Application for Legislative Commission for Angela Shayne Ledgerwood

Past Political Activity

In 2016 I was a delegate to the Denver County Democratic Convention. I think I donated money (small sums, under $200) to either the Sanders or Clinton campaigns, possibly both. I think I donated money (again small sums, for example $25 on 9/30/19) to Jason Crow's campaign in 2018 & 2019. Donations since July 2019 (when I started keeping better records): 9/30/19 Jason Crow, $25 10/31/19 Amy McGrath, $50 1/17/20 Mark Kelly, $50 2/27/20 ACLU of Colorado, $100 4/24/20 ACLU of Colorado, $50 7/30/20 Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), $75

List of Political and Civic Organizations belonged to

8/2015-present: House for All Sinner and Saints (church) 1/2017-present: Institute of Hazardous Materials Management 2/2017-present: Project Management Institute 7/2018-present: Alcoholics Anonymous

Organization and Advocacy Experience

I do not organize, represent, or advocate for any groups, organizations, or associations.

Statement

Gerrymandering is a profoundly anti-democratic problem, effectively disenfranchising millions of voters & causing our legislative bodies to become increasingly radicalized, as representatives from "safe" seats for either party are essentially elected at the primary level instead of the general. I think I could provide the commission with a knowledgeable voice, based on my education & professional experience with GIS. However, I am not deeply involved in politics (aside from being an engaged citizen). I believe I could be a relatively unbiased voice on the commission (no one is completely unbiased), and I know that I know more about the technology used in redistricting than most citizens.

Statement on Working with Consensus

I am not involved in many organizations, but in my professional work, I spend a lot of time developing consensus between groups with different points of view, sometimes in rather contentious settings. For example, I was the response manager for the Gold King Mine spill site for two years. I had to work with community members, EPA, BLM, the Uncompaghre Ute tribe, neighbors, & landowners to complete our scope of work, while managing my own team of workers and subcontractors. That experience taught me how to listen to opposing points of view and genuinely consider how to incorporate those viewpoints and concerns. I am also truly disinterested in dictating the outcome of any election, other than making it fair. I would be thrilled for every Congressional district in Colorado to be competitive, if its electorate was truly split. I want distinct parts of the state to be represented, not packed or cracked. I think that fair redistricting may help revive belief in our system of government.

Relevant Analytic Skills for Commission

I wrote my Master's project on gerrymandering, focusing on Pennsylvania (which was the subject of Vieth v. Jubelirer, 541 U.S. 267 in 2004). I studied the strengths & weaknesses of various algorithms for generating "neutral" district sets. I have experience explaining complicated scientific problems to lay audiences. Professionally, I am called on to provide logical, reasonable analyses to complex problems as a matter of course.

Racial categories the applicant identifies with:

Applicant identifies with the following gender

female