Public Comments

Dear Members: As for Congressional redistricting as the districts are readjusted the number of the district may change so that what is currently one district may in the future be another district. With that in mind it is imperative that most of the Western slope remain as one district. Moffat, Rio Blanco, Mesa, Delta, Montrose, Garfield, Montezuma should be together. These however man not have enough population so several others need to be added, herein lies the problem. Eagle, Pitkin, Summit, Routt, San Miguel make sense geographically however their communities of interest do not line up with that of the rest of the counties. It would seem they would be better served being in a district with Boulder, Weld, Jefferson or the like. Of the mountain counties only Routt would seem to have enough in common with Mesa, Delta etc to be considered in that group. This is a real difficult thing to find commutes of interest but do what you can to keep the Western Slope in one district. For the legislative district 54 needs to be more Mesa county and not split with Delta. Thank you for your time Jim Vidmar

Dear Members of the Committee: Thank you for giving the public an opportunity to give input to redistricting. The state of Colorado is a special place as the Rockies have become a natural buffer between rural and urban areas of the state. I recently learned about talks of trying to redraw the third district by redrawing district lines to exclude Pueblo county and replacing it with Boulder, and or Breckenridge, and Vail counties. Every district contributes a unique perspective on the state. Eliminating certain districts, like Pueblo and surrounding areas, and redistricting them to Breckenridge and Vail doesn't represent a diverse group of people. In Breck and Vail, a big portion of people are visitors or CO residents, who have a second home in those areas. I am one of those people, an owner of a second home in the mountains, so I know that the majority of people are not full-time residents in that district and should not be able to vote on local issues. Sincerely, Heather

I am against re-drawing the Dist. 3 map. I feel strongly that any effort to will be politically motivated. We are one of the rare conservative districts remaining in Colorado. The Democrats what to break us up so we will have no voice. That is already happening with the highly populous areas in the Denver metro area ruling our state like tyrants. Throwing us in with liberal resort communities will dilute this Dist 3, which can still speak up for rural and working people's interests.

Dear members of the Committee: Thank you for giving the public an opportunity to comment on redistricting. I know that redistricting can have a profound effect on representation at the state and national level. It is imperative that like-minded communities are given representation that fits with their political, moral, and ethical values. Here in Colorado, the Rockies have become a natural buffer between rural and urban parts of the state. Recent happenings across the state from immunizations to voter integrity have revealed that there is a definite split in opinions between counties on the west side of the Rockies and those farther east.. I recently heard talk of redrawing the third district, excluding Pueblo county and replacing it with Boulder, and/or Summit and Eagle counties. This would dramatically shift the political leanings of the third district away from its traditional rural base. It would also be a disservice to the other involved counties for the same reason. I respectfully hope that as an independent commission, an honest and thoughtful discussion will be forthcoming. Most importantly, I hope you will heavily weight the wishes of the people to be represented by individuals that have their best interests in mind. Sincerely, Dr. Kent Carson Mesa County Grand Junction

Dear members of the Committee: Thank you for giving the public an opportunity to give input to redistricting. It is imperative that like minded communities are given representation that fits with their political, moral, and ethical values.  The state of Colorado is a special place as the Rockies have become a natural buffer between rural and urban areas of the state. Recent happenings across the state from immunizations to voter integrity have revealed that there is a definite split in opinions on many fronts between several counties in Colorado - I recently learned about talks of trying to redraw the third district by redrawing districting lines to exclude Pueblo county, replacing it with Boulder, and or Breckenridge, and  Vail counties.  I do not have to point out the political leanings of said counties- and the dis-service this would be to each of the counties for obvious reasons.  Respectfully hope that as an independent commission an  honest and thoughtful discussion will be forth coming when considering the redistricting and the peoples wishes to be represented by individuals that have their best interests in mind. 

