Public Comments

It’s hugely important that the new congressional and legislative maps strike a balance between competitiveness and fairness. Under the past 4 years, Colorado’s experienced a massive political shift as the entire Denver metro area has shifted further left. The political landscape of Colorado of 6 years ago no longer exists, and so I think that the new maps should reflect this shift. Maps should be drawn using the average of the 2016 , 2018, and 2020 precinct level results to account for this shift. Also, the new district should be drawn in the area with the greatest population growth, as it’s common sense that this growth has created new communities of interest that must be represented accurately.

4-27-2021 Dear Commissioners, by now I trust all of you have received the 38-page proposal that I sent each of you upon the announcement of your selection as a Colorado Redistricting Commissioner. In that proposal I commented on every district including the 8th Colorado Congressional District and I addressed the issues to the best of my knowledge. The main theme for the overall proposal is to keep districts within the closeness of geographical boundaries using the population to with certain geographic locations to create a district that contains the appropriate amount of population. There will be a tendency to concentrate on Denver Metro Counties and counties outside the Denver metro area with large population, such as Larimer, Weld and El Paso Counties, and the rest looped into rural areas. I implore you to add on more population center to your list and that is Pueblo County. At this point my correspondence and efforts to this committee will be focused on getting Pueblo County and South-Central Colorado into a district that is within our geographical vicinity, not an appendage of the Western Slope as it is now. My proposal of splitting up El Paso county at US Highway 24, Piles Peak Ave, and Colorado 94 and using those boundaries as the northern sector of the NEW 3rd Congressional District (Pueblo County was always the 3rd Congressional district way before it was gerrymander away to the Western Slope in 1982) to the Colorado New Mexico Line, including Huerfano and parts of las Animas County (as population requires), the San Luis Valley , Chaffee, Lake, Fremont, and Custer County , also with the newly acquired Southern El Paso County to for the new 3rd Congressional District. The reasons we insist are • To form a geographical boundary that are connected in an coherent fashion that neighbors can deal with issues that actually concern their neighbors • Using El Paso Counties south of the boundaries we have mentioned will provide adequate population to legally form a district • Be represent amongst the people who are actually living in the same communities and having our representation from these communities, not 200 miles on the other side of a formable physical boundary, such as the Continental Divide. I am included in this comment a hand drawn map of what we feel the proposed new 3rd Congressional District (or any nomenclature you feel appropriate) should consist of. If any of you need another copy of my original proposal, please feel free to ask me at tmck1936@gmail.com. Thanks Thomas McKenna - Pueblo

In our neighborhood, just inside Weld county between Berthoud and Loveland, it is water that unites our community. We each have one share of water (provided by the Home Supply ditch company) attached to our small acreage lots. Water rights are also a common denominator for the properties and citizens within our district. Another critical resource also unites us: health care. This should also be considered in redefining district borders. One more comment: Have the Commissions considered, or are you currently using, software that will allow you to enter communities of interest and other redistricting factors? Colorado has lots of talented software engineers that could assist in developing this software. This would not necessarily detract from the democratic process of your negotiations and deliberations. You would decide what factors to input. You, the Commissioners, would approve or disapprove of the final result.

Having lived in Pueblo County for most of my life, I feel like we have not had a true representative who cares about this part of the state since Ray Kogosvek was our Representative. Since then, we have been stuck with Representatives from the Western Slope, who never visit here or have passed legislation that help the citizens of this part of the state of Colorado. Also, there is a lot of poverty and education issues that have developed from the lack of good-paying jobs in this area since the decline of the Steel Mill in the late 70s and early 80s. I ask that when the new district maps are drawn, to take into consideration our area. Also, make the district more competitive, politically. It feels like the current representation in HD3 could care less about people who are not Republicans, or anyone who voted for her. Being in a more competitive district would return accountability to the new district. Thank you!

I live in Washington Conty which is a farming and ranching community. We value wide open spaces and rural living.. We are interested in oil and Gas development and whether to allow Wind generation to be developed in our county. We are concerned with amendment 16, cruelty to animal act wich if passed would effect us negatively. Many ranchers would leave and go to another State if the law is enacted.

Thanks for the opportunity to voice my opinion: 1. Though rural Colorado has few voters, we represent vast production of numerous ag products, 2. Many small communities are represented within the these rural areas, we all add up, 3. Not only ag products, but the enormous petroleum production that generates numerous opportunities, 4. The historical benefits within the smaller communities are of great interest, 5. I reside in Julesburg, a first-stop for a majority of travelers coming from Nebraska, a large benefit to the tourism of our State, 6. Rural communities have little in common with the larger metro areas, 7. The need for independent representation is of paramount concern for our communities, 8. I cannot think of a better place to raise the next generation, our rural values are not only historic, but on-going,

We live in Loveland and are currently included with Boulder for our representation. This has not always been the case and we have been very disappointed with our representation. Loveland is not Boulder and never will be. We prefer to be included with Weld County i.e., Greeley or second choice Fort Collins or just Larimer County.

