Public Comments

Fort Collins is a good fit with Larimer County, redistricting us with our Eastern Neighbors does not make sense! It is my understanding the goals of the Commission is to preserve whole communities of interest and whole political subdivisions, such as counties, cities, and towns. This map does not do that and in fact moves the county seat into a different Congressional District than the rest of the county. Please keep Fort Collins within our Larimer County and don't toss us Eastward. We are a North Front Range urban area that is home to high tech companies, a tier one research university, and a robust Multi Modal Transportation system that includes transit, EV infrastructure, and Bus Rapid Transit. We would have very little in common with neighbors to the East, and especially those in the extreme Southeast Corner of our state. Fort Collins is over 300 miles away from Campo in Baca county, and our needs as communities are so very different. In Larimer County we are focused on issues like wildfire mitigation, watershed restoration, multi-modal connections, climate action, equity and diversity, and dealing with urban issues like homelessness, high population growth, ozone nonattainment, and air quality issues, etc. We have much more in common with counties like Boulder County.

Thank you for listening to the public and drawing a more fair map for CD3.

I urge the Commission to keep CD-3 as proposed by the “Staff’s First Map” as issued on 9/04/2021. As a member of the team that submitted the “Southern Colorado River Basins” map, I admit that the Staff’s First Map doesn’t give us everything we want. But it does keep much of Southern Colorado intact geographically, plus retains much of its water, historical, cultural and community interests. Please keep CD-3 like it currently is drawn. It shows you listened to us “down here” and that you understand the need for a voice in Congress that will fight for Southern Colorado. Thank you for your efforts on behalf of us all. Breta Ross

Try again, and come up with something logical.... tying NW Colorado to Boulder, and Fort Collins to the Eastern Plains makes no sense. I understand this is a work in progress, but I am shocked a map with such obvious flaws has been published for public comment. This should not be political, and the commission should look to group geographic areas together.... you would be better served leaving District 4 on the Eastern Plains only, Boulder/Fort Collins added to District 8, and after removing Boulder from District 2 you can form two Districts between 2 and 3.

I urge this Commission to reconsider the current redistricting of Fort Collins into Congressional District 4. Having resided in Fort Collins for fifteen years, I have seen much growth which has in part chauffeured in a focus on issues and challenges that are very different from those in rural areas . Issues like population growth, homelessness, climate action as it relates to air quality, affordable housing are at the forefront of our community. 'Urban' issues like these have little in common with the rural areas in D4. Lumping Fort Collins in with a rural, agricultural district does not benefit any of the communities comprising the current redistricting.

Moffat County has zero shared interests with Boulder county. Kindly STOP cancelling my votes. I am completely against this new map. Do you REALLY think those representatives will travel over the divide during winter? This is absolutely wrong.

I am not in support of the proposed first staff plan redistricting maps. Specifically how it affects the Fort Collins community in the 4th district. The obvious "land grab" to include a thriving front range community with strong ties to progressive education both Poudre School Distirct and CSU, along with trend setting advanced industry, award winning planned growth and with a deep rooted community identity; and then place into a district of vastly unpopulated regions of eastern Colorado with agricultural and oil extraction interests is classic gerrymandering. Comments are supposed to be void of political commentary, but to address this egregious first staff plan without addressing it's politically neutralizing intent requires addressing it's underlying motives. How does Fort Collins differ from the eastern plains? In addition to the thriving front range community comments above, the topic of water use and availability will always be a contentious subject. "Whiskeys for drinking and water is for fighting.", inscribed inside on the capitol dome in Denver. Growth occurs along the I-25 corridor and growth requires water. The front range can do a better job of conserving water, but it pales to the waste by agriculture in the process of irrigating crops. Oil development. Fort Collins and community look at the development of oil and gas more conservatively than do the counties of the eastern plains. They have open lands, we have community. Along with both of those topics is the strong commitment to the environment and research to compliment that commitment. Bottom line, the staff can do a better job of including community input during the process instead of putting out a document that is obviously offensive to our community. How about having the committee explain it's reasoning for obvious controversial decisions when they put out their map.

