Delano Herald Journal

Serving the communities of Delano, Loretto, Montrose, MN, and the surrounding area

All five Wright commissioners likely to face elections after redistricting



In November, Commissioners Pat Sawatzke, Dick Mattson,
and Elmer Eichelberg were all scheduled to face election challenges.

However, it’s becoming apparent that all five commissioners
will have to face election races, since pending redistricting will result
is substantial changes to three or more commissioner districts.

The county can’t do commissioner redistricting until the
state completes it legislative redistricting, which is expected to be completed
at mid- to late March. But, with census numbers already in, it’s clear that
changes will need to be made.

“I’d be surprised if all five commissioner districts
don’t come up for election this fall,” Auditor/Treasurer Doug Gruber
said. “The formula for redistricting is pretty well defined and the
numbers don’t add up at this point.”

Under the rules of redistricting, the first number that
comes forward is the district average. After the 1990 census, Wright County
had a population of 68,700.

See population
chart
(PDF)

Ten years later, that figure is now 89,986 ­ an increase
of 31 percent and a new district average of 17,997. State law requires that
each district be within 10 percent ­ above or below ­ that figure,
which ranges from 16,197 to 19,797. However, the rules also ask that the
numbers be as close as possible.

“That’s where the question is going to come in,”
Gruber said. “In 1990, the numbers worked out pretty well. With the
growth of the county primarily along I-94, the numbers now are a little
out of whack.”

In 1990, the difference between the most and least populated
districts was just 659 people, with four commissioner districts being within
304 of each other. But this time around, the playing field is quite different.

District 4, represented by Eichelberg, has ballooned from
the third smallest district to the largest at 22,143 ­ meaning that
district will have to be trimmed by a minimum of 2,350 people and more likely
in excess of 3,000.

Meanwhile, District 5 (Mattson) is at 16,018 ­ almost
200 under the minimum district size allowed ­ and District 1 (Ken Jude)
is 16,386 ­ less than 200 inside the allowable guidelines.

Changing commissioner districts is difficult because any
commissioner district must be attached ­ “you can’t have a part
of a district ‘out on an island,” Jude said. So, to add one township
or city to one district may result in a tradeoff of another city or township
in exchange.

The only district that looks at face value most likely
to remain unchanged is District 2 (Sawatzke), which is at 18,409 ­ well
within the 10 percent guidelines. But, the 10 percent numbers aren’t the
only numbers that could result in Jude and Board Chair Jack Russek facing
a re-election bid in November. There’s also the 5 percent rule that comes
into play.

“In counties like ours, the 5 percent rule will probably
come into play,” Gruber said. “If, in getting a district into
the range of the other four districts, you have to add or take away a city
or township, you count everyone that comes in and everyone that goes out.
If that total is at or above 5 percent of the total of your district, then
you have to go through an election.”

Using that formula, if a commissioner does an exchange
with another commissioner by adding a township of 1,000 people in exchange
for one of 300 people to bring up one total and lower another total to bring
both districts within the 10 percent guideline, both commissioners would
have a district that has 1,300 people that have moved in or out.

If their districts were at 18,000 each, the 1,300 displaced
people would be as difference of 7.2 percent ­ requiring a new election.
Using the average district size of 17,997, if a district adds and/or subtracts
as few as 900 people, that will require a new election.

“I think there is a way to do it without (Russek)
and I having to run again,” Jude said. “But, it’s going to be
something we deal with when it comes the county’s turn.”

If Jude and Russek have to face a November election, it
will mean that they will have to face three elections in a four-year span.

Due to laws that stagger commissioner terms, Jude and Russek
faced elections in 2000 and, regardless of whether they win election in
November, would face another election in 2004. The other three commissioner
seats will run through 2006.

While lobbying efforts may be made to avoid additional
elections as well as attempts to try to retain constituencies, if the intent
of the redistricting is to get all five commissioner districts as close
in population as realistically possible, it seems almost sure that all five
commissioners will be running this fall.

“When you look at how different the numbers are and
what it will take to get them all close, it seems to me that all the commissioners
will be up for election,” Gruber said. “If past history of trying
to get the districts close means anything, it’s going to be tough not to.”

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