Suggested Congressional districts - District 8 - Pueblo County, southern portion of El Paso County, Las Animas County and southern eastern plains District 1 - Denver county District 2 - Boulder County, Broomfield County, Larimer County District 3 - Western slope counties (note: Pueblo now in District 8) District 4 - Weld County, portion of Adams County and northern eastern plains District 5 - northern portion of El Paso County, portion of Douglas County, portion of Jefferson county District 6 - portion of Jefferson county, portion of Douglas county District 7 - Arapahoe county, portion of Douglas count, portion of Adams county

Dear Colorado Congressional and Legislative Redistricting Commissions, Hello, my name is John Spezia, my zip code is 80477. I have lived in Steamboat Springs in Routt County for 47 years. I would like to make a few comments to Colorado’s Congressional and Legislative Redistricting Commission. Below is some background information about my community and the shared interests that unite us, my community’s public policy concerns, the geographic area of my community, and features that are important to my community. When I first moved to Routt County in 1973, its economy and culture was basically ranching, coal mining, a power plant, conservative perspective and almost no tourism, skiing or outdoor recreational economy. The surrounding counties to Congressional District 3 are Moffat, Rio Blanca, Mesa, Delta, Montrose, San Juan, Montezuma, San Miguel, Archuleta, Conejos, Costillo, Alamosa, Pueblo, etc. They were similar to our county and we had a great deal in common in 1973. Forty seven years later our economy and culture has shifted dramatically to tourism, skiing, liberal perspective and an outdoor recreational economy. It embraces community actions such as Climate Action Plan, Transportation Master Plan, Circulation and Mobility Plan, Energy Efficiency Building code, Community Building codes and zoning codes and oil and gas regulations that would have been rejected summarily in the 1960s. Recently our County Commissioners have pulled out of the NWCOG because our county has little in common with these counties in northwestern Colorado and most of our commissioners' ideas were rejected by the conservative counties in that group. We have more in common with Eagle, Grand, Summit, Jackson, etc because they are based on tourism, skiing, outdoor recreational economy, and their citizens have a more liberal viewpoint. Our present Representative in the Third Congressional District does not represent out views and values nor our political persuasions. The Third District has approximately 160,000 Republicans, 200,000 left leaning unaffiliated conservatives and 120,000 Democrats. The majority votes conservative and they have a self proclaimed far right Congressional District Representative who does not listen or respond to the majority of our citizens in Routt County. As a result of this situation we have been directing our concerns to Joe Neguse of the Second Congressional District in order to feel like we have a voice. For these reasons we would like to be included in the 2nd Congressional District so we have a common and shared interest, and have a representative that will be representing the needs of the citizens of Routt County. Sincerely, John Spezia Steamboat Springs Routt County 80477 (submitted by email 4/26/21)

Colorado Redistricting Commissioners: Thank you for serving on the Redistricting Commissioners and for considering my public comment on your redistricting efforts based on the 2020 Census. My name is Diane Brower. I have lived in Steamboat Springs in Routt County for 42 years. As you probably know, Routt County is primarily a tourism based economy. Our community is very oriented to outdoor recreation – skiing, hiking, backpacking, water sports, bicycling. It is similar to and closely aligned with such counties as Eagle, Summit, Pitkin and Grand. In my 42 years living in Routt County, our community has changed from being primarily an agriculture based economy to being primarily a tourism based economy. Our County no longer has much in common with most other counties in District 3 which are largely more rural and conservative. This is evidenced by the choice of our County Commissioners to recently Our County Commissioners have publicly stated that the AGNG “no longer effectively represents the views and interests of our county”. In the words of our Routt County Commissioners, “...Routt County and its citizens would be better served by an association and regional planning entity whose members align with our current and future economic and social programming and policy needs in the public and private sectors.” Routt County has a strong interest in the environment and concerns about climate change and the burning of fossil fuels, which is not shared in most of District 3. We are developing a Climate Action Plan -- also not something supported by much of District 3. Our community is also working to develop a mass transit system, not an issue of importance throughout District 3. Again, we are a mountain and resort community, unlike most of the counties in District 3. There are many other areas in which the Routt County differs from most of District 3, but is similar to other resort communities to the south and the east. District 3 is currently an impossibly diverse and sprawling district. Over the years, I have been involved in the campaigns of many people running for U.S. Representative for District 3. It is very difficult for a U.S. Representative to regularly visit constituents throughout the District or to adequately represent the widely divergent needs of the District because of the huge area it covers -- not only to the west and southwest of us, but all the way to Pueblo. Another example of the disconnect between Routt County and the rest of District 3 is the recent election of a U.S. Representative who seems to represent only the extreme, radical views of some of the rural, conservative constituents in District 3 who elected her. I currently consider myself and the majority in Routt County who are moderate to liberal to be without representation in the U.S. House. I would hope that your redistricting effort will reconfigure Colorado's Districts to more effectively represent the economic, social and political needs of its population. You have a big task ahead of you. Thank you for your service. I hope you will make decisions on what is best for all Coloradans – beyond limited partisan alliances. Thank you! Diane Brower 642 Evans St. Steamboat Springs, CO 80487