Public Comments

The Western Slope’s agricultural, industrial, water and recreational economies rely on well-informed local representatives to protect our community’s interests at the federal levels. To split the Western Slope in any way would compromise the unity required to properly represent the interests of the region. There is also a clear divide between the Western Slope and front range communities, clearly designating western Colorado as a community with unique federal interests. Many of our communities don't have the tax base of their front range counterparts, they still must provide the essential services of government: safe roads and bridges, law enforcement, public schools, and critical infrastructure with minimal resources. These challenges are not experienced by front range communities where no federally owned lands exist. While federal lands are preserved for the benefit of all Americans, the day-to-day responsibilities of preservation fall upon those who live closest to those lands. These lands are managed for multiple uses – from livestock grazing to energy extraction to outdoor recreation. Over generations, communities on the Western Slope have worked with federal agencies to develop the best practices for multi-use lands for the country and these uses are limited to county border. Keep the West Slope whole.

I am making a correction for my below statement. My community is in agreement with the recent map that was submitted on September 16, 2021. Thank you

"Under the First Staff Plan and Second Staff Plan maps, rural Coloradans in counties such as Park, Teller, and Fremont have effectively been silenced. Residents in front range communities maintain important interests and values, however they are in no way similar to our community. Whether looking at our local economic interests, such as energy and agriculture, or the needs of our public lands and waters, one can easily discern that these interests are not shared or satisfied with folks living in suburban communities. While we believe that the interests of those in counties such as Jefferson and Douglas are of critical importance to the state of Colorado as a whole, combining them with rural communities would not result in fair representation for anyone aside from those in high, densely populated areas on the front range. Rural Coloradans not only deserve a voice, but representation that truly understands the issues they face daily for their government to provide them the results they require and deserve. If Teller, Park, and Fremont counties are no longer going to be in the Fifth Congressional District, then Park and Fremont should be in the Third Congressional District with other communities of interest not lumped in with Jefferson County and other suburban counties." Our community is in favor of the most recent map submitted on September 17,2021 for the redistricting plan.

All your hard work on the redistricting is appreciated. It can’t an easy job. I would like to complement you on the most recently released Second Staff Plan map. This is progress. It makes complete sense to put the counties that heavily rely on tourism and skiing, like Routt, Eagle and Summit counties, in the Second Congressional District, where their interests are best represented. As a resident of Fruita, I am relieved to see that Fruita and Palisade are not being carved out into a different district than the rest of the Grand Valley as was seen on a previous map. Fruita, Grand Junction, and Palisade all belong to the same community. We all overlap on where we work, live and recreate. The surrounding rural areas are also part of the common interests and values that hold us together. There is concern that the rural livestock and farming communities not be chopped up, so they lose their collective voice. They are in a fight for their survival anyway. There are many policies, like the importing of wolves and radical animal rights activism, that seem set on destroying rural economies. Large metro areas are a power block that have become dictators to rural Colorado. Keep us together, along with the towns we are economically and culturally tied to.

These feeble attempts to control the vote output need to stop. We are to the point where the citizens of Broomfield will call an emergency session with a vote to recall all board members, city manager, and Mayor. The external money and influence in our small community has gotten out of control.

I have concerns about the map that was released by staff on September 3rd as it will marginalize residents that live in rural communities because it separates many of them from the Third Congressional District. Garfield, Grand, Jackson, Moffat, Rio Blanco, and Routt Counties have a history of being grouped with similar rural counties, and combining them into a district with Boulder and Larimer Counties will fracture the working history they have had. Additionally, this new grouping with Boulder and Larimer challenges them to be represented with counties that share dissimilar and often conflicting interests (geographical, resources, historical needs that have arisen over the last several decades, etc.). Making such an extreme modification would not serve the interests and needs of the residents of the Second and Third Congressional Districts. For this reason, I would humbly request that the September 3rd map offered by staff be excluded from consideration.

I live in Eagle county. I grew up in Boulder and graduated from the University of Colorado. I can only assume Eagle county is included in district 2 to steal water from the western slope. Eagle county will have no representation and will be a backseat to the ideology and stupidity of the Boulder politician who represents water thirsty transplants from California. Keep the front range out of my district.

Dear Commissioners- My comments are on the state legislative plans recently published. As a resident of Manitou Springs, I applaud the changes to State Senate District 11 that recognize a strong west side community of interest which includes downtown Colorado Springs, Old Colorado City, and Manitou Springs. However, the State House plan differs dramatically. State House Districts 20 and 16 use I25 as a line of demarcation and stretch north to south which breaks this community of interest. Please alter State House Districts 20 and 16 to preserve this strong community of interest and our strong economic, educational, transportation, and cultural ties. Our cherished west side community of interest is exemplified in the new boundaries for State Senate District 11. Respectfully, Mary Pulvermacher

September 16, 2021 Attention Redistricting Commissioners, We have looked at the proposed redistricting map. This family of 4 registered, active voters is opposed to remaking and dividing the current US Congressional District 3. Near as we can determine from the map Pueblo County would also be removed from the current CD3. Having lived in Pueblo since 1981 we oppose this as well. We do not believe the re-districting plans will be a benefit for its various communities when 6 of the 8 districts in this state will be heavily weighted by the Denver Metro area. There are large swaths of the state that do not hold the political views of the densely populated Denver Metro area. The citizens of these communities deserve an equal voice when it comes to voting for legislative candidates who will represent them in the US Congress. Leave CD3 district boundaries alone. Thank you. The Lorensen Family/Pueblo, CO

I recently attend a redistricting meeting in Steamboat Springs. It was clear the community of the Western Slope shares conservation of resources, ranching, farming and tourism which drive our economy. Just about everyone who spoke over the 4 plus hours was from the communities of the Western Slope. It was a good representation of people in the community speaking for their communities’ specific interests. We are a rural community with our population spread out for the most part. Fort Collins and Boulder are urban with vastly different economic drives (Universities, Tech Companies and shopping malls) and needs of densely populated communities. My family moved to the Western Slope to get away from that. Please do not bring that here. Residents in rural communities have unique interests and need proper representation in Congress. We must be heard and not drowned out by the bright lights and sounds of big cities like Boulder or Fort Collins. Our needs are significantly different than those of the Front Range. The new map is very different then the map shown to us in the Steamboat Springs. That map made sense. The new map I found in the newspaper is a radical departure from the current Congressional Districts and it doesn’t serve either CD3 or CD2. I think if the current proposed map was shown in the Steamboat Springs meeting there would have been a riot. Eagle, Summit, Routt, Jackson and Grand belong with Garfield, Moffat, Rio Blanco counties and the rest of the Western Slope not the Front Range. Nature created a separation; they call it the Rock Mountains. The Mountain communities/Western Slope have as much in common with Miami Florida as we do with Boulder and Larimer County KEEP ALL OF THE WESTERN SLOPE IN CD3