Public Comments

I support the move to have Colorado’s large 3rd Congressional District be cut in half and locate the new 8th district on the Western Slope and not be part of the Urban Front Range. Thank you, Michelle Martinez Gypsum, CO (submitted by email 5/20/2021)

The Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority has written a letter of support for keep El Paso County whole. I am the Vice-Chair of the organization and an El Paso County Commission.

5-20-2021 Colorado Congressional Commissioners: Your charge, by the voters of Colorado, is to find a balance of representation for the constituents of Colorado, and from what we are hearing, by listening to your meeting through virtual contact, is that you are set on concentrating on the Denver Metropolitan area, Colorado Springs, and the Western Slope (Aspen, Vail, and Glenwood where all the rich people live) and not do anything about other parts of Colorado. I hear your committee make a statement at a mapping committee meeting where it was said and agreed upon that you said (collectively) that six Congressional Districts are Metropolitan and two are rural. That is incorrect, again we wish to direct your attention to South-Central Colorado where we are as metropolitan as any of the Colorado Springs and Denver based counties. We provide a viable economy, we serve to function a vital role in economic matters, with our geographical layout contain the 5th and 6th largest rivers in the US (Rio Grande and Arkansas) which is a vital point in congressional matters, and we have probably to most diverse ethnical makeup of all areas in Colorado. We wish to hear some serious conversation about our own Congressional District. We have sent you compelling arguments on why one-half of El Paso County (southern El Paso County) should be split up and incorporated with the rest of South- Central Colorado which forms a comprehensive, congruent, and diverse population that have common issues as and as such we would be united under our own representation, in other words in our own district. Under this proposal we would have enough population to legally form such as district, and would be consistent within geological, cultural, and economic issues. Currently the area we have proposed, as either the revised third Congressional District or the Eight Congressional District, lie within three Congressional District (current 3rd, 4th, and 5th and within this current inconsistency our representation, which is guaranteed under the United States Constitution, is simply not being met under current standards. We demand to have one Congressional District where we are represented within our values, our culture, and within the be a reasonable distance for the outreach our congressional boundaries not over ¾ of the state in which South-Central Colorado is currently being represented under. Please give this serious consideration. Thomas McKenna – Pueblo Citizens of True Southern Colorado

5-20-2021 Commissioners: I listened yesterday as your committee showed more concerned about two one-thousands’ of a percent of the total Colorado population (14,000/5,800,000 =.002) on how our Congressional Districts should be represented with a long discussion of prison inmates. I have listened to most of your commission showing their ineptness and ignorance about the geological make-up of Colorado, and although I think you all want to move this committee in the right direction. I think your individual personal feelings are dragging your efforts into the wrong direction. Please, as a group, inventory and assess the direction you want to move this committee and please learn about the geographical, cultural and heritage aspects of Colorado and not just your own preconceived make-up of what of think Colorado should be. Chairperson Hare, please show some leadership and rely on Bill Leone and Jason Kelly because they are the only ones that seem to have a good sense of direction concerning representation on Colorado, especially South-Central Colorado Thomas McKenna, Citizens for True Southern Colorado

Hello – My name is L. Elisabeth Armstrong, and I am a Colorado native and unaffiliated voter. Growing up here, I was proud to live in a decidedly “purple” state: I always learned the best versions of the argument, because the extreme partisanship that dominates politics today was viewed as ineffective. I was able to deeply come to know the issues, options, voices, and people of our State – there was room for everyone to be heard. However, over the years, it seems that Colorado has transitioned to a state deeply divided along party lines. While some of this has clearly happened organically in response to the challenges our nation faces, another major factor has been the way district lines are drawn. While I believe that the majority of the state is seeking unity in our diversity, compromise, and a path forward – especially following the pandemic – our current legislative districts do not reflect that. The way lines are currently drawn does not promote competitiveness or encourage candidates to be willing to reach across the aisle to find solutions for our unique state. My hope is that as we come together to update our districts following the recent census, we can look beyond immediate political gains in favor of balance, reducing extreme partisanship, and promoting the long-term wellbeing of Colorado and its citizens. Sincerely, Elisabeth (submitted by email 5/19/2021

