Burnsville Residents Concerned Over Redistricting Rumble

Do you know who your state Senate and House members are?

If you live in Burnsville, there is more than one answer: As one attendee said at a  Sept. 29 Burnsville meeting on redrawing congressional  and legislative districts lines, the area has been politically “sliced and diced” so much over the years that it is hard to be involved in the process, let alone figure out which of the several legislators represents you.

Terry McCall of Burnsville was among the 15 attendees at the Draw the Line Minnesota, meeting hled last Wednesday to educate people about redistricting and to gather their concerns.

“Our community has been broken up and diced up about five different ways,” McCall said.

Burnsville is housed in the 2nd Congressional District represented by John Kline. But on the state level, it is divided among three Senate districts and six House districts.

That could change when the new district lines are drawn.

Every 10 years after the census, the Legislature is charged with changing the legislative and congressional lines to reflect population shifts.

The 2010 census showed that Minnesota will retain its eight congressional seats; however, the districts will need to be realigned so that each contains the ideal population of 662,991.

The state is also divided into 67 Senate districts and 134 House districts. The average House district contained about 36,000, which, after the census and the state’s increased population, will be revised upward to 39,000 residents.

Burnsville could be significantly impacted with any redistricting plan, because the neighboring district (Shakopee) has grown to more than 50,000 making it the largest House district in the state, meaning lines will need to be shifted.

Redistricting is a contentious political process and for decades, the lack of agreement at the legislative level has forced the task of redrawing the lines onto the courts, and this year is no exception.

“Year after year it goes to the courts. We think the voters should have a say (in the redistricting process),” said David Wheeler, program coordinator for Draw the Line, which is a joint project of the League of Women Voters Minnesota, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and TakeAction Minnesota. The Burnsville meeting was one of 18 held across the state.

The group touts its politically diverse base and hopes that through the meetings, they will be armed with enough information and resident support to persuade the judges to place resident concerns above political motivations.

One of those concerns is to consider preserving communities of interest and also municipal and county lines.

For instance, because Burnsville is split among so many districts, political clout is watered down to the point where it is hard to organize volunteers for campaigns, said Steve Cherney, a former Burnsville City Council and Planning Commission member.

Cherney contended that the separation also splits the “community spirit."

"Give us back our community,” he said.

The new lines must be complete by Feb. 21, 2012.

For nonpartisan information on redistricting: http://www.gis.leg.mn/html/redistricting.html

Download the movie