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Politics & Government

Rep. Nora Slawik Won't Seek Re-Election

The longtime Maplewood DFL representative announced Saturday she will not be seeking an eighth term.

Rep. Nora Slawik announced Saturday she won’t seek another term in the Minnesota House of Representatives, citing financial responsibilities, in a written statement.

“While I would thoroughly enjoy the honor of continuing to represent our area, the financial circumstances of having one child in college and another preparing for college make that difficult,” she said.

Slawik (DFL-Maplewood) is currently serving her seventh term in the Minnesota Legislature, according to her House website.

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In addition to the need to paying college tuition, Slawik said, she's also at a point where she needs to save for retirement. 

Because redistricting just took place, Slawik said, she felt the time was right bow out. 

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"When you run in your new district, you're really setting a pattern for the next 10 years," she said.

She currently teaches a class on early childhood public policy at the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs, which she hopes to continue, she said. Her background is in fundraising and development for nonprofits, she said. Even though being a legislator is technically a part-time job, she said, most employers don't wan to hire someone who'll be on leave for four to six months out of the year, she said.

"If I could do both, I would love to do both," she said.

Slawik currently represents all of Oakdale and part of Maplewood, however her re-drawn House district (District 53A) includes a portion of Maplewood, a portion of Woodbury and the portion of Oakdale south of 10th Street.

She said she’s proud of what she’s helped accomplish in the early childhood arena, including the formation of the Office of Early Learning at the Minnesota Department of Education and the implementation of a quality rating system for child care.

"I really feel I'm going out on a high note," she said. "It's nice to go out when at least things in early childhood are going well."

Slawik said she'll continue to serve her constituents until their next representative is elected. 

"I want to let my constituents know I'm in town and I'm available and will be putting as much time as I need into making sure they're well taken care of," she said.

Slawik said a Woodbury woman, JoAnn Ward, will be seeking the DFL endorsement for her seat.

District 53 DFLers are scheduled to hold their nominating convention at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 31, at Tartan High School.

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