Thank you Colorado Independent Congressional Redistricting Commission staff and commissioners for your consideration of my public comment on communities of interest. My name is Teresa Trombley Hernandez and I am a resident of Commerce City, Colorado. It’s my understanding that you are currently collecting public comment on communities of interest that will inform the development of a preliminary congressional map, which will include the additional 8th congressional district. Recently, I came across an article from the Denver Post that discusses the growth of the Latino community in Adams County specifically. I want to bring this article to your attention (link is at the end of this comment) and share with you more about my community of interest. As highlighted in the article and based on US Census estimates, the Latino population in Adams County makes up 40% of the county’s rapidly growing population. I’ve lived in the west part of Adams County for the majority of my life and as a Latina myself, I have lived and witnessed this growth. From attending public school in Thornton to living in both Northglenn and Thornton, and now raising my family in Commerce City, western Adams County is home and where I, along with many others in the Latino community, have established our roots. Many of us live, work, and access public and private resources across western Adams county. As many members of the Latino community have been priced out of other places in the Denver metro area, our community continues to grow here. Considering that the constitution defines 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 urge you to draw a map that adequately takes the growing Latino community in western Adams County into consideration. From access to COVID-19 relief resources and vaccinations, to issues of education, affordable housing, public health, environment, and immigration, our community is certainly subject to federal legislative action. My hope is that your approved map will create an 8th congressional district that includes my community. Thank you for your time and consideration. Denver Post Article: https://www.denverpost.com/2021/05/02/denver-suburbs-changing-demographics/?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_content=tw-denverpost&utm_ Teresa Trombley Hernandez

I am uploading a PDF with both my map and its explanation.

I am really tired of the people's independent redistricting committee constantly hiding from the people to talk. It feels a lot like the back door meetings that politicians have that end up screwing over the people, and honestly, it is making me feel like there is a lot to hide, which is not good. It is also increasingly frustrating to listen to meetings when over half of it is silent.

Listen to Commissioner Leone, He makes sense. On the prison issue, just use the statistical data of whose county they are confimed in and leave it alone. This is not a minority issue. This is a representation issue, please quit trying to micro manage the representation issue

