Peter King Loses Most of Wantagh in Congressional Redistricting Plan

The majority of Wantagh residents will soon have new congressional representation.

The Fourth Congressional District currently covered by Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, D-Mineola, will be adding the area of Wantagh south of Jerusalem Avenue under a new map by a three-judge Federal Court panel. The map, which eliminates two congressional districts in New York, was drawn by lower court judge Roanne Mann after state lawmakers were unable to come up with a redistricting plan that reflects the results of the 2010 census.

Rep. Peter King, R-Seaford, will be covering the Second Congressional District under the new map that takes effect on Jan. 1, 2013 and will only be encompassing the section of Wantagh north of Jerusalem Avenue, which feeds into the LevittownPublic Schools. King’s current Third Congressional District, which will move to the North Shore under the revised map, covers all of Wantagh and his hometown of Seaford.

King told Patch he is disappointed that his new district will not continue to encompass all of Wantagh and Seaford since he sees both neighboring communities as very tied together.

“Seaford and Wantagh are really in a lot of ways one community,” said King, who was first elected to congress in 1994 and is now chairman of the Homeland Security Committee. “I look at Seaford and Wantagh as in the same category as Bellmore and Merrick since there is so much overlap and the communities work so closely together.”

King said he will remain active in the Wantagh community despite only representing a small part of it in his new district. The Seaford congressman enjoys stopping at the  on 3382 Park Ave. and marching in the annual Wantagh Fourth of July Parade each year.

“I would have done anything to keep Wantagh,” said King, who added that many constituents in the community have expressed disappointment to him that he will no longer be representing them. “It’s a great community.”

Congresswoman McCarthy, who in 1996 became the first woman elected to a congressional seat on Long Island, said in a statement she is sad to lose certain areas of her district but excited to gain others.

"It saddens me to lose some wonderful communities I've had the privilege of representing for years now but I'm also grateful that I'll have the opportunity to continue to represent almost all the same people I do now, with some wonderful new communities added to the Fourth Congressional District as well,” McCarthy said.

Both McCarthy and King are expected to face contested elections this November to remain in Washington. Merrick resident Howard Kudler, who  to King in 2010, said he is exploring another run against the Seaford congressman this fall. Nassau County Legis. Fran Becker, R-Lynbrook, who lost a close election to McCarthy two years ago, is also exploring another challenge to the longtime Long Island congresswoman.