Public Comments

As the first county established in the State of Colorado, Arapahoe County is 72 miles long and 14 miles wide, and is a community of diversity (urban, suburban and rural) and diverse throughout the county with a mixture of race, ethicality, gender. The county is a community of small and medium business and in 2024 will have one (1) judicial district. By keeping Arapahoe inside of one congressional , this will provide all parts of the county with one representative and much better representation then if it is divided into 2 or more different districts. The goal of the commission is keep counties together to create good representation in areas where cooperation between school districts, water districts, and working together for the environment and natural resources.

My comments on CD-3 and Lauren Bobert. Please let me know this is received. Thank you, James W Ross

Wally Smith, Montrose County 81403 Montrose County is a large county that depends on tourism, farming, ranching, and hunting and has become a haven for retirees. All these attributes are based on our climate and the small town atmosphere that makes up our community. The Western slope is one of the most beautiful parts of Colorado. Without strong representation that understands what our county needs are we have no voice in Colorado or Washington D.C. Our District 3 needs to be united with other counties that have like interest and the importance of our water needs. We do not need to partner with counties that have different needs and priorities. Our lower population is what makes our County and the Western slope so inviting to a lot of our residents and tourists. A lot of our residence on the Western slope feel they are incidental in the workings of the State of Colorado and Washington D.C. Western slope needs representation that understands the needs and understands we are not like the populated cities of Colorado. Montrose County has a lot of public lands that belong to the people and Washington is dictating and governing our lands. We need local representation that has western Colorado needs and interest as their priority.

I would like it very much if we could keep HD 3 and HD 38 as they are. We have two good state representatives and they don't need to be competing against each other, should the boundaries be drawn that would put them in the same House District. Thank you

I am vehemently opposed to this redistricting. I believe it is a disservice to the landowners and people in Routt County to have any sort of representation from front range ideologies. The eastern slope problems are far different from our west slope issues. From water to politics. From ranching to professional sports. From sage brush to high rise commercial buildings. From Highways and roads to mining operations. There is simply too much dissimilarity. From wolves to marijuana. I ask you to do what’s right and the right thing is to abandon this legislation. Respectfully , Richard Buccino.

Dear Commissioners, I have seen several comments come into the commission about Douglas County being like other metro area counties and therefore should be together in a new congressional district. I don’t believe this to be the case. If you compare American Community Survey findings about poverty rates - Aurora at 10.75% vs. Parker at 3.28%, it is apparent that the need for basic economic sustenance is so much different in these areas. Aurora needs a representative who is able to prioritize things like Medicaid and food stamps. I hope you will take this into consideration as you draw the next maps and be thoughtful about drawing such distinct communities, like Aurora and Parker, together. Thank you, Chris Edwards

Please see my attached letter. Thank you.

I have resided in the City of Aurora and in Arapahoe County since I moved to this state 46 years ago. As a matter of fact, I have lived in the same precinct for all those years. What has not been consistent has been my congressional districts. Over the years I have seen the county split among 3 and, at one time, 4 different congressional districts which caused confusion, and poor representation for the citizens of the county. Having cohesiveness by having ALL of Arapahoe county in one congressional district is critical to our having proper representation, our political wellbeing, our ability to have a representative advocate for our county's needs, and our citizens' ability to hold our representative accountable. By being fragmented, those portions of the county with small numbers in congressional districts other than what is currently the 6th Congressional District have no voice and are overlooked. When I refer to ALL of Arapahoe County being included in a new district I am seeking to include Glendale, Holly Hills, Englewood, Sheridan, and Cherry Hills Village with the majority of the county currently contained within the 6th CD. These five areas have been segregated from mainstream Arapahoe County and their citizens are treated as second class citizens by their current congressional district. Keeping Arapahoe County together in one congressional district will allow our representative to appropriately advocate for all our citizens at the federal level.

I want to take this opportunity to express to the Colorado Independent Redistricting Commission my concerns for Arapahoe County in the map of our state's eight congressional districts. As a resident of the City of Aurora and Arapahoe County for the past 23 years, I am writing to ask that the Commission keep Arapahoe County in one congressional district. Having cohesiveness in Arapahoe County’s congressional district is most critical to public health, infrastructure, education, and the courts. By keeping Arapahoe intact and in one congressional district, our U.S. Representative can appropriately advocate for our county's public policy and program needs in Washington. As of June 8, 2021, Arapahoe County had 453,259 voters, representing 197,423 unaffiliated voters, 145,903 Democratic voters, 101,997 Republican voters, and 7,936 voters registered in minor parties. This virtually mirrors the party breakdown of voters statewide. Maintaining that same party apportionment will serve Arapahoe County well by keeping the county in one district. Thank you, Commission Members, for considering my concerns and for your service and commitment to holistic and fair redistricting.

Commission Colorado Independent Redistricting Thank you for your desire to create a non-partisan committee with the goal of creating a fair and effective representation of all voices. I am a retired school teacher of 36 years and have lived in Grand County for 52 years since 1969 and have seen many changes during this time. I spent the past 14 years as the Director of Outreach Programs for a Grand County non-profit. Our current population is now 15, 525 (does not include second homeowners who live recreate, and use our tourism services) up from 5,800 in 1972. Our county has steadily been building a tourism economy for all of these years with most of the jobs being service oriented. In the past when I first moved here, we had more agriculture but that has changed dramatically. We have a strong community of interest with other counties in District 2 which includes Summit and parts of Eagle because of our tourism economy. We share the same resort-based economies and challenges such as low wages and affordable housing deficits. We also share a large number of ski resorts such as Winter Park, Granby Ranch, Devil’s Thumb Ranch X County Resort, and Snow Mountain Ranch at YMCA, outdoor guides and retailers as well as many other outdoor recreation activities with these counties. These industries and activities all draw tourists from all over the world and define our economy. Our current representative in District 2 has several important legislative provisions that will support Colorado’s outdoor recreation economy which includes the National Parks and National Forests in Grand County. Another community of interest in Grand County is Rocky Mountain National Park which Grand County shares with Larimer County. Last year, in 2020, both Larimer and Grand lost significant lands in the park from the East Troublesome Fire and the Cameron Peak Fire. Both counties share the need to continue to put in place programs to mitigate and prevent such devastating wildfires in the future. Summit County also shares a border with Grand County along Highway 9 and the Henderson Mill that were impacted by wildfires last year. Grand County needs to stay in District 2 so that we can have access to leaders who understand what needs to be done to protect our public lands against these wildfires. Since Grand County is a rural area with no secondary education institutions, we also depend on the Educational Institutions in Boulder County, Broomfield County, and Jefferson County for our students to attend. Because of the relatively short travel distance to reach these front range communities ( it takes only an hour and a half from any place in Grand County), our students can access these institutions for their secondary education opportunities without having to move from Grand County. This community of interest is very important to all of our high school graduates and other residents who wish to receive a higher education. Please keep Grand County in District 2. We do not share any communities of interest with District 3 on the Western Slope. We are a mountain community with special characteristics and needs. Thank you for your time and attention.