Public Comments

I really like the redistricting to include a 50/50 split of democrats and republicans. This really makes voting and issues fairly decided. That is the way our democracy works, not one sided, one way or the other, but a fair split. Thank you for considering the redistricting map.

Adding Boulder County to north western rural counties in effect cancels the voice of those rural counties . The large urban population of Boulder County , which has traditionally had different priorities than the rural western slope Colorado, will cancel the representation of those north western citizens. Please reconsider that district.

I much prefer the first redistricitng map. I live in Clear Creek County and feel I have not had decent representation in too many years. Park County is definitely Republican and you have assigned both counties to a poor representative in Perlmutter. He doesn't even do a good job for the Democrats.

We need to redistrict like-minded communities together not cancel a district out by having it divided city life values against rural life values. Both life styles can be ignorant to the others surroundings and what's needed for each community to thrive.

I strongly believe… it is in the best interests of most Coloradans in Teller County to remain in the same congressional district as El Paso County… for the following reasons: The largest city in Teller County, Woodland Park, and the surrounding area as far as Divide, CO, is basically a SUBURB of Colorado Springs in El Paso County! About 1/2 of the Coloradans in Teller County live in a SUBURB of Colorado Springs… and are affected by the same issues Colorado Springs has! Many Coloradans in Woodland Park and the surrounding area commute to work in Colorado Springs… which is about 35-45 minutes or so away! That is why the US Census data says the average commute to work is 30 minutes or so! Plus, residents in Woodland Park and the surrounding area drive to Colorado Springs for medical care (The local hospital in Woodland Park sends many patients to Colorado Springs for medical care!), to shop at small specialized businesses and large retail stores, as well as for other purposes… and businesses in Colorado Springs that provide services such as plumbing, electrical, appliance repair, etc. come to Woodland Park and the surrounding area every day!!! Please put Teller County in the same congressional district as El Paso County! Thank you, Don BennerI’m

Redistricting has broken up several cohesive communities and this the opposite of what should have been done. Moving districts to try to unseat candidates like Bobert, no mater what you think of her is illegal and immoral. Taking Arvada out of Jefferson county is silly. The heart and sole of Redistricting is to maintain cohesive groups, not break them up.

September 11, 2021 Dear Colorado Independent Redistricting Commission, I am writing to express my opposition and deep concern regarding proposed District 4. I am a resident of Fort Collins. The contrasts between Fort Collins and the rest of the proposed district are stark. Fort Collins is so different from the communities on the plains that it makes little sense to include it into District 4. In short, there are at least two fundamental problems. The essence of the first problem is that proposed District 4 fails to meet the intent of Colorado’s Constitution (Section 44 (3)(b), Article V). It does not align communities of interest and relevant matters of public policy. Fort Collins is the fourth largest City in Colorado. It has experienced one of the highest rates of growth in the entire country over the last twenty-five years. It is very much an urban area and not a rural area as are the plains. Farming, ranching, and natural resource development are critical to eastern Colorado. In Fort Collins, as well as Larimer County, the issues of primary public concern are far different and include the development of leading edge technologies to battle climate change, the sustainability and success of Colorado State University, forest health and fire mitigation, watershed protection, and difficult urban issues such as mass transit, homelessness, and affordable housing. The second fundamental problem, which is reflective of the failure to meet the intent of the State’s Constitution, is that the proposed District would sever Larimer County’s seat of government in Fort Collins from the rest of the County which would be in District 2. There is no logic at all to this idea. It simply makes no sense and there is no way to justify it. In short, the proposed District could not be more contrary to Section 44 (3)(b), Article V than if you had deliberately tried to contravene its intent. Please go back to the drawing boards and create a district that aligns the interests of Fort Collins with its district. Thank you for considering my comments and for your work on this complex, important and necessary effort, Ed Mass 906 Wild Cherry Ln Fort Collins CO 80521

I am opposed to the latest redistricting map. Routt County and the surrounding rural counties in our district in no way belong in a district with Larimer and Boulder County. The majority of the counties in this map are basically rural communities, which have very different needs than growing urban communities such as Boulder and Fort Collins. I'm concerned that our needs and values would not be adequately represented. For instance, water right issues. Much of our needs are based on ranching and agriculture, not on urban usage. Many of the constituents in our communities rely on incomes from fossil fuels. With the shut down of coal mines, power plants and restrictions imposed on fossil fuels we need people representing them that understand their needs. Not urban representation that is constantly promoting expensive "green energy" programs that will definitely raise the cost of living for low to middle income families for utilities and transportation. Our transportation needs are also considerably different. For most of our communities we rely heavily on cars and trucks to get us around, outside of Steamboat and Craig most people live in rural areas. Maintenance of our highways and roads are extremely important year round. Routt County is a very active community. We rely heavily on tourism for our economy. We live here to enjoy the outdoors, hiking, biking, camping, alpine skiing, cross country skiing, snowmobiling, etc. We are surrounded by open space and want to see that maintained and preserved. We have much more in common with counties such as Eagle, Mesa and Delta than with Larimer and Boulder. It's going to be very difficult for anyone to represent our values and needs and at the same time promote the needs of sprawling urban communities. Please consider these points when working on your next map. I know this is no easy task and thank you for your efforts.

The latest redistricting plan put forward by the Colorado Independent Redistricting Commission includes Fort Collins with the Eastern plains in the 4th Congressional District. That proposal is inconsistent with the definition of "community of interest" in the Colorado Constitution. Fort Collins is very different from Weld County and other counties in the Eastern plains economically. The Eastern plains rely on agriculture and extractive industries (oil and gas). The drivers of the economy in Fort Collins are higher education, high tech and manufacturing. Colorado State University is the largest employer in the city. Technology companies include Hewlett Packard and Madwire. Manufacturing companies include Advanced Energy, Anheuser Busch, Otter Products. Noosa, Woodward and Water Pik. Public policy issue differences are reflected in the rural character of the plains and the urban environment of Fort Collins. For Fort Collins public policy issues include homelessness, high population growth, ozone non-compliance as a result of greenhouse gas emissions, protection of open space, watershed restoration to protect the city's water quality, and wildfire mitigation to protect the city's water quality and air quality. For the Eastern plains protection of the oil and gas industry and support for agriculture are primary. Unlike the plains, tourism is also very important in Fort Collins which offers music festivals, breweries, and lots of biking and hiking opportunities. For residents of Fort Collins the vibrant downtown and outdoor recreation opportunities are very important. The variety of restaurants and shops draws lots of local people as well as tourists to downtown Fort Collins. The Poudre River and adjacent area offer fishing, rafting, sites to camp and picnic, trails to hike. Horsetooth Reservoir makes possible boating and swimming with surrounding areas for hiking and mountain biking. There is also a network of biking trails throughout the city. The stated reason for including Fort Collins in the 4th Congressional District in the latest redistricting plan is to balance the population among the districts. In doing so the "community of interest" principle is completely ignored.

The first staff map is perfect. I appreciate the fact that Park county remains while and that we are included with other mountain communities. We have such different needs that the larger metro areas or the western slope.