Dear Concerned Citizen of True Southern Colorado: As you may be aware of, the Colorado Congressional Redistricting Commission has been functioning since early February of 2021. The purpose of the commission is to redistrict all of Colorado’s Congressional Districts in which, as of the preliminary indications of the 2020 census, the state has enough population to form eight districts. That is one more than what we have now. This is an excellent opportunity for underrepresented areas, such as South-Central Colorado to redefine our representation and once again, after forty years, be represented in the US Congress. Please notice that there is also a commission for the state legislative districts to likewise redistrict the Colorado State legislative districts, however this correspondence and our efforts concerning the Citizens of True Southern Colorado is dealing only with the United States Congressional Districts in Colorado. We are asking you review the contents of this document and join us in support of either a revised 3rd Congressional District or a newly designated 8th Colorado Congressional District. Although the term of ‘True Southern Colorado’ can be ambiguous we, for purposes of this action and to self-identification with use the term of South-Central Colorado’ for purposes of this action and proposal. We propose that the area south of US Highway 24 from the El Paso County/ Teller County line, all of Pikes Peak Ave in Colorado Springs, and a line that divides the middle of Colorado Highway 94 until the El Paso/Elbert County line and then proceeds south to the junction of Lincoln, Crowley, El Paso, and Pueblo Counties in which the newly proposed boundary will traverse east to where the eastern boundary of Crowley County travers north to south until it intersects with Otero County. At Otero County the newly formed boundary will then follow the eastern boundary of Otero county until it intersects with Las Animas County, and at which point it will follow the eastern edge of Las Animas County to the Colorado/ New Mexico border. The proposed South-Central Colorado Congressional District will traverse west along the state line crossing into Costilla then Conejos counties until it reaches the Continental Divide, which separates the Western Slope from Eastern Colorado. At that point There the new boundary will traverse along the Continental Divide encompassing the entire San Luis Valley, partial areas on the eastern slope counties of Mineral, Hinsdale, and Gunnison counties, and resume on the western boundaries in Chaffee and Lake Counties. The new Colorado Congressional District border will wrap around northern Lake County, north of Leadville, and then travel south along the eastern borders of both Lake and Chaffee counties until Chaffee County intersects at Fremont County. Using the northern border of Fremont County, it tracks east until it intersects with Teller and El Paso Counties at which point it will run north on that borderline and stop at the intersection of US Highway 24 where we started the new boundary. The either newly formed 8th Congressional District or revised 3rd Congressional District will include in their entirety, Pueblo, Crowley, Otero, Las Animas, Costilla, Alamosa, Rio Grande, Chaffee, Lake, Fremont, Custer, and Huerfano Counties. It will also include portions of South El Paso, Mineral, Hinsdale, Saguache, and Gunnison Counties that are on the eastern side of the Continental Divide. The Map below outlines the new district. We propose the area we just outlined to be designated officially the revised 3rd Colorado Congressional District or the new 8th Colorado Congressional district, regardless of what designation the new district it called, it is imperative that the people of South-Central Colorado maintain our own voice in Congress and not be associated with other areas of Colorado which may or may not be in agreement or may notproceed in the best interest of the people of ‘True Southern Colorado’. Reasons for purposed changed and establishment of a separate Congressional District for South-Central Colorado are as follows: • Currently the purposed area in which we live and have a continuity of economic, cultural, and geographic likeness are presently split into portions of three Congressional Districts (3rd, 4th, and 5th) which prevent South-Central Colorado to exercising one voice in the United States Congress. • Our proposal will be geographically similar, however not the same, as the 3rd Congressional District appeared prior to 1982 when for political gerrymandering reasons Pueblo, Custer and Huerfano, along with the San Luis Valley were absorbed in the area west of the Continental Divide, known as the Western Slope, to strengthen on political parties dominance (GOP) and weaken the Democratic strength that South-Central Colorado had been providing to the State of Colorado. • Las Animas, Crowley and Otero counties are currently in the 4th Congressional District with the strength of the district is based in Weld County and parts of the Denver Metro Area and we feel that these counties again lack proper representation in the United States Congress and would be better represented along with their geographically coherent counties in South-Central Colorado and these counties also have a vital interest in Arkansas and Purgatory River water issues with are not a concern of Northern Colorado. • Residents of South El Paso, Lake, Chafee, and Fremont counties are current members the 5th Congressional District which historically isolates itself from critical South-Central Colorado issue that do not benefit the interest of their district, especially the City of Colorado Springs. There are two critical reasons why this district has got to be split is and absorbed into the South-Central Colorado Congressional District. • (1) In order to form the South-Central Congressional District, we need a population base of 710,000 people and by taking people at the West US Highway 24, Pikes Peak Ave, Colorado Highway 94 boundary will allow the proposed South-Central Congressional District to fulfill this requirement • (2) The alignment of the newly proposed Congressional District will bring together not only civic leaders of these counties throughout the district, it also will provide with new economic, cultural, and geographical alliances to be formed and benefit the people of South-Central first and foremost and give a stronger voice to South-Central Colorado when dealing with congressional issues. • The San Luis Valley counties of Alamosa, Rio Grande, Saguache, Costilla, and represent a strong portion of South- Central Colorado whose issues are different from the Western Slope and this will give the San Luis Valley control on water issues concerning the Rio Grande River, and with agricultural issues concerning the valley itself. Incorporating portions of Mineral, Hinsdale and Gunnison counties that lie on the eastern portion of the Continental Divide will give credence to geographical integrity of the proposed Congressional District. It is time for the geographical area of South-Central Colorado once again be untied not only to ensure geographical continuity, however also it is particularly important that within the southern portion of Colorado we are presented with a continuity that ensures for both economic growth and strength, a dynamic that allows our cultures, our heritage to unite and we function as a one people. In other words, it is time for us to come together and we need to include Colorado Springs because for too many years we have had a split in all aspects of our lives and creating a united Congressional District will allow this healing to begin and allow us to function as one people ‘True Southern Coloradoans’. Throughout 2021, We have sent numerous letters and emails along with a 38-page proposal of restricting all of Colorado Congressional Districts, with of course special consideration to the newly proposed South-Central Congressional District, to the Commissioners of the Colorado Independent Redistricting Commission and as we have previously stated, we have been dealing with the Commissioners who are to redistrict the Congressional Districts not the legislative. We would like you to review these issues and be aware of public meetings that are going to be held throughout July and August throughout Colorado and invite you to attend and voice your concerns. Please login to the Colorado Independent Redistricting website https://redistricting.colorado.gov/ for more information about the public meeting. You may also write them at: Colorado Independent Redistricting Commission, 1580 Logan St – Suite 430, Denver CO 80202. We have sent correspondence in C/O each commissioner with our concerns. The Congressional Redistricting Commissioners are” • Paula Espinoza D- CD4; Elizabeth Wilke D-CD5; Danny D Moore R-CD6; William Leone R-CD7; Jolie C Brawner U-CD1; Lori Smith Schell U-CD3; Lisa Wilkes D-CD 5, Martha Coleman D -CD2; Moussa Diamassa U-CD5; Carly Hare U-CD4 (Chair); Jason Kelly R-CD3; Julie Marie Shepard-Maclin R-CD6; Simon Tafoya D-CD1. As mentioned, we have been addressing concerns, proposal and other issues mainly focusing on South-Central Colorado and we have not seen amongst these commissioners any indication that that South-Central Colorado is a concern to them; they seemed to be focused on Denver Metro, Western Slope, and Eastern plains counties more than they are interested in South-Central Colorado or the San Luis Valley. Please correspond your thoughts with them and let us create a Congressional District we all can participate and be represented in the United State Congress as a full citizen. Thank You and Sincerely Thomas McKenna Citizens of True Southern Colorado 999 Fortino Blvd, Lot 53 Pueblo, CO 81008 719 -557 -0784 or email: tmck1946@gmail.com