Politics & Government
Oakdale Split into Two State House and Senate Districts
Slawik considering a run for Minnesota Senate.
Oakdale will have some additional state legislators next year under a redistricting plan released Tuesday by a five-judge panel.
Under the plan, Oakdale will be broken up into two Minnesota House districts and two Minnesota Senate districts.
Sen. Chuck Wiger (DFL-Maplewood) said he was relieved to see the plan, because he remains the only incumbent in his district.
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His new district, Senate District 43, contains only the northern portion of Oakdale—rather than the entire city, as it does now—and it now includes parts of White Bear Lake and Mahtomedi.
“I was sad to see that I didn’t have all of Oakdale and all of Maplewood anymore,” he said. “I was relieved to know that it’s over and that it doesn’t put me in a position where my district is dramatically different.”
Find out what's happening in Oakdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The southern part of Oakdale will be part of a separate Senate district—District 53—which includes Woodbury, Landfall and part of Maplewood.
No incumbents reside in the new Senate district, however, Rep. Nora Slawik, said she is considering a run for the open seat.
“There are people talking to me about that,” she said. “I’m going to talk to my constituents and talk to my family and take a look at the district.”
If she decides against a Senate run, she plans to seek the District 53A house seat, which includes Landfall, a portion of Woodbury and a portion of Maplewood.
“I’m going to miss having most of Oakdale, because it’s been a really rewarding and interesting district to represent,” she said. “It’s sort of a sense of loss and gain, a very mixed feeling.”
Most of Oakdale will fall into House District 43B. The district includes a portion of Maplewood and North St. Paul, where Rep. Leon Lillie, a DFLer, resides, according to his House Web page.
Oakdale remains in the 4th Congressional District, although the district has changed shape to include Stillwater and Woodbury under the plan. Although U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann lives in the new district, she told the St. Cloud Times that she intends to run in the 6th Congressional District.
Follow this link to see which district your house is in.
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