For the last decade, state Senator Betty Little from Queensbury has been the dominant political force in the Adirondack Park.  The redistricting plan unveiled yesterday expands her Park coverage into southern St. Lawrence County.

But it also lops off a huge chunk of terrain in Hamilton County.  (Phil Brown at the Adirondack Explorer has mapped her change really well here.)

More interesting yet, the redistricting plan consolidates the "non-Betty Little" chunk of the Park under the purview of another Republican state Senator, Hugh Farley, who was born in Watertown and grew up in Indian Lake.  (See his new map here.)

Farley spoke yesterday with the Glens Falls Post Star.

Guess what? I've got my hometown back," exclaimed Farley, an Indian Lake native, after the maps became public. "I'm delighted."

In the past, the small, disparate chunks of the Park not represented by Little were divided between four other state Senators.  That left her as the main voice for the Park.

In an interview yesterday, Little pointed out that she will still represent the main population centers inside the Blue Line.

But Farley will also now hold a single consolidated chunk of terrain — Hamilton, Herkimer, Fulton, and a chunk of Saratoga County — that includes a much bigger and more consolidated piece of the Park's geography and population.

It remains to be seen whether Farley, a Republican who has served in the state Senate since 1976, will emerge as a major player in Park policy debates.

(Ellen Rocco asked a good question:  What do the district lines look like now?  To see what the maps look like before these proposed changes, go here.)

New maps are being released at this hour from the legislature's LATFOR committee.  They include dramatic changes for parts of the North Country, while other areas are left largely untouched.

ASSEMBLY:

The biggest change is for St. Lawrence County, which will now be divided between three Assembly districts, including the new 117th district which will stretch all the way to southern Herkimer and Fulton County.

Also, Teresa Sayward will lose Hamilton County, picking up more of Washington County.

STATE SENATE:

Another big change:  Hamilton County would be stripped out of state Senator Betty Little's district.  A new 49th Senate district would be created that would include a big chunk of the central, western and southern Adirondacks.

Little's district will expand to take up a big chunk of St. Lawrence County.

These are only proposals.  There will now be hearings and a political process to determine final lines, but this blueprint will be hugely influential.  Tune in for more during All Before 5 at 4:45pm.

You can view all the proposed redistricting maps here:
http://www.latfor.state.ny.us/maps/

According to the Albany Times-Union, political maps for the state's Assembly, state Senate and congressional districts should be public today.  Already, the lines that have been leaked are sparking outrage, particularly from Democrats who see the effort as a way to gerrymander enough seats to preserve a GOP majority.

This from the New York Daily News.

The state Senate GOP majority wants to merge four Queens districts currently held by Democrats into two — and one is held by the chair of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee.

Michael Gianaris, whose position makes him a main architect of Democratic campaign strategy in the Senate, would face a reelection dogfight against a Latino incumbent, Jose Peralta, in a heavily Latino district, sources said.

The other tough-luck draw for Democrats would pit longtime Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky against freshman Tony Avella, the sources added.

Along with the creation of a new state Senate district in the Albany area – one designed to favor a likely GOP candidate — that could lock in Republican control of the Senate for years to come.  More soon….

The biggest unwritten story in New York state right now is the district lines that a legislative task force has been drawing up — a new political roadmap that could shake up North Country politics.

Now Jimmy Vielkind at the Times-Union is saying we won't see their draft until tomorrow.  (Some folks say lines may still come this afternoon.)

Redistricting could shake up Assembly, state Senate and Congressional districts.  Currently, the big news is speculation that Republicans in the state Senate might try to hold onto power by creating a new Senate seat in the Albany region.

So…more to come.