Public Comments

I don't know if you're allowed to open attachments; if you are, I encourage you to read this New York Times article on how partisan beliefs shape neighborhoods: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/04/30/opinion/politics/bubble-politics.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage If you choose not to click on the link, the title of the article is "Do You Live In A Political Bubble?" It appeared 5/3/21 and is certainly germane to redistricting. Thanks for the important work you're doing.

I urge you to keep Larimer and Boulder Counties together as one congressional district. These two counties have many common interests. Larimer and Boulder Counties have a high level of high tech and pharmaceutical employment jobs. These counties share many of the same cultural and revenue generating sectors. They both have a strong tourism industry, and they both have strong educational sectors in CSU and CU, with all the attendant research and high tech spin offs. They also share the same health system, University of Colorado Health. Larimer and Boulder Counties would have a population approximately 722,000 people, the desired number for a Congressional district. Districts should also be as compact as possible, which describes Larimer and Boulder Counties because they are contiguous with no intervening geographical dividing line. Larimer County is already a competitive county, another important characteristic of a Congressional District. Adding Weld to Larimer County as a Congressional District will cease to make it competitive.

As a concerned constituent in Fort Collins, I'm hoping that, while considering communities for redistricting, the Commission is mindful of Larimer County's interests that unite us as an educationally, economically, and culturally progressive community on the Front Range. The interests and concerns of Congressional District 2 are currently well represented in Congress, and we would prefer to maintain our county as politically competitive, which would no longer be an option should Larimer be joined in a congressional district with a county such as Weld. Our constituents are far more aligned with Boulder County than Weld, as glaringly evidenced in the disparate responses to the COVID pandemic by Weld versus Larimer and Boulder Counties; in addition, Boulder and Larimer share the same health system, UCH, while Weld is mainly run by Banner, which has an entirely different approach to healthcare. Weld's economic interests lie in oil and gas, feedlots and slaughterhouses, while Larimer's focus is on pharmaceutical, higher education and research, tourism from outdoor recreation and supporters of the arts, and an increasing level of high tech, similar to Boulder's economic interests. Weld County doesn't have the same concerns as ours, such as the stewardship of our forests and outdoor recreation areas, or preparing for and responding to our wildfires and flooding. We are concerned about water policy, climate policy -- both local and national, and balanced urban and transportation development, which greatly affects the health of our constituents, the health of our economies, and, ultimately, the health of our Front Range communities. Should the Commission find that Larimer should be joined with another county, Boulder County's community interests, policy concerns, and geographical concerns are far more closely aligned with Larimer's and could be ably represented by a congressional member who could act on behalf of both Larimer and Boulder Counties' diverse Front Range constituents.

Considering the two rural districts gives us a better voice and representation as presented by Club 20, Pro15, and Action 22's map attached. It is my opinion that rural Colorado needs to be represented well in the future of CO. Please deeply consider the life blood of Colorado which is represented by the rural regions.

1- Communities of common interests. This means that Districts should comprise areas that have similar interests in terms of their cultural and financial basis. Congressional District 2 is great the way it is and should change as little as possible. Boulder County and Larimer County share many of the same cultural and revenue generating sectors. They both have a strong tourism industry, they both have strong educational sectors in CSU and CU, with all the attendant research and high tech spin offs. Boulder County and Larimer County share an interest in aeronautical development and innovation. They also both share in the Bioscience and the Clean Energy industry. Apart from industry, they have a shared interest in fighting forest fires adjacent to their main areas of population. They both offer to their residents many opportunities for outdoor recreation. (I’m sure you can think of others?) 2- Districts should be of equal size and as compact as possible Each District is supposed to be of equal size and will be approximately 722,000 people. Larimer and Boulder counties would be about 722,000 However, Districts should also be as compact as possible, I25 is a dividing line between east and west, whereas Larimer and Boulder are contiguous with no intervening geographical dividing line.

I have been informed that Larimer County and Weld County might be combined with the redistricting. I wish to ask that it not be done. Weld is a huge county with very different interests than Larimer. We in Larimer County have been placed with Boulder County in the past, and have that connection now. Please keep Boulder and Larimer Counties together, with the redistricting. We have much more in common. Our geography, policy concerns, educational systems, etc. are compatible. Weld County is much more agricultural and not terribly compatible with Larimer. Thank you for listening. Georgia Locker

