NYC NOW - July 14, 2023: Evening Roundup

Episode Date: July 14, 2023

Rex Heuermann, an architect from Long Island, is being held without bail in connection with the infamous "Gilgo Beach" murders. Plus, the New York City Council is setting new deadlines for Mayor Eric Adams to expand community-based mental health services. Also, New York has been ordered to redraw its congressional maps. WNYC’s Sean Carlson and Jon Campbell discuss the case, which could have enormous implications for who controls the House of Representatives. And in the Garden State, WNYC's Ramsey Khalifeh visits Central Jersey, a region that – depending on who you ask – may or may not exist.

Good evening and welcome to NYC now. I'm Jene Pierre for WNYC. A Long Island architect is being held without bail after he was arraigned on charges connected to three of the infamous Gilgo Beach murders. The Suffolk County District Attorney says Rex Hewerman faces murder charges for the deaths of Megan Waterman, Melissa Bartholomey, and Amber Costello. Prosecutors cited Hewermann's alleged recent searches for sadistic materials and child pornography, as well as what they called counter-surveillance related to the criminal investigation.

as reasons for him to be remanded. Hewerman's attorney called the prosecution's evidence circumstantial. He pleaded not guilty. The New York City Council is setting new deadlines for Mayor Eric Adams to expand community-based mental health services. The council passed a bill this week requiring the city to establish four new crisis respite centers, which serve as an alternative to hospitalization. At least two would have to open within two years.

Another bill that passed requires the city to open five new clubhouses for people with mental health issues by the end of 2025. To help people find these services, the council also passed a bill requiring the city to create a map of mental health programs. Council member Linda Lee spoke before the vote. As someone who ran social services and in mental health programs, it is very confusing at times to figure out where to go to seek help. The bills now head to the mayor's desk for approval or veto.

It's happening again. New York may be getting a new set of congressional district lines. In a split decision this week, an appeals court ordered the state to redraw all of its congressional districts in time for next year's elections. WNYC's Albany reporter John Campbell says the current maps played a big role in Republicans taking control of the House of Representatives in last year's midterm elections. And if these congressional districts are redrawn, they could become more favorable to Democrats depending on how the lines are drawn and which towns and neighborhoods end up where. But Republicans are vowing to appeal, and that means this case isn't. quite over yet. For more, Campbell talked with WNYC's Sean Carlson. That conversation after the break. NYC. I hope I'm not the only person out here saying, what? Seriously? I thought we just redrew

our congressional districts, and it's only supposed to happen once a decade. So what happened here? You're right. We did last year. And this is just the latest step in what has been a multi-year battle between Democrats and Republicans in New York that is still playing out in the courts. The state's congressional and state legislative districts, they're supposed to be drawn by a panel that's called the Independent Redistricting Commission. It was created in 2014, but last year, which was the first year, was in effect, Democrats who controlled the state legislature, they voted the panel's proposal down. Then the panel tried to come up with the second proposal, but it deadlocked, so Democratic lawmakers stepped in

and drew their own maps and, surprise, surprise. The congressional districts were really favorable to Democrats. Basically, they made it easier for Democrats to win more districts. Republicans sued. They got those maps thrown out. This court-appointed expert drew a new set of maps, and Republicans did very well last year. They picked up a bunch of close districts on Long Island in the Hudson Valley.

So this year, the Democrats sued. They say the redistricting panel, they should get another shot at it. And that's what led us to today's decision. So let's talk about that decision. What did the court rule? So we're talking about the appellate division in Albany. They issued a three to two decision. And it basically said the Democrats are right. The state constitution says the independent redistricting commission has to send the legislature a second set of maps. That never happened last year. So the court said the commission should try again. And that is really a huge win for Democrats. They can't stand. these districts that are in place right now. So this puts them one step closer to getting new ones. The party still controls both houses of the legislature in Albany, so they'll still have final

approval of any proposals that come from the panel if this decision holds up in court. And that really is a big if because the GOP is vowing to take this to the state's high court, which will ultimately get the final say. This could have some really huge national implications, too. Can you tell us about that. Yeah, that's because the Republicans hold on the House of Representatives right now is very, very slim. The GOP holds 222 seats compared to the Democrats' 12 seats. And a big part of the reason why the GOP has a majority at all is because they were able to pick up a handful of those toss-up districts in New York. They won all four districts on Long Island, which includes George Santos's seat, by the way. They won another tight race up in the Hudson Valley. That's Republican Mike Law.

