Public Comments

I love that the Commission is listening to the public regarding the 9/23/21 third staff plan map. We deserve to remain Rural in Colorado and have our seat at the table. Why would we be in the same map as a city like Boulder? That makes no sense. We need our rural interest represented. Thank you again Commissioners.

The Aurora City Council generally supports the Third Staff Plan Map that combines the developed parts of Adams and Arapahoe Counties in the revised District 6. Critical utilities, services, geography, and transportation infrastructure connect Aurora to adjacent towns and cities. The incorporated Aurora city limits include a portion of Douglas County. The Mayor and Council passed Resolution R2021-25 that identifies the need to keep the City of Aurora in one Congressional District for the purpose of serving the population of the state’s third largest city. This resolution is attached for reference. The City of Aurora

REDISTRICTING TESTIMONY Distinguished members of the Redistricting Commission: My name is Stan Gelb, I’m a resident of Longmont, CO, and I am testifying on the proposed map for HD-11. First of all, the present map is pretty good. But it does not maximize "communities of interest" as required by the Commission guidelines. Therefore, I ask the commission to reconsider the area in the new map, east of 75th, north of 17th (Hygiene Road), and south of Hwy 66, and west of Francis Street. This area holds neighborhoods that have been in Longmont for 40 to 50 years or more and have strong ties to the city of Longmont. But the Commission has moved this area to HD-13, even though this area does not have significant ties to HD-13. There are many families that live in this section of Longmont that helped build Longmont, and have never been separated from Longmont proper in their representation. These neighborhoods have a very close relationship with Longmont. Under the proposed map, these neighborhood families would be separated from the same district that holds the middle school and high school that serves their kids. Westview Middle School and Longmont High are drawn into the new HD-11, but these neighborhoods are not in HD-11. I’m a retired high school teacher, and can sense how wrong that separation is. Since all of Longmont can't be in one district, it’s more logical that the SW corner of District 11 in the new map instead be placed in District 13. This SW area is much closer to Boulder, very close to the Diagonal Highway, and likely has a larger contingent of commuters, of people who work in Boulder. This SW corner has homes that are less than 20 years old and therefore the ties to Longmont proper do not have the same decade’s long history that exists in the NW corner neighborhoods. So my specific ask is that you relocate the SW area that’s west of Airport Road and south of Nelson Road into HD-13. By following my recommendation, the SW corner area neighborhood would keep their middle school – that’s Altona Middle School - and high school – that’s Silver Creek High - with them even if placed in District 13. Last, but not least, McIntosh Lake is a huge recreation site for the citizens of Longmont and should be in the same district with the rest of the city. If any Commission members were to make even a quick visit to McIntosh Lake, they would have a solid chance of seeing ibis, pelicans, gulls, a whole colony of prairie dogs, plus bald eagles and great blue herons! From such sightings Commission members would surely understand Longmont’s love of McIntosh Lake, and how the lake belongs in the same district with the rest of Longmont. This change I’m asking for is a simple one, and would be profoundly impactful to our community. Thank you for your serious consideration of this request.

Regarding CD4: At first glance at the second and third maps it appears that they are gerry-rigged. The First staff map is similar to our current districts which is preferable. The Third and Second staff maps: * The stair-stepping border cut into existing neighborhoods, bus routes, school attendance districts. * CSU and Front Range Community College are in separate districts. I'm not sure why these separations are needed. I do know you have a tough job. Thank you.

Boulder County is not a “Plains” county, with Plains issues, it belongs in the new District 8 with Broomfield and the I-25 corridor! While this latest iteration isn’t as bad as you first map (where you tried to steal all of Northwest Colorado), it still smacks of gerrymandering. It reminds me of when they conveniently added safe Diana Degette voters into the current 6th Congressional District. Boulder is only 17+ miles from I-25 along State Highway 7 and 170+ miles to Steamboat Springs, please make it stay where it belongs!! Try doing the honorable thing for a change. Richard Champion, Fmr. Representative HD 38

CD 3 - Should stay intact as "Western Colorado & Rural Colorado". W Colo has NOTHING in common with Boulder & a liberal democrat congressman from Boulder would have NO interest in representing W Colo. Interests here are water, ranching, energy, tourism & maintaining our way of life. The Denver/Boulder area's only interest in W Colo is having a place to recreate & destroy life as we know it. Legislative re-districting: The attempt of the committee is to break up communities. Mesa County & Garfield County should remain intact and not be governed by Mountain Districts or Front Range who have no interest in us, except to stop energy, stop ranching, take the water to the front range. Rural means a way of life & we should be able to maintain our communities of interest & have suitable representation who live here & understand how/where we live.

Why on earth would Eagle county be seperated and put in two different congressional districts?! Further more, mountain communities should be together in one CD seperated from Boulder and the I-25 corridor. We in the mountains have different economies, different concerns and different lifestyles and would therefore would like our on CD!! We do not want to be watered down the more populated I-25 corridor! Our congressional district should include only mountain communites, the area is large enough as the first map showed! Of course our CD can contain mountain communities on both sides of the continental divide. Thank you for your consideration.

I feel like District 3 is in a sense gerrymandering in favor of Republicans and some better restructuring can be done and so I'm in favor of the proposed District 49!

Thank you again for your continued efforts on the redistricting maps. I have written previously regarding keeping Routt County together with other communities of interest. In those letters I have pointed to the non-partisan issue of wolf introduction and provided you with data on how individual counties voted and pointed to the fact that Boulder County voted overwhelmingly in favor, while the vast majority of rural Counties, the ones that will feel the impact, voted overwhelmingly in opposition. I believe this vividly highlights how out of touch urban voters can be with the needs and concerns of west slope residents. I am again asking that you not to condemn Routt County to a future where its citizen's voice are drowned in a sea of urban votes. Routt County is a rural County. It is approximately 2,362 acres and has an estimated population of 25,638. That is approximately 10.85 people per square mile. 47% of Routt County acreage is agricultural in nature. By contrast urban Boulder County has an estimated population of 326,196 in 693 square miles, a density 40 times greater at 470.7 per square mile. If Routt County is placed into Congressional, State House or State Senate Districts with the much denser Boulder County, the voice of Routt County residents will be snuffed out. Candidates won't even need to bother coming here as their time, effort, and money will be better spent in Boulder County. I implore you to place Routt County in districts that share Routt County's rural characteristics. Sincerely, Dave Moloney

DO NOT SPLIT BROOMFIELD COUNTY! Broomfield County was established to consolidate the interests of this community and splitting between CD2 and CD7 will destroy the cohesion deliberately created by the City & County of Broomfield.