Update 8/31: This post was used by petitioners who challenged Senator Westrom's residency on Lake Mary in Douglas County. On Tuesday, August 30 the referee ruled in Westrom's favor, we reported in Referee's Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law: Torrey Westrom stays on MN12 ballot.[end update]
Back on March 9, Morris MN radio KMRS/KKOK reported Westrom to Establish Residence in Douglas County to Seek Reelection:
When State Senator Torrey Westrom announced his run for re-election to District 12 last week, one detail was not mentioned. After redistricting, the new legislative border lines for District 12 which would be valid for the 2022 election do not include Grant County, where the Elbow Lake Republican currently resides. A requirement to represent a district is that a candidate must live in the district for six months prior to the election. The new District 12 will include Big Stone, Stevens, Pope, Swift, part of Douglas and part of Stearns Counties.
In a response to query from KMRS, Westrom’s office said the senator has until May 8th to reside in the district, which he will establish by that time in Douglas County.
Is there a possibility that a 2020 Redistricting Plan Boundary Adjustment that shifts L12B-1, tiny slice of House District 9B into House District 12B to magically appear in a future version of SF 4476, the redistricting bill authored by Senator Mark Johnson, R-East Grand Forks?
Here's how the 2020 Redistricting Plan Boundary Adjustment page looks right now:
To be fair, we're told by several sources on background that L44A-1 was intended, in a bit of horsetrading, to protect North St. Paul DFLer Leon Lillie (one unprincipled adjustment for each party) but the House now has a different plan. Let's hope so.
SF4476 was passed on Thursday by the Minnesota Senate without this change, but it's not over until it's over and on its way to the Governor's desk or simply dead.
We have posted a screenshot of the L12B-1 map at the top of this post. As we understand redistricting principles, it's unusual to slice off a tiny part of a rural township and orphan it into another legislative district, particularly if the real estate had not been so orphaned in the past. Under district maps used for the last decade, all of Douglas County's Ida Township is part of Senate District 8, now represented in the Minnesota Senate by Bill Ingebrigtsen, who is retiring.
Where do we get these ideas about redistricting principles? In a January 7 Senate Republican press release, Senate Republicans Release Redistricting Maps, "political subdivisions (cities and counties) splits" were thought to be negative thing.
The press release also links the word principles to SF171, which notes in Subd. 8. Incumbents:
Legislative districts must not be drawn for the purpose of protecting or defeating an incumbent, but the impact of redistricting on incumbent officeholders is a factor subordinate to all redistricting criteria that the legislature may consider to determine whether proposed plans result in either undue incumbent protection or excessive incumbent conflicts.
Sadly, this principle seems to have been abandoned in the L12B-1 map, which moves a tiny sliver of Ida Township with a Westrom-TSI Real Estate home from Senate District 9, where Jordan Rasmusson is running, to Senate District 12, where Senator Westrom plans to run.
We believe that this change was/is a gerrymandering fix designed to allow Senator Torrey Westrom to move to a lake home owned by TSI Real Estate LLC within the new boundaries of Senate District 12. TSI Real Estate LLC is listed as a source of income on Senator Westrom's Economic Income Statement, online at the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board.
According to property tax records located through searches over the weekend via parcel lookup and property tax links (lower right hand corner)on the Douglas County property was purchased by TSI Real Estate LLC from George Hamrick in 2013. Since the property was financed by a contract for deed, Mr. Hamrick is still listed as "owner," but TSI Real Estate LLC controls the property and pays the taxes. This is the standard way property purchased by contract by deed is listed in property tax records, we are told by a
Here are screenshots of aerial photos of the properties,24-0789-000, There's an additional parcel, 24-759-900, purchased in in the TSI portfolio, purchased in 2021, as well.
Another slice of information about the Westroms' property? On the Vrba rental website, there's this: Lakefront home with Private Yard and Great Swimming. It is "Hosted by Anna Westrom" according to the listing. Senator Westrom's wife is named Anna.
It's on the eastern shore of Lake Ida, as this photo demonstrates, since the sun sets in the west.
Perhaps it's different property in the L12B-1 that Anna Westrom manages and other than the $420 per night rental rate, the Westrom's have no interest in the property.
We saw one indication that the Johnson redistricting bill might be changed before whatever comes out of conference committee might include L12B-1.
In the Senate floor discussion of SF 4476, Senator Jason Isaacson, DFL-Shoreview, presses Johnson about whether the bill will change. Johnson repeatedly says this is the shape of the Senate language now, but doesn't commit to the language upon which the Senate is about to vote.
Isaacson raises the existence of the additional Proposed Boundary Adjustments connected with SF 4476 on the Geographic Information Services | 2020 Redistricting Plans - Boundary Adjustments (see image above if the material at the link has changed), so this isn't a by-guess-and-golly moment.
Senator Isaacson is the Ranking Minority Member of the Redistricting committee, so perhaps he heard rumors about the L12B-1 option.
the exchange, edited from the Senate Media YouTube of the floor session:
Conclusion:
We can only hope that we're mistaken and Senator Westrom announces a new residence in Douglas County by May 8 that's within the current boundaries of the new Senate District 12. Perhaps TSI Real Estate LLC owns other properties that are just as sweet that are already in the district.
We hope our readers will be taking note of the new Westrom home.
Screenshots: Self evident.
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Good work.
Posted by: Charle Quimby | May 04, 2022 at 09:28 PM