someone explain all that to me while I'm still--
I don't know if this is--
I'm going to tell you what I heard,
just in case it's helpful, because I
was sort of glancing at the map while we were talking.
The current 1st Congressional District is a bit of an L.
So it has all of the Berkshires.
But then it sort of has the southern part of Massachusetts.
So some people are saying extend the southern tail
of that district.
And we did hear a little bit about extending some points
in the northern part of it--
so if that makes sense.
But the question, I think, is whether you extend the--
Exactly, whether you go south or whether you go east, I guess.
I mean, it's all sort of east.
But are you doing it on that long tail
of the L in the south?
Or, are you doing it on the short part of the L
that runs towards the north?
Yeah.
Anybody else want to jump in on that?
No, Mr. Chair.
I just wanted to just thank you for conducting this hearing.
And thank you to all of the committee
members that attended.
I know that this is a very hard conversation to have.
Listening to all the testimony from individuals
in the Berkshires, I can completely
understand why they would want Berkshire County to stay whole.
And then also, with the gentleman's testimony
from down in Brookfield, understanding that in that area
down by the lower part of the L, going into Worcester County,
some of those districts would want to become whole as well.
But understanding that there's a lot of great work ahead of us,
I just wanted to thank you and also
Chair Moran on all the due diligence on making sure
that moving this hearing, even if it's virtually,
across the entire state is so readily important.
And thank you for letting, at least
the voices that were here, to be heard.
And I look forward to working with this committee
to making sure that this great feat is
done in equitable fashion.
Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you so much for your leadership on so many issues.
I do see that Jack Perenick has asked
if he could make a brief addition to his remarks.
I'm going to permit that.
So if-- thank you-- we could get Jack in a position
to add to his remarks.
Go ahead, Jack.
Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman.
I just want to reiterate on that question of where
the district is to expand--
just for Representative Williams' benefit here--
it is not possible, what was suggested tonight,
to have a district that is composed
of only the Berkshires, Franklin, and Hamden.
That's 380-- something-- thousand people.
It's not enough.
It's nowhere near the requirement.
You cannot create a district that does not involve
Springfield and Worcester.
The question is really, where do you make that expansion?
Right now, it includes parts of it.
And it was suggested in the course of the testimony that,
oh, have a district that is the Berkshires, and Franklin,
and Hampshire.
And while that might be desirable,
it simply isn't mathematically possible.
It's only about a half a congressional district.
And so the question really becomes,
where do you get that other 350,000 people?
Because Camden County is, as a whole, included,
I advocate very strongly going into Worcester County,
because if you combine those counties in the top,
you then force the 2nd Congressional
District-- it must, mathematically,
go into Middlesex County.
And so then you really have no representation
for Western Mass, because just the push down
effect of what happens there-- and maybe this
is something to bring up during the 2nd Congressional
District's testimony-- but just mathematically,
if the first takes on that many more people in the north,
you force the 2nd District to not be a Western Mass
district anymore.
It has to take on votes from Middlesex
or creep down into the South Shores.
So I just want to make that point very saliently
and say it's critically important
that, while that might be desirable to have
a district that is Berkshires, Franklin, in Hampshire,
it's not possible.
And so for that reason, it's critically important
to think about extending into that the south
on the Connecticut border.
Thank you for allowing me to come in and ammend that.
And if I can answer any question on that, I'd be willing to.
Thank you.
Thank you, sir.
All right.
Nobody else jumping in.
I'd entertain a motion to adjourn.
So moved, Mr. Chairman.
Second.
Thank you, Representative Williams.
Thank you, Representative Farley-Bouvier.
All in favor, say aye.
Aye.
Any opposed?
The hearing is adjourned.
Thank you.
Good meeting, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.