Roseville Letter to The Editor: Mary Jo McGuire Is In The Race Too!

Editor's Note: The following letter is from Beth Mercer-Taylor, a resident of Falcon Heights and a member of the community's City Couuncil. The views expressed here are solely hers. 

As an involved citizen and city council member in Falcon Heights,  I am concerned about the media portrayal of the endorsement "race" between my own State Sen. Mary Jo McGuire and old District 54 State Senator, John Marty.

Your coverage of the race suggests to me, as a reader without background, that the new Senate District 66 is John Marty's district. It is his race to lose, perhaps.  I don't really think that is fair. 

Look at the geography and at the demographics. The new SD66 is made up of 47 percent of the area that was in the old SD66, or Mary Jo's district. Forty seven percent is in John Marty's area.  Six percent is new. 

There are actually both more voters and more DFL delegates in the "old" SD66.  So the new district is just as much Mary Jo McGuire's as it is John Marty's. 

Also, while there is an issue of "seniority" at play for some people, there is another issue, and that is one of women's leadership.  Many women are supporting Mary Jo because they really are concerned in this time of redistricting about keeping enough women in seats in both the House and Senate. 

We have already seen Kate Knuth will not be running again.  There are other races as well, in both the DFL and Republican parties, which could cause the percentage of seats held by women to decrease.

Beth Mercer-Taylor