Public Comments

Colorado Independent Legislative Redistricting Commission, Thank you for your consideration of my public comment on communities of interest. My name is Elizabeta Stacishin-Moura and I am a resident of central Denver. I hope my comments will help inform the development of the preliminary State House and State Senate maps. Amendments Y & Z define a community of interest as “any group in Colorado that shares one or more substantial interests that may be subject to federal legislative action” and that “groups that may comprise a community of interest include racial, ethnic and language minority groups.” Below are aspects that are unique to our community of interest in central Denver. -High reliance on public transport: Our community includes many whose daily lives are dependent on walking, biking or taking transit to work. Many in my neighborhood do not own cars. -High environmental impacts: We also share environmental challenges that are underappreciated but that have significant effects on our physical and mental health. Denver is said to have some of the worst air pollution in the country. But there is less awareness of sound pollution which has been consistently increasing due to traffic, particularly on arterials that bring suburban commuters through our residential areas, and from air traffic from small planes and helicopters. The expected introduction of flying taxis within the next three years is a terrifying prospect that will require strong Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations in central urban areas such as ours. -High demand for affordable housing and homeless services: There’s growing demand for affordable housing in central Denver. Our community also accommodates the highest number of homeless camps in the state. This is a defining challenge for our business district and residential areas that will require federal intervention. -High proportion of black and brown residents. -Low birth rate but high reliance on public education. Our residents tend to be single, many are affluent young professionals. But the children we do have rely heavily on our public education system. -Shared urban culture: Our neighborhoods include residents who embrace high density living, welcome cultural and racial diversity, and share open spaces and other public resources. I urge you to draw a map that adequately takes my community of interest into consideration. My hope is that your approved map will reflect the area depicted in the map attached. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Elizabeta Stacishin-Moura

My name is Craig Carnick and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the work The Redistricting Commission has undertaken. At a time when Americans have been given so many spurious reasons to doubt the authenticity of the election process, your work is more important than ever! For the last 33 years my family has resided in El Paso County, specifically Manitou Springs. Like so many of my neighbors, I live in Manitou but my work is focused in Colorado Springs. Essentially, Manitou is interwoven with Colorado Springs in so many varied and important ways. From an economic standpoint, Colorado Springs and Manitou are joined at the hip as far as tourism is concerned. The Cog Railway, the Incline, Manitou’s Art District, the Highway 24 corridor up to the mountains… all of these tourist-oriented amenities function hand-and-glove with the many attractions and facilities in Colorado Springs: The Olympic Museum, The WW II Aviation Museum, Pioneers Museum, Colorado College Fine Arts Museum, Garden of the Gods, Seven Falls and so many more places and things for tourists to enjoy. Bottom line, the needs of these two communities are so similar economically that to implement a redistricting plan that treats Manitou Springs as a separate and distinct entity amalgamated with a rural part of the State makes absolutely no sense and is just plain wrong. Then too, I believe it’s critically important to recognize the fact that Colorado Springs and Manitou share common infrastructure. While Highway 24 is a main east-west corridor stitching Colorado Springs and Manitou together, it also provides the main access to I-25. Moreover, the local bus transportation system operates between Manitou Springs and Colorado Springs allowing residents and workers in both communities to access the other with ease. Then too, our water, sewer, natural gas, telephone and electrical grids are inextricably interwoven. To have different spokespersons in Denver speaking for these two viscerally connected communities makes no sense whatsoever. From where I sit as a taxpayer-resident of Manitou Springs and a working professional in Colorado Springs… as a 33-year resident of El Paso County… and as someone who conducts business and travels throughout the United States talking to citizens in other communities… I recognize that the unique vitality of El Paso County is directly related to the ability of our Denver legislators to speak with a single voice about the needs of our El Paso County community. To those who might consider breaking up this El Paso County union of two inter-dependent communities, I would urge you not to do so. The leaders and citizens of Manitou Springs need the leaders and citizens of Colorado Springs so that both communities can function symbiotically as they have for so many years utilizing the good offices of our Denver legislators to represent the common aspirations of our two communities. In conclusion, I thank you for your service to the residents of Colorado and I wish you well in your endeavors. (submitted by email 6/16/2021)

