Public Comments

Dear Staff: As I consider Southern Colorado and my Agricultural background, I would like to suggest that the ideas presented in Jim Rizzuto's map and thoughts around it are very much in line with my thoughts as well. His discussion around water sheds and the agricultural communities is just right in my view. I really like his discussion of Upper Arkansas,, Lower arkansas and the San Luis Valley. I know I am able to give some feedback to you on maps and these are my thoughts. If you would refer to his map and description as you build the map I would appreciate it. Thank you Constance Hass (submitted by email 6/18/2021)

Good afternoon. Thank you for all of the work you have done thus far and will continue to do. I'm truly incredibly grateful. I will attempt to keep my input broad in nature and concise. The first point of importance to me and my area is to keep municipalities whole. I live in an area of rapid growth as in many areas in Colorado. My municipality is in two counties. This is a great challenge for the city government, the county governments, and constituents. The constitutional amendments created by Y&Z include attempting to keep counties and cities whole without clear language on which is the higher priority. I would say representing my area and others that are similar, the wholeness of a municipality is incredibly important to be represented at the state level by a single person. I also wholeheartedly echo the comments submitted by Mr. Steven Tool. His vast experience in redistricting combined with being an unaffiliated voter from my area, I think his thoughts on using footprints will be vital. I agree that if you start creating the maps in an area just as the SW corner of the state, by the time you reach Northern Colorado and/or the Eastern plains, this forces lines that are maybe not considered in the same manner in which you start. Finally, you will be including the VRA. I would like to make sure that Weld county is included in the evaluation of whether the VRA can be included here in addition to the other areas of the state it has been applied. The census data may show it cannot be, but I just wonder if the growth and change in demographics may provide for an area protected by the VRA there. Again, I appreciate your efforts and look forward to seeing your first map. Please be well. Very Best, Aislinn Kottwitz (submitted by email 6/18/2021)

Commission Staff, As the legislative representative of the 6th congressional district, I would like to formally submit comments in consideration for the preliminary map that's due to be released in the next couple of weeks. I respectively ask the commission staff to prioritize city/municipality boundaries over county lines in the creation of state senate and state house districts as much as possible. Aurora is a great example of what has happened in the past when counties instead of cities are prioritized. Since Aurora as a city spans three counties, the current state senate and state house districts result in some rather unique districts that may not serve its citizens to the fullest extent possible. We now have the opportunity to correct some of this uniqueness while still complying with the Constitution. Thank you again for all of your help and support these past few weeks. Have a wonderful weekend. All the best, Hunter Barnett (submitted by email 6/18/2021)

We have been living in the area for over 30 years and we prefer that the House District 17 boundaries remain as they are. Expanding the boundaries would make House District 17 less diverse, and would not appropriately represent the population that currently lives in Southeast Colorado Springs. (submitted by email 6/18/2021)

Greetings. My name is Erin Snyder and I am a lifelong resident of House District 50 and an educator as well as a community member of Weld County School District Six. I attended District Six schools as did my husband and our children. I am vested in our community Greeley / Evans as a community member and educator. I worked hard to educate as much of our community as possible to pass our Mill Levy Override and our 2019 Bond. Fortunately, both measures passed and we are able to see and experience the commitment to public education and District Six from both Evans and Greeley citizens. It is important to keep in mind our schools are in both Greeley and Evans. We support each other. We have been so fortunate to have House Representatives who have been a part of our school district with an in-depth understanding of how unique our communities are that our voices have been represented well. Our citizens support both Greeley and Evans. We are a diverse community and I encourage you to leave our boundaries so that they reflect our school district boundaries. Thank you for your consideration. Please feel free to reach out to me if you would like more information. (submitted by email 6/18/2021)

Dear Commission Members: I am Patricia Ortiz, a lifelong resident of Alamosa in the beautiful San Luis Valley of Colorado. I am a retired state employee, after working 42 years at Adams State University. Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Colorado House District 62 Legislative Redistricting. I am writing in strong support to keep the San Luis Valley with the Southeastern part of Pueblo Colorado. I believe that this region has much in common. The people share a rich culture, institutions of higher education and an agricultural economy. It is important that the people of this region have a voice and are able to share their concerns and work towards the betterment of society. Agriculture is a big economic driver, but more jobs that provide living wages are still needed so that our region can have sustainable, long-term economic development. Thank you for your consideration to keep the San Luis Valley and the Southeastern part of Pueblo in one House District to maintain a majority-minority population. Sincerely, Patricia Ortiz (submitted by email 6/18/2021)

Dear Legislative Redistricting Commissioners, My name is Donald Dankner and I vote and live in Summit County. I first would like to thank you for the important work you are doing on the commission and I appreciate you taking the time to read about my community of interest. I would like to urge you to keep Summit County with Lake County in the new house districts maps. Running between Summit and Lake County is a bus route called the Lake County Link that provides critical transportation to both tourists and locals alike. The Link keeps our counties connected both to each other as well as to Denver and Grand Junction. It is so critical to our two counties' livelihood, in fact, that CDOT temporarily suspended the fare during the pandemic, making it free for all to ride. It is so important that Lake and Summit Counties continue to be represented by the same representative in the State House to ensure that programs such as the Link continue to be funded and available to all. Thank you for your consideration, Donald Dankner (submitted by email 6/18/2021)

Just wanted to pass along some comments re: redistructing. I live in Weld County. It seems odd that CD4 is lumped in with Douglas County. I would like to see a map that acknowledges the fact Northern Colorado has its own issues and community concerns. We should also make every effort to keep communities of color connected. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you very much for your time. (submitted by email 6/18/2021)

I am very upset about Danny Moore being removed as chairman. He stated the truth about the 2020 election. Is this more of cancel culture because someone doesn’t agree with the Democrats they get replaced. I am so sick of the Democrats ruining everything because they want socialism & communism. I am for one going to do everything I can against what the Democrats are doing to this nation. I don’t know how they sleep at night, defunding police, letting all the immigrants across the border. Mr Moore is not a conspiracy person, he is doing his job informing the public with the truth. Jay Evans Colorado Springs (submitted by email 6/17/2021)

I'm writing this comment to support the map that Club 20 produced for redistricting. I've worked and traveled throughout the west slope and I can tell you first hand that we are one of these "communities of interest" important to redistricting. I've seen the community of the west slope rally behind our neighbors during times of distress, like drought and wildfire. We've created mutual aid compacts between counties for other emergencies and we deal with many of the same challenges, like getting the attention of the I-25 corridor and the front range. Rural communities deserve our own voice! Please respect our "community of interest" and create a district that follows the Club 20 map as close as possible. Thank you -Veronica Lee