Public Comments

Grand County has a rich history of involvement with the West Slope. Culturally we share much of the ranching, farming, mining, and forestry outlook. The Colorado River is one of the life sustaining features that we share with the other West Slope counties and we participate in many entities both governmental and nongovernmental that we don't share with the East Slope. Quite frankly thr representation when we are with the West Slope is much more represenative .

Please keep all of the Western Slope in CD3!

I think this map looks appropriate. Having like areas together makes sense. I heard there was talk of placing Boulder County with the Western Slope which would make zero sense. We are not the same area, nor the same community lifestyle. Country/Agriculture needs to be able to be separated from Big City. We tend to vote differently, since we live different lifestyles & have different needs. I’d never expect the city to live by the same terms we live on in Ag land.

The First Staff plan map does not represent agriculture or rural needs by combining us with urban and suburban populations. It fails in many ways to reflect the differences in water administration, ag industry makeup, and the social landscape between eastern and western parts of the state. It also ignores testimony from around the state regarding desired district lines. I insist that Commissioners recognize rural Colorado as a distinct community of interest with the same public policy concerns based on agriculture, employment, and water needs and supplies, which are different from urban and suburban communities, and captured in the "Preliminary plan."

This pertains to the September 4 map as it relates to Congressional District 3 (CD3). Why does the Commission seem incapable of drawing a map that doesn’t include some part of the I-25 corridor in almost every CD? Even a CD that should represent portions of the state hundreds of miles from I-25. Colorado is a lot more than the I-25 corridor. The September 4 map violates the most fundamental principle of congressional redistricting: that communities of interest have representation in our Congress. The Western Slope of Colorado has many common interests. These include water, industries such as agriculture and energy that support our economy, and a culture of fierce personal liberty that sadly is becoming less common around the state. The September 4 map would dilute the voice of Western Colorado in Congress by dividing our region into two CDs, neither of which would represent Western Colorado because each would include areas that are far afield from us and have very different interests. Give those areas on the Front Range their Congressional voices, and give a voice to the Western Slope by keeping all of the Western Slope in CD3. Regards, Kathryn Fries

As a resident of Broomfield, I think it is important to keep the entire community together. One of the Congressional maps under consideration splits Broomfield between CD-2 and the new CD-8. My preference would be to keep the City and County of Broomfield in CD-2. The reason for creating the City and County in the first place was to resolve problems with splitting the community among multiple counties. Broomfield has more in common with the current CD-2 and less in common with the other counties in the proposed CD-8, which have more rural and agricultural policy concerns. Broomfield has a clear identity as a close-knit City and County, it would be a shame to split us between multiple Congressional Districts. I urge the committee to keep all of Broomfield in CD-2. Thank you very much for your consideration.

We have an entire different way of life here in the western slope than they do on the Eastern slope…. If you add Boulder county and the counties in the other side of the mountain to the Western slip they would not know our ways of life here so how would they know how to vote for our needs in this side? Why can’t we leave well enough along… Do what’s right and keep the western slope in the rural communities together we are here to get away from City thinkers.

Broomfield is a small county. Keep the redistributing as one county.

I am concerned that rural representation is being neglected in the current map that joins part of the Western Slope communities to Boulder and Larimer counties. Colorado has become so Denver-centric that many people who grew up here do not recognize their state. Boulder is a college town with left-leaning values. It is jokingly known by rural conservatives as 'the People's Republic of Boulder'. There is already resentment that rural people with conservative values are disrespected. To force a union between Boulder and the Western slope will be like a bad marriage destined for friction and divorce.

It is important to keep the western slope district as it is. Adding Boulder to that district will silence many individuals. Denver and it's surrounding areas already have enough of a voice in this State. Let's keep this fair by not changing it.