Albany County Government: Albany County Legislature Approves First Four Appointments For Commission On Redistricting

Press release from the Albany County Government:

08/09/2021 5:32 pm

Leaders of the Albany County Legislature have announced the first four appointments to the Commission on Redistricting, a non-partisan group who will determine the County’s future legislative districts.

On Monday, the Albany County Legislature approved the appointments of Sita Subbaram, PhD, Thomas Clingan, Joan Ramsey and Mark McCumber who were selected by Chairman Andrew Joyce, Majority Leader Dennis Feeney, Legislative Black Caucus Chairman William Clay and Minority Leader Frank Mauriello, respectively.

The Albany County Commission on Redistricting will consist of nine members who will “work with experts in the areas of redistricting, law, county geography and other important elements that are key to securing a credible, responsive and accountable redistricting process and outcome.” The four appointees will be responsible for selecting the remaining five members that will make up the commission.

“I want to thank these individuals for volunteering to serve. We are setting forth on the most independent redistricting process in Albany County history, and I know they will move this important task forward in fairness and equity,” Joyce said. “I am particularly proud of my own appointee, Dr. Sita Subbaram. She’s a fierce advocate for school children and her community, and things always have a way of getting done when a Little League Mom steps up to the plate.”

Sita Subbaram, of Albany, is an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery at Albany Medical College in NY and previously served as a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Cell Biology and Cancer Research in Albany and a research scientist in India. In her free time, she serves on the PTA for the New Scotland Elementary School, volunteers with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and previously served on the National Little League Board.

Thomas Clingan, of Cohoes, has held multiple offices over the years, including Albany County Clerk from 1988 to 2013 and Assistant County Executive from 1979 to 1988. He currently serves as a member of the Advisory Committee for the Children’s Center at the Albany County Family Court, a board member for Council Services Plus, Inc., a member of the UAlbany Library Development Committee and is a founding member of the Capital Region Archives Dinner Committee. He holds a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Arts from University at Albany.

“As Majority Leader, I am proud to offer Thomas Clingan’s name for appointment to the Albany County Redistricting Commission. Tom has been a dedicated public servant, and his decades of government experience will serve him well as he makes the hard choices which arise in the redistricting process. I am confident that Tom is more than capable of taking on this new challenge, and look forward to receiving the Commission’s recommendations,” stated Feeney.

Joan Ramsey, of Albany, has worked at the New York State Education Department as the Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises coordinator and compliance officer, and at the New York State Crime Victims Board as a program monitor and Affirmative Action officer. She also worked for the U.S. Treasury Department Office of the Comptroller and the Environmental Protection Agency.

“Joan Ramsey has over 30 years of experience in state and city government affairs, specifically in matters related to Affirmative Action and MWBE operations. As such, she is well versed in the importance of diversity and inclusion across the length and breath of life in New York State. Voting rights is in close relation to these matters. I’m confident Ms. Ramsey will make a significant contribution to the work of the redistricting commission and will lead us to an equitable plan for the future of Albany County,” stated Clay.  

Mark McCumber, of Albany, has worked with the Federal Aviation Administration since 1980 in multiple roles, most recently as an Air Traffic Control Manager at LaGuardia and Albany Airport. He previously served in the US Navy where he attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s World-Wide Campus.

“Mark McCumber’s extensive career and management skills coupled with his love for his community will make him a valuable member of the Albany County Redistricting Commission,” said Mauriello. “Mark previously served as a member of Shaker Road-Loudonville Volunteer Fire and Rescue, coached Colonie Little League and Colonie girls’ softball, and volunteered at Colonie Central High School girls’ soccer Booster Club. I’m confident Mark will be a staunch advocate for a fair and independent redistricting process that will make the residents of Albany County proud.”

The four appointments were selected through an application process for those interested in serving on the Commission and MMD that started in July 2020 and involved an online questionnaire designed to determine eligibility.

In order to keep the independent nature of the Commission, applicants were disqualified for a number of factors including holding certain political offices or serving as appointees of elected officials.

In addition to the appointments, the Legislature acted in December to appropriate $400,000 in the 2021 budget to be set aside for expenses of the Commission on Redistricting and the Majority-Minority District (MMD) Subcommittee.

The funding will primarily be used for consultants, mappers and line drawers and expenses of the Commission. Spending the money now is expected to save the County significant money in the long run. During the last decennial redistricting, the County was sued and forced to spend millions of dollars in legal fees.

The next step in the process is the selection of the remaining members of the Redistricting Commission as well as the Majority-Minority District Reapportionment Subcommittee, which will consist of seven members, to assist the Commission to ensure the fair representation of Albany County minority communities in all aspects of the redistricting process. The subcommittee will make recommendations to the Commission regarding the configuration of the minority districts, with the goal of protecting voting rights of minority residents and ensuring adequate electoral representation of minority residents residing in those districts.

Those interested in serving on the Commission or MMD Subcommittee can complete the online questionnaire on the Legislature website at: www.albanycounty.com/redistricting.

This press release was produced by the Albany County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.