Public Comments

Thank you for listening and acting on the comments given at the Golden hearing last month re drawing the lines for CD7. This current map makes sense and I hope that this is the final plan that the commissioners agree on. Douglas Redosh MD Golden

as a citizen of fort collins i feel we should remain in district 2 and not be separated from the rest of larimer county

Colorado Spring "West Side" neighborhood explained: I recently attended a hearing in Colorado Springs. From some of the comments made by attendees and questions from some commissioners, it appears that there is some confusion about what constitutes the "Westside" neighborhood. This comment intends to clarify the location and character of the Westside neighborhood. One misconception that emerged during the recent hearing was the idea that all areas west of I25 are part for the Westside. This could not be further from reality. Historically, and for most long-term residents of Colorado Springs, the Westside neighborhood is indeed situated west of I25. But it is bounded to the west by Manitou Springs, to the north by Garden of the Gods Road and to the south by Cheyenne Road. Other neighborhoods located west of I25 but north of Garden of the Gods Road are not part of the "Westside". Moving north, they are the "Northwest", "Air Force Academy", "Northgate" and "Monument". And moving south, they are the "Southwest" and "Fort Carson". A reliable and independent source of information when discussing broad neighborhood locations are the maps published by the real-estate business community. I am attaching such a map for the Colorado Springs area. On this map, the West-Side neighborhood is clearly differentiated from other neighborhoods also located west of I25. Historically, and increasingly so over the last two decades, the historic Westside neighborhood has been closely tied with Colorado Springs' historic downtown, called the Central neighborhood. These two neighborhoods share many interests. Together, they constitute the historical core of the region. Their economic vitality rests on their sharing of the HWY24 corridor. Through many shared revitalization and development programs, Downtown and Westside now share public transportation routes, art council organizations, tourist attractions, outdoor opportunities, local shopping and dining districts and traffic and environmental concerns. The Westside and Central neighborhoods of Colorado Springs form one of the most closely knit communities of interest in El Paso County. State Senate redistricting for Downtown and the Westside: The 2020 Senate District 11 recognizes the existence of a strong community of interest that includes the Westside and Downtown Colorado Springs. In contrast, the preliminary map for Senate District 12 severs the bound between the historic Westside and the historic Downtown. Instead, the proposed SD12 artificially links the Westside with the Northwest and the Southwest, three very distinct neighborhoods with little common interests or economic ties, with different characters and priorities. State House redistricting for Downtown and the Westside: The 2020 House District 18 also recognizes the existence of a strong community of interest that includes the Westside and Downtown Colorado Springs. In contrast the proposed House District map now divides the historic community of interest into three different districts. The Westside is now split in two along the Hwy24 corridor, a very artificial line not reflecting reality on the ground. The north half of the Westside is part of HD49, connected with neighborhoods as far north as Monument and Palmer Lake, with which the Westside has close to nothing in common. The south half of the Westside is part of HD44, connected to neighborhoods as far south as the perimeter of Fort Carson and the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Base, with which the Westside has also very little shared interests. Furthermore, the Downtown is now in HD45, separated from the new north and south portions of the Westside neighborhood. In summary: Through their sharing of the HWY24 corridor and their shared historic significance, the Westside and Central neighborhoods of Colorado Springs have a strong bound and constitute a closely knit community of interest. Downtown and Westside now share public transportation routes, art council organizations, tourist attractions, outdoor opportunities, local shopping and dining districts and traffic and environmental concerns. The redistricting process should take this long-established community of interest into perspective and keep the Westside and Central neighborhoods of Colorado Springs in the same Senate and House Districts. Thank you for your service and interest.

You have got to be kidding me with this latest (9/3/2021) congressional map. The people of Fort Collins are by and far ideologically opposed with those who live in Weld County and Castle Rock. This must be a joke. I will not have my vote be diluted into a conservative hive-mind. The culture of Fort Collins is so far away from that of places like Greeley; I do not support this drawing. This is clearly gerrymandering bulls**t. Look at this map! 90+% of it is rural country, and then BOOM, you're gonna have those anti-democratic little gerrymandered land-fingers clutch onto 200,000 mostly-liberal constituents? Fort Collins is NOT a farming town. Get your s**t together.

I just saw the revised Congressional redistricting proposal (map). I want to thank you for listening to our vital concerns. A responsive group in this critical matter is not only a “breath of fresh air”, but in a non-partisan setting, you have demonstrated integrity and fairness in your efforts! I applaud you! Golden and Jefferson County applaud you as well!

Please DO NOT combine any part of Jefferson county with Douglas County. Jefferson County has a a diverse constituent and Douglas county is far more conservative and homogeneous. An example is the Douglas County school board take-over by a fully conservative members. Jeffco went through something similar, and the Jeffco community raised up and recalled those board members, and fought for our strong public schools. If you wish to silence our voices by making those voices a minority within a conservative majority, then I feel that is ridiculous. Gerrymandering is not democratic, and just a way to make certain voices prominent while silencing others. So honor Jefferson County's diverse voices and do not combine any part of our voting district with Douglas County.

Thank you so much for listening to our testimonies and calls for adjustments to the first draft. I was particularly pleased that you heard our pleas to keep Douglas County out of CD7 as its interests fell well outside of the rest of CD7, from gun control to transportation to their approach to the pandemic. Thank you for hearing our comments and many testimonies and corrected what could have become a serious problem in the years to come.

Please do not partition off Fort Collins from the rest of Larimer County and lump it with more rural areas such as Weld County and Eastern Colorado. Their interests are vastly different. Please take a look at the Fort Collins subreddit here for good arguments against this plan: https://www.reddit.com/r/FortCollins/comments/phjqyo/latest_redistricting_plan_hurts_us/hbj0cba?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3 I like this solution: “As a potential compromise, I would make for lack of a better term a Northern Colorado Suburban District based district covering roughly 10-15 miles on either side of I-25 from Longmont, all the way up to Windsor with a carve out to capture Greeley, Boulder would not be a part of the district.” Thanks, Bill

Removing Fort Collins from District 2 is a terrible idea. Giving the residents of downtown Fort Collins the same representative as the ranchers of Baca, Kit Carson, Yuma, etc. counties, would be disastrous. Their concerns are so disparate and unrelated that they cannot possibly be represented by a single person in Congress. One group or the other would have their voices go unheard for an entire decade.

So I went and made my comments on the first map that you produced in person at the Lakewood city facility. I was excited to see this new means of redistricting. I gave some logical reasons to support your original drawing of CD7. And Friday you reveal a completely different map. No where close to what I came to testify about. I feel completely betrayed. A bait and switch. We should have left this decision in the hands of the legislature. At the very least you should restore the congressional districts in the rural areas. I have 240 relatives on the Western Slope and none of those communities have anything in common with Boulder. Jefferson county has more in common with the areas of Parker and Castle Rock than the extremely southern boundaries of Fremont county. I am saddened that you all did this. The only hope I have is this is a “staff” product and that you all as commissioners will see your way through to rectify this train wreck of a redistricting. Please return to some semblance of the previous map. Thank you Joan Poston