Transcript for Piscataway Re-warding meeting on January 11 2022


Note: Transcripts are generated by rev.ai and may not be fully accurate. Please listen to the recording (below) if you feel any text is inaccurate.

Speaker 0     00:00:00    Okay. Alright. I pledge allegiance to the flag of America, to the Republic, for which it stands indivisible with Liberty and justice. The morning work meeting has been provided with respect to the whole news Tribune published and it's Pope county, board of elections and the municipal. What must be introduced to the minister for those units? That old war commission meetings are recorded. I had the roll call.  
Speaker 1     00:00:56    What commissioner? Angle word, commissioner, angle, Word, commissioner, Frankl, word, commissioner Katz, residence, word commissioner. Moscowitz Ward, commissioner jello, ward commissioner. Bencivenga ward, commissioner Cedar.  
Speaker 0     00:01:27    You're the minutes of the December, 2021 war commission entertain. The motion motion was the Cedar. Second, second local  
Speaker 1     00:02:00    Word commissioner angle where? Commissioner Frankel? Yes. We're commissioner cats. Yes. We're commissioner Moskowitz. Yes. We're commissioner jello. We're commissioner Bencivenga yes. We're commissioner Cedar.  
Speaker 0     00:02:21    Yes. Well, now I need a motion to amend that to scatter commit and I have a motion.  
Speaker 2     00:02:32    Yes. Just to, just for comments. So that would be to amend the, the, the schedule you guys approved at the December 16th meeting to move the second meeting from Thursday to Friday at the direction of some of the commissioners to give an extra day for consideration. And that would be the Piscataway second meeting would be January 14th at 11:00 AM.  
Speaker 0     00:02:54    I'll make the motions to be, yeah.  
Speaker 2     00:03:04    Second, second, Maria, roll call.  
Speaker 1     00:03:17    Okay. A word commissioner, ankle word, commissioner Frankel. More commissioner Katz, Ward, commissioner Moscow. It's where commissioner jello. Where commissioner Bencivenga What commissioner Ben Jovanka Word. Commissioner Cedar.  
Speaker 0     00:03:55    Yes.  
Speaker 2     00:04:02    A chairwoman in before you talked about, just to either I can review kind of like where we are in the process and then pivot to Remington to verdict growth, but just, you can add call on Remington and Vernick to review the, the current census numbers as well as the, the current map and their mythology for for said map. Sure. Roman, which like to call it hut. And just for your reference chairwoman, that Nicholas failing is, has been our contact with a Remington Vernick or a vendor for engineering purposes for the ward district maps. I can call on if you want to call on him, he can, he can start the process before proceeding to public comment.  
Speaker 0     00:05:06    Okay. That's fine.  
Speaker 2     00:05:10    Okay. So Tom, if I could just requests or did you just give him I, yes, I stopped sharing my screen and then you can, there's an arrow at the top of your screen where you buy, you can request the screen. Can everybody see now this chart, If you can, Nick, if you could blow that up. Yeah, that would mail. So this is the chart would be reallocated sentences, population data Piscataway. You can see the totals for each ward here and how we get to the minimum  
Speaker 3     00:05:56    And is we take that grand total of 600,876, divide that by the total board of four to get 15,219, we take 10% of that number and then divide that by two to give us a seal of a high and a low so that we can say that number of 761 and subtract it from the mean and add it to the mean, and that gives 5% on each shock and to make a 10% deviation. That's how we get these two numbers over here that are highlighted in green and orange and any number that's below. Any word total that is below the minimum or maximum or high would be out of compliance. And in this chart, you can see Piscataway currently worth three is too low by about a 900 people. And four is too high by about around the same 900, 900 people. So the goal is to get both of these numbers into compliance while I'm following other statutory requirements on me. So just a quick glance at the current math I'll do my best.  
Speaker 3     00:07:35    Okay. So like I said, word one was fine. Would two was in compliance as well. It was between ward three and Lord, or where to three was out and worked for, was out of compliance and too high. So what we needed to do to create scenarios was kind of taken out of four and put into three, but this is just the current map of the ward boundaries as they currently are in a Piscataway. And I'll bring up the chart again so that you guys have an idea of what you're looking at, but that's kind of how the numbers are and yeah.  
Speaker 2     00:08:23    Okay. All right. Thank you, Nick and chairwoman, you know, at this time, if you wanted to open it up to, to public comment, Mr. Raj Kumar, and I can go through the phone numbers and the, the people listed as guests, if you want us to call on them for, for, at this point, that are their input on terms of the, the existing map and, and their either questions about the process or what they would like to see on that on the current.  
