Public Comments

All, Proposed is removing Allenspark from the front range District 2 to west slope District 3. Please don’t do it! If you’re attempting to remove us from our commercial, political, and geocentric location, you’ll succeed. But I hope that is not your intended purpose. Instead you will create confusion, lack of logical boundaries and considerable consternation, as well as removing any credibility that the Redistricing Commission possesses. I’m sure the same can be said for other western Boulder communities such as Ward, Jamestown and Nederland. Please keep us in District 2. Phil Stern, Allenspark P. S. I would have had to drive 3-5 hours to reach your District 3 meetings on this proposal. Would this become standard practice if we were placed in District 3. Keep in mind that we’re restrained by the Continental Divide and we’re we to go the shortest way, over Trail Ridge Road thru RMNP, we’d need to apply for a transit permit weeks in advance. (submitted by email 8/11/21)

These are comments regarding redistricting and about the current draft map: The current proposal divides and disrupts communities within Boulder County. The current plan isolates the City of Boulder and pairs mountain communities with parts of the cities of Longmont and Lafayette. It severs the eastern part of the City of Boulder from industrial clusters in Gunbarrel and business parks east of Foothills Parkway. It divides Lafayette, Louisiville and Erie. It combines parts of Boulder with Weld County. The business districts of East Boulder, Gunbarrel and the Foothills Parkway industrial parks constitute a combined business Community of Interest. They have a multitude of similarities with regard to legislative interests and issues. That should be recognized in the map. Lafayette, Louisville and Erie share schools and community services. Together they constitute a Community of Interest. On the other hand: Voters in Eastern Boulder County and voters in Weld County tend to have very different perspectives and do not, therefore, form a Community of Interests. Boulder voters care about fighting oil and gas development and limiting pollution. Many Weld County voters tend to are much more sensitive to defending oil and gas interests because so many of their jobs are in those sectors. Combining those voters into one Community of Interests does not make a lot of sense. Jerry Gordon Boulder, CO (submitted by email 8/11/21)

Thank you for your time and for your work on the Colorado Redistricting 2020. I’m writing as a resident of Wind Crest retirement community in Highlands Ranch. I wish to respectfully request that the Wind Crest community be included within only one legislative district, and not two separate districts as is currently proposed. In the most recent preliminary legislative district map, I notice that the Wind Crest campus would be split between District 22 and District 33. Wind Crest is a cohesive and concerned community of senior folks who live, eat and do activities throughout the campus. We also are very active voters. Having our community located in two districts would create confusion among a group of people who are and want to continue to be engaged in political activities.” Again, I wish to respectfully request that the Wind Crest community be included within only one legislative district, and not two separate districts as is currently proposed. Thank you for your work and help to enhance our political process. Arthur Ives Wind Crest (submitted by email 8/10/21)

As residents of the Shanahan Ridge area in the City of Boulder, which abuts Boulder’s Open Space, I and my neighbors have faced challenges related to wildfires, floods, and wildlife management. These challenges are faced by all residents of Boulder County’s mountainous communities, and we have cooperated for years in methods to address them. The Redistricting Commission’s proposal to sever the northern portion of Boulder County’s mountain communities from us will eliminate these areas of cooperation, so vital to the preservation of our environment. I urge the Commission to unite us in a single legislative district so that we can continue, as effectively as possible, to manage these challenges while our temperatures warm, water becomes scarce, and plants and animals face extinction. Edith Stevens Boulder, CO 80305 (submitted by email 8/10/21)

My name is Lenore Kingston and I live in Erie. My husband and I moved to Colorado from our birthplace in southeast Michigan when I retired as a school social worker in 2006. Beginning my career with 4 schools to my last seven years when I worked full time at one 450-student elementary school. There I created a mini mental health agency with a low barrier for service for our multi-cultural population. My husband and I moved to Erie to join our three daughters and seven grandchildren in Boulder county. I volunteered at my nearby elementary school and was shocked to see large class sizes and limited educational resources: books, computers, hands-on educational opportunities. I was glad there was a wonderful reading specialist and part-time school counselor. Over the years three additional schools have been built. We became a part of many communities. My husband and I became active members of Beth Ami—Congregation for Humanistic Judaism serving metro Denver and Boulder with most events in Boulder. I am secretary of the Arts, Cultural, and Educational programming committee (ACE) at the Boulder Jewish Community Center. ACE supports an annual film festival, local musicians, artists, and authors and has partnerships with the University of Colorado. My husband and I attend cultural events at Chautauqua, the Dairy Center, and University of Colorado. We enjoy hiking on Open Space lands throughout Boulder County. I was a volunteer naturalist for the city of Boulder for several years. We brought my 96-year-old mother-in-law from Michigan to our Erie home and learned how to access medical services and equipment for her. She enjoyed her last year being close to family. After my close friend died from cancer in 2007, I committed to buying organic fruits and vegetables which are plentiful locally. Eight of the ten homes on our street have changed owners. Our immediate neighbors have supported us by shoveling our driveway after a large snowstorm, have climbed a tall ladder to turn off a malfunctioning smoke detector, and offered to shop for us during the pandemic. They love our little dogs. Erie has experienced tremendous growth in the past fifteen years and has built a library and rec center that we use. King Soopers and Whole Foods have built beautiful new stores in the past five years. We have elected a mayor and Board of Trustees who care about protecting the environment. I feel connected to Erie, Boulder, Louisville, Lafayette, and Longmont. I share their public policies concerning the environment, education, and public health. I love gardening and have learned about Colorado native species. We have drip irrigation. We have updated our appliances to be energy efficient and use less water. Quality education is a top priority and is vital for Colorado’s economic future. Our grandchildren attend Boulder Valley Schools and St. Vrain Valley Schools. In the past year we have been living with a public health crisis and I recognize the need for policies targeting the common good in order to prevent increasing COVID 19 cases and deaths. I am hoping to be part of a legislative community that shares my public policy interests to ensure my views are represented in the Colorado General Assembly. I am concerned with the preliminary boundaries for Colorado Senate 32 and House District 38. I am proposing the Commissioners reconsider the preliminary boundaries for Colorado Senate 32 and House District 38. My proposed House and Senate district use I 25 as an eastern boundary. House District 38 would include the 5,126 Lafayette residents in proposed HD 24 and the 20,170 Louisville residents in proposed HD 24. It would include the 25,554 Lafayette residents in proposed HD 36 and the 6 Lafayette residents in proposed HD 38. Also include the 12,068 and 15,929 Erie residents in proposed HD 38. Include the 32 Leyner residents in proposed HD 38. Include the 2,548 residents in unincorporated Boulder County to proposed HD 38 and include the 10,289 Longmont residents in proposed HD 36. House District 38 would have a total population of 86,396 residents, be compact and contiguous along Highway 287, a major north/south artery. Senate District 32 would keep the 9,417 residents of unincorporated Boulder County, 27,997 residents of Lafayette, 32 residents of Leyner, and the 80,739 residents of Longmont currently proposed. Included are 8,167 Lafayette residents and 17,208 residents of Longmont currently in proposed SD 33 and the 22,518 residents of Lafayette in proposed SD 31. Total population for Senate District 32 would be 166,138 residents. Senate District 32 would include 2 significant Latinx populations (Longmont and Lafayette). It would be contiguous and compact.