Dear Commission, Pro 15, an advocacy group representing interests in the northeastern part of Colorado would like to submit a map for your consideration. This would designate two rural districts with communities of interest leaving the other six districts to come from the front range from Colorado Springs north. This map would make the 4th CD also include some of the Southeast and San Luis Valley area including Pueblo moving them from the 3rd CD. The configuration shown is based on the population numbers we have at this point. Leaving the 3rd CD to encompass the Western Slope. No configuration is going to be completely competitive because the puzzle pieces just will not fit. The area for the Congressional District 4 has a large community of interest in energy (both oil and gas and renewables) agriculture and entrepreneurship. We are also Republicans, Democrats, and Unaffiliated and we need an undiluted voice for our interests. In this area, we have the top 9 agriculture-producing counties in the state along with 2 of the top oil and gas counties. The renewable future of the state, including wind and solar, is among the fastest-growing industries. Agriculture has expanded to hemp production, dairies, value-added agriculture industries that continue to increase farm efficiency and it provides many options for help with carbon capture and the protection of the environment. We also have lots of miles between towns and people and have different transportation, health care, education, business, and water needs, to name a few. We require representation that is familiar with these issues and is willing to be the voice for our region. This region has a deep-rooted pride in family and historical heritage as well as being known as problem solvers and entrepreneurs. We are the major conduit for delivery of goods and services with our two Interstates and several east/west state highways and a north/south route being developed from Mexico to Canada that goes through the eastern part of the state. Along with Action 22 and Club 20, we will be sending a request to testify in person before the commission to provide further information and background. Between the 54 counties shown we represent ¼ of the state’s population. Thank you, Cathy Shull Executive Director Pro 15 Fort Morgan, CO 970-768-2230 Cathy@Pro15.org

Dear Congressional Redistricting Commissioners: I am chair of the Grand County Democratic Party, and I write on behalf of the party. There are 2305 registered Democratic voters here, 4,265 Republicans and 5,371 unaffiliated voters. In the 2020 election unaffiliated voters tended to vote for Democratic candidates. So, contrary to the assertion of the county’s three Republican commissioners, this is not a “Republican county.” While the county went for Trump in 2020, he won by only 173 votes, a significant drop from his 2016 win. Looking at that trend, one can project that the county will vote Democratic in the future. Though the county is thinly populated, [8/sq mile] calling it “rural” is a misnomer. Only about 4% of the working population is engaged in farming, fishing or forestry. As about 64% of the land is federally managed, mainly forests, so it is not surprising that forestry is an occupation. The Democratic Party believes staying in CD2 is in the best interests of the people in the county. The basic demography argues for this. There are a number of reasons for this. Here are five of the most concerning. 1.Wildfire coordination with the front range is essential. These fires move east across the continental divide, not west toward CD3. 2.The Colorado River, a major water source for at least seven states, originates in the county, and a large proportion of the water is sent to the Front Range. It is essential to have strong working relationships with Denver Water. They may not always be cordial, but the players know one another and know the history. 3.The west entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park is in this county, and the rest of it is in CD2. Again, coordination is key. 4.Some 78% of the economic activity in the county is tourism-related. The tourist venues are highly concentrated in the eastern half of the county, and many of our visitors are from the Denver area. The Winter Park Resort is a major employer in the county. Tourism is not a major force of CD3’s economy. 5.Our Colorado state representative Judy Amabile, is also from CD2, and understands the dynamics of the county. Thank you for your attention to these issues. We wish you well as you deal with the competing forces at play, with the delayed data from the census and the challenges of setting up a new congressional district. Please let us know if you need more information. Let us be grateful that there are now decent computer algorithms to address the many possible combinations you are facing. Best regards, Susan F Newcomer Chair, Grand County Democratic Party (submitted by email 5/2/2021)

Dear Congressional Redistricting Commissioners: I am 20-year resident of Grand County, I am writing to encourage you to keep Grand County in Congressional District 2. Joe Neguse has been up to meet with us; he spoke on our community radio station and is a true representative of this county. Furthermore, Neguse represents the more diverse future that mountain areas of Colorado need to work towards--not just white settlers who have been here for generations, but the newer, younger immigrants of different ethnicities that are moving to the mountains to work and build lives here. When I first moved here in 1999, I found the small and quiet group of Democrats in the county and we joked that we were working to "turn Grand County purple." Twenty-two years later, we have succeeded. Grand County is a purple county, and having a person like Lauren Bobert represent us is a step backwards. She does not represent the future of our county, plus she has done nothing in her short tenure besides pull publicity stunts. She is so far from representing any of my values that I am not able to see how she can possibly be a viable option now or in the future. Please consider the motivations of those pushing for redistricting and whether or not it best serves all of Grand County. We are a large and diverse area of Colorado, and even since you've received the 2020 census data, the county is changing with more remote workers coming to live here. For better or worse, the commissioners cannot count on their "we are all Republicans" stance that they seem entrenched in. Best regards, Adrianna Szczepanski Grand County Resident (submitted by email 5/3/2021)

My name is Jennifer Paris & I live in Longmont zip code 80504. This zip code goes from the south central part of Longmont all the way through to Weld County including Frederick and Firestone. If you look at the current map, they squeezed Longmont into district 1 that makes up most of eastern Colorado. However, we have much more in common with our actual neighbors in Boulder, Larimer and Jefferson counties. Our current representative at the federal level completely ignores issues in Longmont and doesn’t have the bandwidth to listen to our concerns at all. They are very often at odds with the needs and concerns of our more rural Coloradans to the east. Please consider that we would like to have more local representation for our town and thank you for your work on this project! Jennifer (submitted by email 5/4/2021)