Speaker 3     00:08:54    Yeah.  
Speaker 4     00:08:56    Okay.  
Speaker 2     00:08:57    Sure. So I can call on Mr. Raj Goomer has been raised and Mr. Kumar for, for public speakers, the time limit is five minutes first go around. And then if we have enough time, we can certainly circle back, you know, to provide extra time if, if need be  
Speaker 3     00:09:18    Great. Thank you. Good morning. My name is Raj Goomer and  managers. I have been a resident of understanding my role where a 30 years, and I love her of Mayor Wahler and his team of counsel folks in the town. I really appreciate that. And thank you. I would like to thank them and like, thank the commissioners for this opportunity. I would like to chief of the Arbor session off the, you know, the, the town it's historically beautiful and has been a part of the funding market already out, you know, as it is already beautiful. I would like to keep the same. And at this moment, I would like to say, thank you so much. Any questions I may, I may join back again, you know, thank you.  
Speaker 2     00:10:09    Okay. Thank you, Mr. Kumar. And again, I'll just, I'll go through and if anyone has, I'll just say number and if that person would like to speak by all means I have a 7 3 2 3 3 1 5 1 2 3. Number for that person as a guest, like to offer public comment, I have a phone number is (732) 406-7604. For that person like to speak or make a public comment. Okay. I have someone with their hand raised. And again, if you would, if you were on the screen, if you're on the, if you're on the, you know, on your computer, there's an icon with a hand raised and smiley face. You can indicate hand raised and I can call on you. So at this time I have someone to raise their hand. It's a meeting guests 3 7 0 5 3 9 0 9 5. If that person would like to identify themselves and make their comments. So you need to unmute yourself. There's a, there's an icon with a microphone icon in the upper right-hand corner. If you click that, that would come to yourself. Okay. Thanks.  
Speaker 4     00:11:27    A little bit of a delay in getting that un-muted thank you. My name is William Kerwin. I'm a resident of Piscataway and live on Wynwood avenue, been here for many years. And as far as ward three district eight, we'd like to see that I think it would be more appropriate that what three district they'd be caught of the, which is possum and the Wynwood area, a big part of what to, I don't know if that fits in with the, with the alignment of the recommendations that you may not making. I couldn't tell by looking at that man, when it was  
Speaker 2     00:12:08    Okay. And I'll ask Nick as we go along, if people have specific recommendations, if maybe he can go to the existing map and blow that up. So as you're speaking, people can follow along. So if you want to continue Mr. Kerwin.  
Speaker 4     00:12:22    Yeah. What three district eight is in the top left rectangular area. Yeah. It's kind of a square go off. Yeah. It's, that's being resized. That's the neighborhoods of Cherrywood and Buttonwood Wynwood and then maple herders farms that drive and Azalea place that would about three or four different developments that were put in, in the sixties and seventies. And then most recently Maplehurst in the nineties. So what three district date seems that it would fit, fit in with more to go. So that was just a request that I had where the comment that I have to make. Thank you very much.  
Speaker 2     00:13:17    Okay. Thank you, Mr. Kerwin in the chair, Mr. Johnson asked as it stands, it it's accurate to S to, to say, in order to be in compliance ward, four, we'd have to be moved towards three. I would say it that the, no, that to, to be in compliance and again, rewarding is a little different than redistricting and that rewarding is done by total population. Whereas a redistricting is done by a total number of voters. So in terms of the total population has to be divided amongst the wards, not an equal number, but the variation can no more be than 10% between the lowest populated ward and the highest populated board. So however you achieve drawing of those lines, whatever final map that has to be approved by our, a majority of our commissioners would have to be in compliance with that. And I'll, I'll continue on. And I left off with that. I have. Thank you, Mr. Kerman. I have a phone number (732) 921-8012 a. Would that person like to make a public comment? Okay. I have a Christine Mosher as a guest, which you'd like to make any public comments on the  
Speaker 4     00:14:43    No, no comment.  
Speaker 2     00:14:46    Sure. Thank you, Jean. Will I see Mr. Ken Simmons?  
Speaker 4     00:15:06    No comment.  
Speaker 2     00:15:07    Okay. Thank you, Mr. Simmons, Mr. Mr. Johnson, you put something in the chat button if you wanted to make any, any public comment. Okay. Okay. New Brunswick today, I would assume that it was Mr. Credible. Mr. Carnival, did you have a public comment? Nothing at this time, Mr. Lynch thing. Okay, great. And then I see Mr. William Makita.  
