Local Politics

The new Minnesota legislative district map approved earlier this year has resulted in major changes in Richfield voting precinct boundaries. The Richfield City Council approved the new voting map at its meeting Tuesday night.

The cause of the changes, City Clerk Nancy Gibbs said, was the decision at the state level to divide Richfield between two state senate districts instead of leaving it entirely in one.

That will cause changes in voting places for a number of Richfield residents next fall, but Gibbs assured the council that Hennepin County will send postcards to all potential voters with new polling place information before the elections.

The boundaries of the city's three council wards didn't change substantially. The area around Wood Lake moves from Ward 2 to Ward 1, but the new map still cuts the city into three fairly equal sections: west, central and east.

A constituent survey conducted by State Rep. Linda Slocum (DFL-District 63B), shows jobs, K-12 education and health care should be Minnesota lawmaker's top three priorities this legislative session. 

Slocum serves eastern Richfield and eastern Bloomington in the Minnesota House of Representatives. The unscientific in-person and online survey received 246 responses.

Just over 56 percent of those answering said they opposed a new Vikings stadium, with just 13 percent saying they favor the idea and 30 percent not sure. About 52 percent said they oppose expanding gambling to pay for a replacement for the Metrodome.

Asked to rank what they'd like to see cut from the state budget if Minnesota continues to experience deficits, the respondents indicated:
#1 State government
#2 Debt service and "other"
#3 Economic development
#4 Property tax relief
#5 Environmental protection

Those answering the survey overwhelmingly said the top priority for state borrowing should be fixing roads and bridges.

View the survey results here.

Richfield will be divided into two state senate districts under a plan released today by a panel of judges. It's now entirely in Senate District 63.

The three lawmakers who represent Richfield talk about the upcoming session and listened to citizen concerns at an open house.