As a long time resident of Routt County, I have lived through the redrawing of legislative districts many times. In 2011, Routt County was redrawn with Eagle County to form HD-26. Before that Routt was in HD-57 with Garfield, Moffat, Rio Blanco and Grand Counties and it was clear that our voices weren't heard on many levels as evidenced by several public policies that didn't align with the uniqueness of Routt County. Once we were redrawn to join Eagle, our shared interests concerning environmental, water, and land use issues not to mention tourism management, lack of affordable housing and clean energy advancement were recognized and we have all felt like we finally have a seat at the table when it comes to communicating openly with our legislators, and significant progress and benefits have been felt by our constituents. I ask that you keep Routt and Eagle together for the House but also possibly look into moving Routt into a more competitive Senate district as we are once again, underrepresented when alongside Garfield, Moffat, Jackson and Rio Blanco. Whereas we also contribute greatly to the preservation and healthy maintenance of our agriculture industry, many of our ranches are under conservation easements which is in stark contrast to the extractive industries scattered throughout these other counties. Summit and Grand, which are also in SD-8 are similar to us in our shared interests as working mountain/ tourism based communities which are increasingly facing crisis levels of affordability in housing, wages, inequities in healthcare and the over use of our beautiful public lands and rivers. Thank you so much to you all for this arduous work ahead and I trust that you will hear our voices up here in the mountains and give all the mountain communities the opportunity to work together and remain sustainable in our shared interests as we balance being residents and welcoming visitors to our cherished way of life. Linda Gould

Thank you Colorado Independent Legislative Redistricting Commission staff and commissioners for your consideration of my public comment on communities of interest. My name is Beth Radetsky and I am a resident of Arapahoe County. I hope my comments will help inform the development of a preliminary District 6, map. Amendments Y and Z define a community of interest as “any group in Colorado that shares one or more substantial interests that may be subject to federal legislative action” and that “groups that may comprise a community of interest include racial, ethnic and language minority groups.” I want to share with you more about my community of interest in Denver, unicorporated Arapahoe County, 80231 ● ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES ● ECONOMIC ISSUES ● PUBLIC HEALTH ● HEALTHCARE ● IMMIGRATION ● AFFORDABLE HOUSING ● EDUCATION ● HISTORICAL ETHNIC/RACIAL COMMUNITIES OF INTEREST I urge you to draw a map that adequately takes my community of interest into consideration. My hope is that your approved map will reflect non-political boundaries that are inclusive to all groups. Political boundaries skew what the public really wants. Thank you for your time and consideration.

My name is Tommy Butler. I proudly serve Ward 1, which comprises Northeast Greeley, on the Greeley City Council. The Greeley city attorney asked me to please say that these are my personal views and do not reflect the views of the City of Greeley or the City Council. I want to start today by thanking you for your service. I know first-hand the many pros of public input can sometimes be countered by the occasional negative comment, so for what it is worth, I hope you know that so many people are thankful for your hard work and dedication. To the other reason I write to you today: I want to advocate for my community. My hope is that you keep East Greeley, Evans, and Garden City in one state house district. In my short time representing Northeast Greeley, it is abundantly clear that this community’s needs (be they economic development, infrastructure, educational, or healthcare) are different than those in West Greeley. From Sunrise Community Health Centers with locations in East Greeley and Evans, to the University of Northern Colorado, to Greeley-Evans School District 6, there are many clear communities of interest that one can point to. The budgets for those entities rely on state funding; they rely on having an advocate at the statehouse. But I also invite you to just drive through East and West Greeley (and not just because I’m trying to stimulate tourism dollars; I promise.) West Greeley is simply different: more suburban, more single-family housing, more chain restaurants. East Greeley, meanwhile, has captured a piece of my heart. We have beautiful older homes (mine was built in 1910), more multifamily zoning, many more small businesses (and I’m happy to say many more minority-owned small businesses as well). While the people that live on the East side of Greeley (and in Evans and Garden City for that matter) may have lower incomes statistically, I would argue we live a much richer life because of the community we have the privilege to live in. That community deserves a voice in the state legislature. If it isn’t clear, I could wax poetic about this community that I love for days. But I’ll just close by asking you one more time, please, make sure East Greeley, Evans, and Garden City keep the representation they deserve. I wish you luck on the many difficult decisions that lay ahead for you and thank you for your time and your service on this commission. Have a great day, Tommy Butler

o the Redistricting Commission: Thank you for serving on the Redistricting Commission for the state of Colorado. As residents of Steamboat Springs, we ask that you keep House District 26 as similar as possible. Ideally, Routt County would be kept with communities of interest, specifically other resort communities such as Eagle County. It is imperative that we keep communities of interest together so Coloradans can be properly represented at the state and federal level. Resort communities are facing similar problems around affordability for essential workers and low-wage earners as well as the impact of climate change and environmental issues on our wonderful community. Monica Chavez