Fort Collins is very different from the Eastern plains and one of the goals of the Commission is to preserve whole communities of interest and whole political subdivisions, such as counties, cities, and towns. This map does not do that and in fact moves the County seat into a different Congressional District than the rest of the County. Weld County relies on extractive industries, (oil and gas) and agriculture. Fort Collins suffers the consequences of the extractive industries with non-compliance of EPA limits on ozone. We do not have interests in promoting such industries. Fort Collins has an extensive tourism industry, with breweries, music festivals and biking. Tourists are not likely to wish to visit Greeley or other towns to our east. How could a future representative possibly represent such diverse communities as Fort Collins and the Eastern Plains? Fort Collins has a large University which is a major driver of our economy. The University feeds the many high tech local industries, including solar power installers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, digital industry researchers etc. None of these industries exist to our east. Yet Boulder County has many similar industries and educational bases. In Larimer County we are focused on issues like wildfire mitigation, watershed restoration, multi-modal connections, climate action, equity and diversity, and dealing with urban issues like homelessness, high population growth, ozone nonattainment, and air quality issues, etc. We have much more in common with counties like Boulder County.

Fort Collins is very different from the Eastern plains and that one of the goals of the Commission is to preserve whole communities of interest and whole political subdivisions, such as counties, cities, and towns. This map does not do that and in fact moves the county seat into a different Congressional District than the rest of the county. This is ridiculous and is Gerrymandering at its worst. We are a North Front Range urban area that is home to high tech companies, a tier one research university, and a robust Multi Modal Transportation system that includes transit, EV infrastructure, and Bus Rapid Transit. We would have very little in common with neighbors to the East, and especially those in the extreme Southeast Corner of our state. Fort Collins is over 300 miles away from Campo in Baca county, and our needs as communities are so very different. Again, this is ridiculous and Gerrymandering at its worst. In Larimer County we are focused on issues like wildfire mitigation, watershed restoration, multi-modal connections, climate action, equity and diversity, and dealing with urban issues like homelessness, high population growth, ozone non-attainment, and air quality issues, etc. We have much more in common with counties like Boulder County. Again, this is ridiculous and Gerrymandering at its worst. Our economies are very different; Fort Collins in no way would represent the population center of such a rural, agricultural district. We are a growth center for technology, education, climate change activism, and progressive values. DO NOT DO THIS!

As a longtime western slope resident, married to a fourth generation native, and raising the 5th generation, I am appalled at the latest map released on September 3rd. Any map that splits the western slope in half is anything but “non-partisan” and wreaks of foul play to rural Colorado. It’s clear by stretching the new 8th district to include Ken Buck’s residence, along with lumping Boebert into the 2nd what this so-called “non-partisan” group is really trying to accomplish. The only thing this map will do is drown out the rural voices, and further isolate western CO. It’s beyond apparent that this commission could care less about anything other than the metro and suburban areas, and doesn’t even take rural communities into consideration. The needs of rural Colorado differ immensely from that of the front range areas centered around Denver, and by slicing the western slope in half you will lose any and all credibility this commission was formed to establish. This current map will be taken to court by non-profit groups, and we will be right back to where we started before enacting this new law in 2018. The western slope is geographically connected and split from the front range by the mountains which is the way the district should be drawn. Northwest ranchers of Moffat, and Rio blanco counties have no business being lumped in with the vegans of Boulder County. Same as lumping Mesa, Delta, and Montrose in with communities stretching all the way to the eastern plains, let alone anything east of the continental divide. This commission is more partisan than the previous legislators, and I’m disgusted that anyone would think splitting the western slope in half by north and south would believe that’s a viable option to avoid legal action. This commission needs to get serious, time is ticking to get the final map submitted, and the way it stands you will lose all faith with the people on the western slope who see this as nothing more than a ploy to silence us forever. Do better.