Politics & Government

Election 2012: Apple Valley's State Reps Will Run in Separate Districts

Redistricting maps keep Reps. Kurt Bills and Tara Mack within their respective Minnesota House districts.

Reps. Kurt Bills and Tara Mack both plan to run for re-election to the state House of Representatives this fall.

Luckily for the two Republicans, who each represent about half of Apple Valley at the Capitol, the state redistricting plan , albeit representing different geographic areas than the previous arrangement.

Redistricting presents "not too much of a shakeup" for Apple Valley, Mack said, unlike in some areas where redistricting caused representatives to now reside in the same district as another. If those incumbents wanted to run again, they would be pitted against each other in the same district.

Find out what's happening in Apple Valley-Rosemountwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Redistricting left 15 open seats throughout the state, "which should certainly make for some interesting races," Mack said. She said she thought the redistricting plan was fairly drawn for the most part.

Mack said she was disappointed to lose her portion of Burnsville, but looks forward to getting to know new constituents in the part of Lakeville she has gained.

Find out what's happening in Apple Valley-Rosemountwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I was excited to see that I keep more or less the heart of Apple Valley," Mack, who lives in Apple Valley, said.

The newly proposed state Senate District 57 would be mostly the same as the current District 37, which includes Apple Valley, Rosemount and a piece of Burnsville and is represented by Republican Sen. Chris Gerlach, who lives in Apple Valley.

The district would lose its current piece of Burnsville, and add the town of Coates and a portion of Lakeville, according to a redistricting report.

District 57 would be split into two state House districts, 57A and 57B, reminiscent of the current 37A and 37B House districts represented by Mack and Bills, respectively.

Bills, who lives in Rosemount, in his district gains the town of Coates, as well as more of the northern part of Apple Valley. His portion of Apple Valley shifted from mostly the east side to mostly the north side, while Mack's territory shifted from mostly the west side to mostly the south side.

Search for your address within the redistricting plan here.

Stay with for election coverage leading up to November.


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