Local legislators will have to cover more ground, but none will be pitted against other incumbents as a result of a legislative redistricting plan released by a state judicial panel Tuesday.

Wednesday, March 20, 2002

Local legislators will have to cover more ground, but none will be pitted against other incumbents as a result of a legislative redistricting plan released by a state judicial panel Tuesday.

According to the plan designed by a special panel appointed by the Minnesota Supreme Court, the Senate District 27 will be extend to the east, and the House District 27A will add southwest part of Mower County.

The First Congressional District, now represented by Rep. Gil Gutknecht, is stretched out to the western state border covering the whole southern Minnesota, while losing areas closer to Twin Cities.

The new Senate District 27 will annex the east half of Mower County and the northwest part of Fillmore County.

&uot;The courts delivered a fair and balanced plan for our state, and I commend them for their hard work,&uot; said incumbent Sen. Grace Schwab, R-Albert Lea. &uot;I think my friends and neighbors will share my enthusiasm for our new district. It just makes sense for these communities to have one voice at the Capitol. …. As the citizens of Fillmore county and the rest of Mower County join this legislative district, I welcome their residents and look forward to watching our towns work together to become a powerful advocate for our shared concerns.&uot;

While the new House District 27A, now occupied by Rep. Dan Dorman, R-Albert Lea, will retain all of Freeborn County, it will also include communities in Mower County: Adams, Elkton, Lyle, Marshall, Nevada, Rose Creek, and Windom. That means 4,121 of the 36,705 district residents will live in Mower County.

Dorman said that he had expected the expansion of his district because of a demographic transition noted in the 2000 Census, which the redistricting was based on.

&uot;I think, in general, the plan is pretty fair,&uot; Dorman said. He thinks the redistricting will not affect his reelection campaign much. &uot;The extended area in Mower County is the same rural Minnesota as Freeborn County. People there are the same kind of people we have and face a similar political agenda.&uot;

The expansions were a result of relatively slower population growth in rural Minnesota in the past decade than in metro and suburban areas.

As for U.S. congressional districts, the balance tipped toward metro interests as rural Minnesota is slated to lose one of its four seats. To maintain equal populations, 614,935, for each district, the First Congressional District nearly doubled its area. The next U.S. Congressman in the district will represent 22 southern Minnesota counties.

On the current map, four out of eight congressional districts are rural. The new plan will reduce them to three, and allocate two districts to Minneapolis and St. Paul and three mostly for suburban counties.

&uot;I must say that I am a little disappointed that, statewide, greater Minnesota lost representation,&uot; Gutknecht said. &uot;That said, I will use my seniority on the Agriculture Committee to continue to be a strong voice for rural Minnesota.&uot;

Dorman also said the shift in representation toward the Twin Cities is unfortunate.

&uot;This is a nationwide trend. It is sad that the rural communities are losing their voice in Washington,&uot; Dorman said. &uot;It will become more important to elect a strong advocate for the rural Minnesota.&uot;

The court order says that the panel paid respects to the boundaries of the state’s political subdivisions and minority populations. On the other hand, it declined to constrain itself by avoiding conflicts among incumbents.

According to the Associated Press, 18 incumbents in nine Senate districts would race against each other if they ran for reelection. Republican incumbents would be paired in three districts and DFLers in two. In the House, 34 incumbents would collide in 17 districts. Republicans would be paired in five districts, and DFLers also in five.

No legislators in the counties immediately surrounding Freeborn County will find themselves facing another incumbent.