My husband and I live in Jamestown Colorado, which is in western Boulder County. We live just 12 miles away from Boulder and about the same to Longmont. We do all of our shopping here on the Eastern Slope of Colorado. We do not drive across the Continental Divide to work, shop, or do another business. We are extremely opposed to being lumped into a western slope congressional district on the other side of the Continental Divide! Our approach to issues in western Boulder County is much different than on the Western Slope. We are very happy with our current congress man and believe he is a good representative for our needs, interests, and local issues. We don't feel our interests would be adequately represented by a congress person from the Western Slope. Sincerely, Carolynne Middledorf Alex Meeker 20 Main St, Jamestown, CO 80455

My comment is about the legislative maps for House Districts 53 (to be renumbered 59) and 52 (to be renumbered 60). I will continue to refer to them as 53 and 52 in my comment. When I moved to Fort Collins in 2008 I soon learned that HWY 287, College Avenue is a commonly used way of locating places. "Is it east or west of College?" The two current House districts are similar in length from north to south and separated by College Ave. The preliminary Commission maps preserve that basic feature while incorporating growth areas along the edges. In contrast, an alternative map was presented, distributed and discussed at the Fort Collins Public Comment hearing on July 17. It was presented by people who also commented that "CSU has too much power in Fort Collins" and "Republicans don't have a chance to win either district as they are." The alternative map troubles me for two main reasons. (maps attached) In comparison to the Commission preliminary map, District 53 is truncated in the alternative map by not including the area in and around the small communities of Bellevue and LaPorte on the north and shortened again by moving the southern border up from Trilby Rd. to Horsetooth Rd. It contains CSU in a smaller area, as some commenters hoped for. Additionally, the area removed from south 53 is added to 52, thereby increasing the newer, more affluent part of the city in that district. I consulted the Statistical Atlas https://statisticalatlas.com/state-lower-legislative-district/Colorado/State-House-District-53/Race-and-Ethnicity#data-map/tract/hispanic to look at the impact that this alternative map might have on the Hispanic voters of Fort Collins. Moving the southern boundary up to Horsetooth appears to move several tracts that are more heavily Hispanic into District 52, where there is already a somewhat greater Hispanic concentration. At the same time, the move of the entire more affluent south into 52 could make it more competitive for Republicans. This line-drawing maneuver could dilute the ability of Hispanic Fort Collins voters to act as a community of interest because of being packed into an inhospitable partnership in a new district. It looks like classic gerrymandering to me and I hope the Commission will reject it.

First off, thank you to the commissioners for creating such good initial maps. I am very pleased to see two rural districts because this helps define "specific communities of interest" to rural Colorado. While differences between northern and southern Colorado communities exist, at the level of Congressional representation, these communities have much more in common than they have differences. Having grown up on the western slope on my family's cow/calf ranch and having moved to rural southeastern Colorado I can tell you first hand how vital it is to maintain the representation between east and west, and maintain this split between these two very different rural districts. The rural western slope has seen a large influx of people moving into their communities or larger number of tourist activity over the last 10 years, where as rural southeastern Colorado struggles to create economic growth and has seen their communities continue to shrink as people relocate to the cities. The concerns in these communities and the policy perspective vary greatly. Again, thank you for taking this into consideration. Thanks, Kacie

Hello, I have looked at the congressional redistricting proposal and I feel strongly that the idea that Douglas County should not be split up is misguided and wrong. The northern portion of the county is very suburban and aligns more with either Lone Tree or Littleton/Centennial. The southern portion of Douglas county is very large and very rural and their issues are very different! Please consider splitting Douglas County south of Highlands Ranch to align with the more rural districts of Sedalia and Larkspur. The northern portion, including most of Highlands Ranch, should be with Lone Tree or Littleton/Centennial. Thank you, Ellie

Thank you for all of your hard work. In looking over the proposed maps, I am encouraged by the proposal. It appears that this would give rural voters a voice that we have not had in the past redistributing efforts. We have really felt that our opinions and concerns have not been heard. It appears that by dividing the State as you have that both Eastern and Western Colorado have a chance for representation. While in general, rural voters tend to agree on most issues, there are subtle differences between concerns in the different sides of the State. Thank you.