Public Comments

I am in favor of the Schuster Map. North oil and gas are kept together. Northwest ag and water concerns are kept together. It also makes for a competitive district.

Hello, I'm from La Plata County. Although we are one of the smaller counties, we contribute a great deal to the wellbeing of the State of Colorado as a whole because we have a lot of Tourism, Oil & Gas, and Farm & Ranching that fuels and feeds the entire State. Not only do we contribute "fuel and feed" to the whole State, but our Oil & Gas industry funds Education, hospitals, First Responders, and provides hundreds of million of dollars in revenue directly to the State through royalties and severance taxes. Furthermore, these two main industries of our area directly impact other "trickle-down" industries that contribute mightily to our State's economy, such as Construction, Logging, etc. Yet, because our county is less populated, we are often left out of discussions, ignored when we are "allowed" to weigh-in, penalized for bigger counties' or cities' mistakes, regulated by rules that do not apply to our situation, or lumped-in with a bigger county that does not share our strengths or weaknesses. We are sick of counties like Boulder County, which has it's own unique set of strengths and weaknesses, dragging the whole State Boulder's way, or Denver's way, or some other big county's way, when their issues don't apply to us. As a rural county, we have a voice equal to the urban counties. Our district lines must reflect this equal voice instead of silencing it. Redraw the district lines to give the rural counties an equal voice to the big counties. Don't silence us little guys anymore.

The Schuster map looks like our best option.

Thank you for your work on the second staff maps. I love the Senate map, although I have questions about the numbering system and why Thornton is labeled 11? I have concerns with the House map, specifically in Adams County- the northern portion of the county now has 2 districts that extend into Weld County and I don't care for their configuration. I also don't care for the way districts 31 & 34 have been drawn and would note that Northglenn has more in common with south Thornton than north-east Thornton and would recommend switching the portion of 31 in south Thornton with the northern portion in 34. The lines around 104th and Zuni (where 4 cities meet) is blurry and I believe is a community of interest based on my living in this area my entire life and will say that I only know where the city boundaries are because I've researched them, but most people don't know where the lines are, especially around south-west Northglenn. Thank you for your time and effort in these endeavors.

The Schuster map is the most sensible option to represent Colorado counties.

I respectfully disagree with the recent maps carving the City of Loveland out of the current 2nd congressional district and placing it in the 4th congressional district. The issues and values facing voters in the City of Loveland and those on the eastern plains are not reflective of one another and is not what one would define as "balanced". It seems you are balancing it based on population figures but not what is representative of our respective cultures. In order for the City of Loveland voters to truly have a voice in Congress, it should remain in the 2nd congressional district and not be suppressed by the will of the 4th congressional district. It was that way when it was formerly in the 4th, and that's how it will be if you move it back. Thank you.

In listening to the most recent meetings of the Commission, I have been impressed with the attention that many Commissioners have given to improve redistricting to meet the wishes of citizens in northern Colorado. After reviewing the third staff map and other maps submitted to the Commission (e.g., the Schuster map), I am writing to ask that Commissioners review these maps and make suggestions that address the concerns of citizens in the 3rd congressional district, particularly those concerns of citizens in southern Colorado. These matters include the compactness and the competitiveness of the 3rd CD in the third staff map, as well as the muddle of communities of interests in the huge "L." The size of the district limits citizens' access to their member of congress – both during political season and after elections. A close to 10-point spread by the 2 parties in elections is not competitive and limits the voice of rural and minority groups in the district (please check how these voices have been heard in the current 3rd – a very similar geographical configuration). Like other new CDs (e.g., the design of a district in northern Colorado in which Fort Collins was linked to Boulder to form a district around a higher education community of interest), the 3rd district, as outlined in the third staff map, should be reviewed in terms of important communities of interest that relate to federal policy - e.g., water, infrastructure needs, and economic development in the most disadvantaged area of the state – southern Colorado. Again, thank-you for listening to the citizens of Colorado, and please address the voices of many of us in the southern part of the state.

While I don't feel the Schuster map is balanced as I would like, given the choices, I strongly support the Schuster Map over the Staff Map!

We express both concern and dismay that the City of Loveland has been moved into the 4th Congressional District in the recently released staff plan. We understand why Wellington may fit the profile for the proposed 4th District, but Loveland does not. Our City, given its needs and issues is best represented by remaining in the 2nd Congressional District, not in the primarily rural 4th Congressional District that is being proposed. We are aware of the requirement that population must be balanced in each District but Loveland, like Fort Collins, has nothing in common with the proposed 4th Congressional District thus creating a district with conflicting values, needs and priorities....something our state, our nation needs not. We respectfully request that you retain Loveland in the 2nd Congressional District.

I would like to see competitive districts from the redistricting process.