Politics & Government
Slawik, Wiger say They’ll Wait and See on Redistricting
The plan would divide School District 622 and Maplewood into multiple Senate Districts.
Oakdale’s representatives in the Minnesota Legislature said they dislike some elements of a redistricting proposal brought forth by Rep. Sarah Anderson and passed Tuesday by the House Redistricting Committee, however, both said they expect the current maps are the first in a long line of iterations that likely won’t be resolved until spring of 2012.
“We try not to get too excited either way about it because it’s interesting, it’s intriguing, but it’s not the final map,” said Slawik, DFL-Maplewood.
Under the proposal Oakdale’s house district would include North St. Paul rather than Maplewood, which would make Rep. Leon Lillie, DFL-North St. Paul, the district’s incumbent representative. Slawik would be in the same district with another House incumbent, Sheldon Johnson, DFL-St. Paul.
Find out what's happening in Oakdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Slawik said she plans to run again in 2012, even if she’d have to run against another incumbent.
“I feel like I’ve still got work to do,” she said. “I’d like to help the caucus get back to the majority.”
Find out what's happening in Oakdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Sen. Chuck Wiger, DFL-Maplewood, said his main concern with the plan is that it slices Maplewood into three Senate districts. To put that into perspective, the city of St. Paul has five Senate districts, he said.
“A community should be united whenever possible,” he said.
Wiger said he’d like to continue to represent his current constituency, but he’ll “go with the flow.” In the past, when districts were different, he’s represented St. Paul, Mahtomedi and White Bear Township.
He expects that the courts will ultimately set the district configuration, he said.
An Oakdale resident testified at the capitol Tuesday against the plan, because it breaks School District 622 into multiple Senate districts.
Oakdale resident and teacher Dennis Fendt said the entire school district ought to remain within the same Senate district.
“In these times of extremely tight budgets we survive mainly through collaboration and in partnership,” Fendt said. “My current Senate district is basically also my current school district that I both work in and reside in.”
See video of Fendt’s testimony .
Click here for maps of the redistricting proposals and more information on how Oakdale’s House and Senate districts would change under the proposal.