To the Redistricting Commission: Thank you for serving on the Redistricting Commission for the state of Colorado. As residents of Steamboat Springs, we ask that you keep House District 26 as similar as possible. Ideally, Routt County would be kept with communities of interest, specifically other resort communities such as Eagle County. It is imperative that we keep communities of interest together so Coloradans can be properly represented at the state and federal level. Resort communities are facing similar problems around affordability for essential workers and low-wage earners as well as the impact of climate change, environmental issues and the impact of tourism on our wonderful community. I Thank you, Robert Ames and Maryann Wall

Dear Commissioners, I am an former educator and current community member in Summit County. Looking at the 2020 “Making Kids Count in House District 61” factsheet from the Colorado Children’s Campaign, I am struck by the similarities and differences among students and families in the school districts that make up House District 61. The challenges that our students face at home always show up in our classrooms. That’s why funding for schools is so important. It helped when I was in the classroom and it helps my current educator friends to best meet the needs of kids and help them succeed. We have been doing this while being underfunded for years! There are some differences across HD61 on how local school districts have financed schools at the local level, however those differences have provided great perspective for our Representatives to be strong education advocates. Our past three representatives have all served on the House Education Committee and two have been on the Joint Budget Committee. This history is important because efforts to revise our school finance laws have been spearheaded by our legislators. For example, this past session, Rep. Julie McCluskie figure out how to drive more funding for our neediest students, which will greatly be felt by all districts in House District 61. I hope you will consider our education community of interest across HD61 and keep us linked together so we can continue to have strong leaders in Denver to help improve school funding in the future. P.S. Here is the factsheet I referenced: https://www.coloradokids.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/2020-HD-61.pdf

The redistricting of our state is a complex and challenging task, exacerbated by census data adding a new Congressional district in Colorado. Our citizens will live with the new state and congressional districts drawn by commissioners for the next 10 years. The districts shape how our communities are represented at local, state, and federal levels. Fair and effective representation is essential. I live in Westminster. The city of Westminster is primarily located in Jefferson County, but a portion extends into Adams County. These areas should be separated in the House new district maps. Our kindergarten through high school education systems and funding are divided between the two countries. My sister is a retired Colorado school teacher. It is important that new districts reflect these boundaries. Adams County is part of the Tri-County Health Department; Jefferson Country has its own public health department. Responses to the Covid-19 pandemic underscore why these two health departments should be monitored by different representatives. Devising jurisdictional boundaries that encompass all of Westminster is not the best decision for our city’s citizens. The county divisions of Westminster should be respected and tied to districts that best reflect their regional interests. Thanks to both commission staff and commissioners who volunteered to shoulder this difficult redistricting task. Thank you all for your dedication to our state. Thank you for caring about all Coloradans. Thank you for giving consideration to my comments.

Dear Commissioners, Eagle and Routt Counties share an interesting distinction in 2021 – our counties each have just one Affordable Care Act plan available to us right now (https://doi.colorado.gov/press-release/same-eight-companies-returning-to-offer-individual-health-insurance-plans-for-2021). That means, for those that don’t get health insurance through our employers and instead buy it through the individual market, there was only one plan available to choose. One plan for 6,000 Eagle County residents and 3,200 Routt County residents who use the individual market to get our health insurance. Can you imagine that? It should be no surprise then that being connected on this issue drove Representative Dylan Roberts to find a way to change this. He spearheaded the “Colorado Option”, House Bill 21-1232, which will ensure that insurance carriers offer a standardized plan and increase options for families on the individual market. There is a lot the connects our two counties and unite us as a house district. Our health insurance crisis is just one example, but an important example that underscores why keeping us connected in one house district is needed. We need someone who understands the issues that unite us and can advocate on it until change happens. I hope you will continue to keep our counties united in the new maps. Sincerely, Amber Gonzalez-Cortes