Speaker 4     00:15:48    No comment. Just thank you for your work. Okay?  
Speaker 2     00:15:52    Okay. Thank you. And again, if I think I went to Riverland, that is on the, in this meeting. If I didn't, if I did not call on your, say your number, and if you want to make a, put anything into the public record at this time, by all means, please, please unmute yourself or put anything in the chat and I can call on you and give you, give you your, any time that you need. Okay. Okay. Chairwoman. I think we've gone through the public comments. I can, I can turn it back to you. I, I you're on mute. So if you want to unmute yourself and then open it up for commissioner comments, before we close the meeting And gentlemen, I did a, I did mute people during the comment period so that the public can be heard.  
Speaker 4     00:17:11    The one proposal that was made by a, in the public was a request to consider moving. I guess it's worth three district pay toward two. If I'm looking at the map correctly, it's not contiguous with ward two, Am I correct? Correct. And you're correct in that they can not have that, not be done, even if that was requested, unless we, unless other other districts or parts of other districts as well, that's comments,  
Speaker 2     00:17:41    You know, commissioner. But if you want them, if, and made that suggestion, he might have a, a follow-up and again,  
Speaker 4     00:17:50    Retained  
Speaker 2     00:17:52    As outlined by the commissioner would have to be done in concert with other changes. But if you wanted to say anything in addition to that, Mr. Kerlin that'd be in yourself or,  
Speaker 4     00:18:08    Or just, just on mute. Yeah. I was speaking of what, three and eight also what three district 10, I should have included that that's the possum town area, which is patent avenue open to Normandy drive the big area that has the tenant. It is mostly warehouses. And so those two districts would be appropriate. I would think for wood to, instead of more, I, I, I, the very far I was confused because the very first screen showed that it, there was the imbalance in the town between it looked like access population and ward tree. And Nikki,  
Speaker 2     00:18:58    If you could go back to the screen in terms of the award numbers, swims.  
Speaker 4     00:19:04    Yeah. That's the one that, yeah, it was so what four was. Oh, that's, that's it.  
Speaker 2     00:19:14    Yeah. Which you're seeing to the right of your screen is the propo. Again, I talked about 10%. So that would be your minimum war population and maximum more population than the 2020 census population is what it currently is in each of the wards. And as you can see between ward four and war three is your biggest deviation at this point. So they would have to be brought into compliance.  
Speaker 4     00:19:41    Okay.  
Speaker 2     00:19:42    Okay. Chairman again, if you wanted to, sorry for the commissioner of wanting to come here to continue. As, as, as commissioner common,  
Speaker 4     00:19:51    I don't have any special other comments. Are we going to, what are we going to be doing at the next step? The next meeting we're going to be adopted, or we're going to be talking about it further and then eventually adopting.  
Speaker 2     00:20:06    Correct. So, and again, for an, and I know the commissioners or wherever for those, our deadline to adopt a map is on Saturday, January 15th, I believe is. So the next meeting would be again, would be between the commissioners adopting mentioned commissioners adopting, sent map.  
Speaker 4     00:20:31    I guess the only other comment I had is a lot of this for me, is just looking at the lines. The, my general concept would be to try to move as few, make as few moves possible in terms of chick bumpers, or to another et cetera. So we have to, in one scenario, we all were moving one, one district for one words, with the other word, another word, be three different districts to three different boards. But the, the question I would have is, was any, and this would probably be more for, for the clerk who would know more about the town as to whether any of, either of these scenarios is more or less likely to move the growth step normally together, or usually should be together apart for making them better. But other than that, I don't have any more comments, Commissioner angle. I think the only an I would have is that I think as we've all said, this is a work in progress and I've made some comments. We try to make it as much, as much as we can with the, both of the Clark going to town as commissioner Kat said. So I just want to let the public know that it's still a work in progress.  
Speaker 0     00:22:12    Any commissioners? We have a motion to insert  
Speaker 4     00:22:30    Second,  
Speaker 1     00:22:36    The commissioner angle where commissioner Frankel. Yes. Commissioner Katz. Yes. Where did commissioner Moscowitz What commissioner Moscow is  
Speaker 4     00:22:58    The little icon of the microphone  
Speaker 1     00:23:04    Ward. Commissioner Moscowitz  
Speaker 4     00:23:14    Yes.  
Speaker 1     00:23:14    Yes. Okay. One commissioner jello. Yes. Word commissioner. Bencivenga where commissioner Cedar. Yes.