The mayors of five Capital Region cities sent a letter Wednesday to the court-appointed special master tasked with drawing New York's new congressional districts, urging him to ensure all of them remain in the same district.

Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan, Amsterdam Mayor Michael Cincquanti, Saratoga Springs Mayor Ron Kim, Schenectady Myor Gary McCarthy and Troy Mayor Patrick Madden — all Democrats — announced the letter at Albany City Hall on Wednesday.

"Albany, Amsterdam, Saratoga Springs, Schenectady, and Troy are the largest cities in our contiguous counties and share many of the same opportunities and challenges," the letter reads. "Our cities are home to the largest communities of color in our respective counties and as well as some of the poorest census tracts. These communities share social and economic interests that must not be diluted. As mayors, we continuously work alongside one-another to ensure we are advocating for those interests with a common regional approach in mind."

According to the draft maps the special master released earlier this week, Albany, Troy and Schnectady would be in the 20th District, currently represented by Democratic Rep. Paul Tonko, and Saratoga Springs and Amsterdam would be in the 21st District, currently represented by Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik. For the last 10 years, all five cities have been inside the 20th District.

"Being divided into two districts and represented by two different Congressional members as reflected in the draft maps released on Monday, May 16, 2022, would not only fly in the face of the charge issued to the Commission by the New York State Legislature and the maps previously submitted, but it would have a directly negative impact on some of the most historically challenged Census tracts in our region," according to the letter.

The maps drawn by the special master are open for public comment through Wednesday and state Supreme Court Justice Patrick McCallister will move to finalize the plans by Friday.