toppled Sean Patrick Maloney, a Democrat. And if these congressional districts are redrawn, they could become more favorable to Democrats, depending on how the lines are drawn and which towns and neighborhoods end up where. So that means maybe Democrats could pick up a seat here or there in New York. And that really could be all it takes to tip the balance of power. At least that's what the Democrats are hoping for, which is why they're fighting so hard in the courts. You mentioned that Republicans want to take this to the state's high court. what does happen next and when can we expect all of this to be decided? I feel like we've been

here before, but when can we expect this to be decided? Well, the next step, Republicans actually have to file the appeal that should happen in no time at all. Then the Court of Appeals will take up the case because it was a split decision meeting some of the judges on the mid-level court agreed with the ruling. Others didn't. And at some point in the coming months, there will be some really high-stakes arguments at the Court of Appeals building in Albany. And it'll be the first test of this new look, seven-judge court under governor Kathy Hokel. She recently appointed a new chief judge, Rowan Wilson. He was already on the court before, and he voted in favor of the Democratic arguments about redistricting last year. Hockel, she also appointed a new associate judge,

Caitlin Halligan. She's kind of a wild card here because nobody really knows which way she may be leaning on this. So stay tuned. That's WNYC's Albany reporter John Campbell, with my colleague, Sean Carlson. Now we hop over to the Garden State, where, for generations, there's been a North Jersey and a South Jersey. But a large portion of the state's residents have long argued that this ignores an equally vital region, Central Jersey. A bill before Governor Phil Murphy would officially recognize Central Jersey on the state tourist map. WNYC's Ramsey-Kalifay paid a visit to the region that, depending on who you ask, may or may not exist.

What is Central Jersey exactly? Brent Johnson, a reporter for the New Jersey-based Star Ledger, describes it this way. In many ways, it's like the crossroads of the state. It's where all the highways converge. It's a land where malls and strip malls sit next to farmland. So it's kind of like an amalgamation of New Jersey. No matter how you describe it, Central Jersey still has no official designation. The city of New Brunswick could be considered the region's cultural capital,

home to the main Rutgers University campus and a target for tourism in the bill before Governor Murphy. I traveled there to ask people whether they considered Central Jersey an actual place. What I found was a deep divide. We always joke around like, oh, Central Jersey's nothing. But, I mean, there's people there. I think Central Jersey deserves its own, you know, shine.

Hmm. No. Central Jersey to me is non-existent. It does exist. So what I thought was a simple issue of formalizing a geographic. region turns out to be a lot more complicated. Nahal Patel is a Rutgers student, and he says he believes New Jersey is put up between the north, south, and Jersey Shore.

He says plans to put central Jersey on the map is off base. The state assembly must be tripping, you know, I'm not going to lie. Vernon Chapman, who moved to New Jersey in 1981, also opposes the bill. He says he gets why the state has been long divided into a north and south. New Jersey is two states. The south is a lot more rural, a lot more farming and stuff down there. That's where all these great tomatoes come from. Further north, it's much more industrialized.

For Zuma Amjid, the divisions are a lot more personal. She says having Central Jersey on the map would make traveling there seem less far away. I have friends from North Jersey, and when I say let's meet up, they don't want to travel all the way down to New Brunswick. The city's just an hour train ride from Manhattan. Michael Jaka, who I found on a hot summer day, says bringing the three regions together is a positive step. So in a way, no matter where you're from, north, central or south,

everybody is like unified and how they treat each other. Everybody unified because they tend to like wherever they're from and represent wherever they're from. Even if Governor Murphy signs the bill validating Central Jersey as a real place, it's unlikely to sway the opinion of New Jerseyans whose regional allegiances are central to their identity as pork roll. Or is it Taylor Ham? That's WNYC's Ramsey Caliphate. Thanks for listening to NYC now from WNYC. If you like what we're doing, subscribe and share widely.

Tell a friend to tell a friend. Shout out to our production team. It includes Sean Boutage, Ava Carrillo, Audrey Cooper, Leora Noam Cravitz, Jared Marcell, Wayne Schomeister, and Gina Vosty, with help from the entire WNYC Newsroom. Our show art was designed by the folks at Buck, and our music was composed by Alexis Quadrato. I'm Jenae Pierre. We'll be back Monday.