Graham raises objections to draft congressional districts

Former mayor objects to draft congressional districts
Published: May. 18, 2022 at 5:57 AM EDT
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WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) - A former Watertown mayor is voicing opposition to drafts of congressional district maps released on Monday.

Former Mayor Jeff Graham sent a letter to state Supreme Court Judge Patrick McAllister urging him and the court-appointed expert who drew the lines to reconsider.

Graham says Jefferson County is in a predicament under the current proposal, which would split the county into two different districts.

He says the new lines aren’t fair to the county’s regional affiliations with other nearby counties, such as Lewis and St. Lawrence.

“Jefferson County and its relationship to this region,” Graham said. “You know, we all have sort of a common destiny with the different counties, even central New York, even Syracuse, and so on. Jefferson County becomes almost an appendage or sort of a rump end of a district that is really centered elsewhere in the state.”

Graham says he hopes state officials consider removing Jefferson County from the 24th district before the final map is released.

Public comment on the proposed maps will be accepted through Wednesday.

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