Governor Vetoes Local Boundary Change

A bill which would have altered the legislative boundary in southeast Edina to prevent an apartment complex from being divided between two districts was vetoed this week by Gov. Mark Dayton.

The complex, located on York Avenue just south of Hazelton Road, is bisected by boundary lines drawn up by the Minnesota Supreme Court during its . Under the current arrangement, that complex would be split between House Districts 49A and 49B.

The same thing happened 10 years ago, when city officials worked with the legislature to remedy the situation. That bill passed the Senate 66-0, the House 125-0 and was signed by then Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

In his veto letter, Dayton said the change "would set a bad precedent and invite further legislative adjustments, which could lead to additional lawsuits and voter confusion." He said it would be best if cities requesting changes to boundaries petition the Redistricting Panel with corrections.

Dayton said he has made it clear he would only approve changes in election law if they "have broad bipartisan support."

The bill was carried through the House by Rep. Keith Downey (R-Edina) and the Senate by Sen. Geoff Michel (R-Edina). It cleared the House on a 77-55 vote and the Senate on a 35-29 vote.

The bill was supported by the City of Edina, Secretary of State Mark Ritchie and the League of Minnesota Cities, , who chairs the House Redistricting Committee.

Michel said he had been hopeful Dayton would sign the bill, as he said the "technical error" has made for a lot of confusion and extra costs for the 150 Edina residents who live there.

"Why would he force the city and residents to hire an attorney and petition the court?" Michel said in an email. "The Legislature made the exact same Edina boundary fix … to the last court plan, which was drawn with the exact same error. Strange."

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