Dear members of the Committee: Thank you for giving the public an opportunity to give input to redistricting. Redistricting can have a profound effect on representation at the state and national level. It is imperative that like minded communities are given representation that fits with their political, moral, and ethical values.  Recent happenings across the state, from immunizations to voter integrity, have revealed that there is a definite split in opinions on so many fronts between several counties in Colorado. I was made aware today about talks of trying to redraw the third district by redrawing districting lines to exclude Pueblo county, replacing it with Boulder, and or Breckenridge, and  Vail counties.  I do not have to point out the political leanings of said counties- and the disservice this would be to each of the counties for obvious reasons. I live in a county that does not represent my beliefs and cannot begin to tell you how unheard I feel here. I can’t help but think this is another ploy to ensure the silencing of differing opinions. I respectfully hope that as an independent commission, an honest and thoughtful discussion will be forthcoming when considering the redistricting and the citizen’s wishes to be represented by individuals that have their best interests in mind. Sincerely, Nancy Travis Boulder, CO

First question, who is on this "independent" commission? Second, WHY is there a need for change? Mesa County and most of CO3 is conservative and upright folks. Boulder and Aspen are ultra leftist and are out for their own agenda. Their people have no idea how the farm & ranch, oil & gas, coal & mining lifestyle and everyday life for working Coloradoans. We on The Western Slope want nothing to do with Denver, Boulder, Aspen and Breck. Keep them out of our lives. Really, we want to divide the state in half with the left on the right and the right on the left.

Dear members of the Committee: Thank you for giving the public an opportunity to give input to redistricting. Redistricting can have a profound effect on representation at the state and national level, so it is imperative that like minded communities are given representation that fits with their geographical location, and with their economic interests. The geography of Colorado's Congressional districts currently is consistent with the differing ways of life the various regions of Colorado - agriculture, ranching, and extractive industries to the far west, northeast and southeast, tourism and recreation in the Rocky Mountains proper, and finally light/heavy industry, high tech, and the service sector in the Denver area. The current demarcations provide a voice at the national level for all of these interests. I recently learned about talks of possibly redrawing the 3rd Congressional District to exclude Pueblo county, replacing it with Boulder, and or Eagle, and Summit counties. These counties are currently in districts with like minded counties; placing any combination of them in the 3rd District would result in a confusing message about what the key interests are for this District. We are a representative democracy and redistricting without regard to geography, economy, and demographics does a disservice to the citizens of Colorado. I am confident that as an independent commission an honest and thoughtful discussion will result in the fulfillment of the peoples' wish to be represented by individuals that have their best interests in mind. Sincerely, Ken Stickney

Dear members of the Committee: Thank you for giving the public an opportunity to give input to redistricting. As a recent resident to Colorado, I know from experience in Ca that redistricting can have a profound effect on representation at the state and national level. It is imperative that like-minded communities are given representation that fits with their political, moral, and ethical values. The state of Colorado is a special place as the Rockies have become a natural buffer between rural and urban areas of the state. Recent happenings across the state from immunizations to voter integrity have revealed that there is a definite split in opinions on many fronts between several counties in Colorado - I recently learned about talks of trying to redraw the third district by redrawing districting lines to exclude Pueblo county, replacing it with Boulder, and or Breckenridge, and Vail counties.  I do not have to point out the political leanings of said counties- and the dis-service this would be to each of the counties for obvious reasons. Respectfully hope that as an independent commission an honest and thoughtful discussion will be forth coming when considering the redistricting and the peoples wishes to be represented by individuals that have their best interests in mind. Sincerely, Audrey Somerville

Dear members of the Committee: Thank you for giving the public an opportunity to give input to redistricting. As a resident to Colorado, I know from experience in NY that redistricting can have a profound effect on representation at the state and national level. It is imperative that like-minded communities are given representation that fits with their political, moral, and ethical values. The state of Colorado is a special place as the Rockies have become a natural buffer between rural and urban areas of the state. We choose to live where we live for this reason. Recent happenings across the state from immunizations to voter integrity have revealed that there is a definite split in opinions on many fronts between several counties in Colorado - I recently learned about talks of trying to redraw the third district by redrawing districting lines to exclude Pueblo county, replacing it with Boulder, and or Breckenridge, and Vail counties. I do not have to point out the political leanings of said counties- and the dis-service this would be to each of the counties for obvious reasons. Again, we live where we live because we choose either an urban or rural area and what they have to offer. I respectfully hope that as an independent commission an honest and thoughtful discussion will be forthcoming when considering the redistricting and the people's wishes to be represented by individuals that have their best interests in mind. Thank you for the opportunity to express my honest opinion and wishes.