Caledonia Argus

Redistricting creates dilemma for local lawmakers

Posted: 3/26/02

by Jane Palen
Managing editor

New lines have been drawn in southeastern Minnesotaís legislative districts which could turn political colleagues into political rivals. A more likely scenario, however, according to State Representative Michelle Rifenberg, is that legislators who find themselves in the same district will sit down together and work things out.

Rifenberg (R-La Crescent), who represents House District 32B and Greg Davids (R-Preston) , who represents District 31B, found themselves both in District 31B after the Minnesota Supreme Court released the new maps on Tuesday, March 19. The City of Houston, and Houston and Money Creek Townships have been added to District 32A, currently served by Gene Pellowski (DFL-Winona).

Rifenberg, who served as vice chair of the house redistricting committee, said that redistricting is not her main concern at the moment. Legislators are instead intent on wrapping up the current session. But when the session is over and the time comes to decide who will be on the ballot in November, she believes the issue will be settled in a civilized manner.

ìGreg and I are good friends,î Rifenberg told The Argus. ìAll legislators agreed ahead of time not to make an immediate decision and to work with one another...Greg and I will work things out.î

ìWe (House Republicans) are a family, we really are,î she said. ìThereís been no decision made one way or the other.î

Rural Minnesota lost five seats in redistricting and the outer-ring suburbs gained in order to maintain an equitable ratio of residents to legislators. For many years, said Rifenberg, the metro area was considered a seven-county area, but has grown to 11 counties.

Rifenberg, 45, a homemaker, is serving her third term.

Davids commented Monday that ìI think the court did a poor jobî in drawing the new lines. The court failed, he said, to keep communities of similar interests together, Chatfield has been split in two, Houston County has been ìbutcheredî and the county of Pennington is now part of three different districts. The rural community of Wykoff is now grouped with Austin. Houston city and township and Money Creek township are now in a district separate from the rest of the county.

ìThey should have kept the counties whole,î remarked Davids.

But Rep. Davids, a 43 year old farmer who is serving his sixth term, will not be making any decisions regarding the legislative race until at least two weeks after the current session has ended.

ìWe are in a tumultuous session,î said Davids, adding that with the work the legislature needs to get done, it would not be a good time to make a decision. He will talk to family, his constituents and to Rifenberg before announcing his intentions.

ìWhen you are put in the same district with a good friend, you talk it through,î said Davids.

Rifenberg, he said, ìIs one of the finest legislators we have in the state. She is a courageous legislator who can take the heat.î

Davids said he would welcome an opportunity to campaign in Houston County.

ìIt would be quite exciting to campaign there,î said Davids.

ìIf I am the candidate, youíll get awful sick of me in Caledonia.î

Senate lines redrawn

Bob Kierlin (R-Winona) and Kenric Scheevel, (R-Preston) both ended up in Senate District 31after redistricting. Kierlin has already announced his intention to seek the Republican endorsement.

Kierlin was first elected in 1999 to serve the unexpired term of Steve Morse (D-Dakota) when Morse accepted an appointment as assistant commissioner of the DNR. Kierlin was elected again in 2000.

Scheevel, a 45 year old farmer, is assistant minority leader in the senate and is serving his third term. Kierlin, 62, is a businessman and owner of Fastenal in Winona.

Scheevel said Monday that new district boundaries were ì a complete surprise to both Bob and me.î

He said that after the session ends, probably the week after the Easter break, he expects that he will get together with Senator Kierlin.

ìI expect that one of us will step aside,î he said.

Scheevel said that while redistricting does not give one political party an advantage over another, the agricultural areas will be losing.

ìThe ag sector will not fare well,î he predicted.

The legislative pairings that resulted from redistricting tend to be among legislators from ag areas, noted Scheevel. ìWe will lose two people from our corner of the state,î he said.

A Democrat from Winona, Sharon Ropes, has announced that she will seek the senate seat in District 31.

1st Congressional District is enlarged

The First Congressional District now includes 22 counties and runs from Wisconsin to South Dakota. The judges who decided on redistricting had determined that one of Minnesotaís three rural districts had to stretch across the state, and creating that district in Southern Minnesota made the most sense. The First District is served by Gil Gutknecht (R-Rochester).

The Second Congressional District is now less than a quarter of its previous size and includes only six counties located in the eastern portion of the state, south of the Twin Cities. That districtís Congressman, Mark Kennedy (R-Watertown), does not live in the newly drawn district. He now resides in the First District.

Minnesota now has three rural and five urban districts as compared to four predominantly rural and four urban districts before redistricting.

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