Public Comments

Summit County should not be divided into parts by redistricting. Our public policies, and the ability to manage it in our current way, are the backbone of how we are able to keep the community character as it is. Dividing it up or moving us to another district will have negative effects on our communities, and their ability to work together to create the common experience, as we do now.

Thank you for listening to community members' feedback regarding redistricting, especially as it concerns minority representation. As a resident of the Western Slope and the Silt/Rifle community, I approve of the separation of the Western Slope into two congressional districts.

I live on the western slope of Colorado. I believe it is wrong to combine the rural western slope towns with the front range of Boulder and Larimer counties. The people of the western slope will loose their voice and all voices will be dominated by Boulder and Fort Collins. Having lived in Boulder County for 30 years before moving to Garfield country 3 years ago, I can tell you things are different in the mountains. People value family, religion, supporting each other regardless of political affiliation, are more conservative by nature and believe in live and let live. Taking that away is wrong. To be dominated by Boulder thinking is the wrong thing to do.

I do not think it is in the best interest for Silverthorne residents to be in different congressional districts.

The current draft of CD 3 here in Colorado seems correct. The area seems a cohesive entity. I urge you to adopt this draft.

Ft Collins should NOT be put it into a district with the eastern plains of CO. The Fort Collins community has a very different economy and priorities from eastern plains communities. Here in Fort Colllins, we are concerned with tourism, alternative energies (not oil and gas, fracking, etc). Our businesses and industry are very different from the eastern communities. The eastern plains communities are rural and support extractive energies (oil and gas) - the focus is on agriculture. The Fort Collins community focuses on outdoor recreation including hiking/biking and a high quality environment. We are concerned with climate action. A representative, based on this proposed redistricting, could not represent such different communities!! We have much more in common with communities like Boulder. This proposed redistricting would be a huge mistake.

I am frustrated and disappointed with the latest version of the redistricting maps, specifically the impact on my home and neighbors in Summit County. During the listening tour last month, my friends and neighbors pointed out that our interests are more aligned with Eagle County than the front range and should share a district with them. The most obvious connection between our two counties is the impact of the ski industry, as the largest employers and drivers of our tourism economy. Additionally, we share our passion to preserve our forests and public lands for generations to enjoy and manage the threat of disease and fire. Both counties have a western heritage we treasure, a long relationship with the mining industry, and an intense desire to raise our families here, despite the challenges of the harsh winters and cost of living. I urge you to reconsider splitting our county into two districts, as that will further divide our community and dilute our voice as Coloradoans. We should be a united voice in Summit. It is insulting and infuriating to think that we could be aligned with front range communities, especially Boulder that has vastly different constituents than Summit and Eagle. We’ve already experienced that with representation by Joe Neguse, from Boulder and that has been a disappointment.

The first staff plan draft congressional map for CD4 gets it ALL WRONG by including Fort Collins. FoCo is not a rural ranching/farming area like the rest of the proposed CD4. It is most definitely not a "community of interest" with Ft Morgan, Sterling, Burlington, Lamar, etc. Fort Collins is a growing urbanized community - the northern extent of the Front Range chain of communities like Boulder, Longmont, Broomfield, Louisville, etc. It has a similar population base, similar issues with ozone pollution, transportation, high tech manufacturing, etc. Fort Collins, like Boulder, is a center for higher education in the state. There are plenty of areas of Colorado with much in common with the proposed CD4 - but Fort Collins is NOT one of them!

My name is Marge Norskog. I live in Fort Collins. I believe I have the lived experience to comment on this current map. I moved to Loveland in Larimer County in 1980, lived there two years before moving to Fort Collins to work in high-tech. 40 years ago, Larimer County was pretty rural, and its cities were small. However, much has changed. Larimer County commissioners now deal with inter-county issues that depend on a close working relationship with our US Congress Representative to solve. The proposed map — carving off the County Seat of Larimer County — will force our commissioners to work with two Congressional Representatives. Here’s what that could look like for issues that are of concern to me: • Inter-community issues between cities that are among the fastest growing in the state will now cross congressional districts • Concerns about sufficient water for current and new development throughout the county will require keeping two congressional offices up-to-date • Last year western Larimer County fought forest fires — such an event in the future will split the oversight of the disaster in one congressional district and the actual event in the other Most curious is the plan carves out the portion of Larimer County that is most urban — Fort Collins is the 4th largest city in the state — to be a part of a Congressional District primarily made up of small, rural communities. The rest of Larimer County — that includes a National Park and smaller communities that stretch up to the Wyoming border — is being carved off to be part of a district primarily made up of cities. This splitting up of Larimer County into mis-matched halves is most disappointing. I voted for this redistricting process because I thought it would bring common sense to the drawing of districts — keep communities and counties whole so that districts could successfully with address similar concerns. Larimer County is the fourth fastest growing county in Colorado, the 6th largest county in Colorado. It will face great challenges in the next decade. This plan may have some theoretical, numeric appeal, however, it will not serve either Larimer County residents or the state of Colorado well.

I am under the impression Colorado redistricting is according to a formula that prevents political gerimandering. Fort Collins population is approx 190,000. Weld county population is over 300,000. This seems to favor the politics of Weld county. I am apposed to this redistricting.