Public Comments

Please include all of the City of Aurora in a single district; currently the Third Congressional Staff Plan (released September 23, 2021) doesn't include significant pieces of the city in the southeast (see attached, map). Also, please see the attached City of Aurora City Council Resolution R2021-25 in support of municipal integrity. Thank you Bill Keever City of Aurora

Respectfully, commissioners, The current CD3 proposal will be a disaster for a progressive Southern Colorado. Please reconsider CD3 closer to the Tafoya or Schuster maps. The current CD3 area is huge, and north to south cultural and tangible needs differ too greatly, not to mention communities of common cultural interest in SoCo would be broken away. We need Fair representation down here, for those who live and work in SoCo, without a major East-West highway or adequate access to internet communication, to name 2 concerns. Southern Colorado and our communities of common interest would not only be washed out by such a large area, our needs would be effectively ignored. We need representation, not the diluted facsimile of the current maps expanse. Please reconsider closer to Tafoya's version, or the Schuster map.

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.

Please see attached the comments of the Boulder County Commissioners regarding the Second Staff Map for state legislative redistricting. Thank you.

Please see attached comments from the Boulder County Commissioners regarding the Third Staff Map for congressional redistricting. Thank you.

1) The Second Staff Plan for Colorado Congressional Districts is Fair and Balanced and should be selected (and the First Staff Plan was terrible), i.e. the Western Slope should be kept whole and in CD3. 2) For the Legislative Senate District map – All of Delta should be kept whole and placed with Mesa County. It shares the same watershed and most of the Grand Mesa. They are much more unified communities of interest. Place Montrose County with Gunnison County, they have more shared interests then Mesa and Montrose Counties. 3) For the Legislative District map - All of Delta County should be kept whole and placed with Mesa County. It shares the same watershed and most of the Grand Mesa. As described above, splitting Delta County reduces its voice and places undue hardship on the citizens, businesses and governing officials of our county.

Dear Commissioners, As an independent voter, I strongly urge you to keep our Eagle County community whole and not include us in CD2 with Boulder and the I-25 corridor. We do not have anything in common with the I-25 Corridor or Boulder. Colorado is a lot more than the I-25 corridor. This Violates the most fundamental principle of congressional redistricting: that communities of interest have representation in our Congress. Give those areas on the Front Range their Congressional voices, and give a voice to the Western Slope by keeping all of the Western Slope in CD3. I will not repeat everything I've already submitted, however , anyone thinking that the Towns of Eagle and Gypsum have more in common with Boulder needs to get their heads checked. This is illogical, immoral and an extreme disservice to myself and my neighbors and smacks of 'behind the scenes' work by lobbyists rather than preserving the integrity of common interest communities that are compact and intact. The only map released thus far that does that for Eagle County is the preliminary plan released on June 23rd. This map is the only one that seems to me consistent with the congressional constitutional criteria approved by VOTERS. Please, use some common sense and adopt a map that mirrors that plan !!! Best, Tambi Katieb Eagle CO

This is a public Comment for Commissioner Lori Smith Schell Commissioner Schell: We are appealing to you on the eleventh hour of the eve of the Colorado Redistricting Commission final vote because I think it is of real important to Southern Colorado and in turn the entire State of Colorado that you modify you position somewhat. Tonight, 9-27, you brought up our strong campaign of creating a South-Central District, and we have not abandoned that effort, however since the proposal was not selected by the commission, we will have to put our commitment on hold for ten years. Commissioner Schell, that does not mean that we have giving up on a Southern Colorado District at this time, we need to create one tomorrow, 9-28, and the best map being considered for that to happen is the Tafoya 007 headwaters map. Commissioner Schell, your statement tonight indicates that you are opposed to the Tafoya Headwater map because it is not an exclusive Western Slope Congressional District, however there is not one map that is being considered that is an exclusive Western Slope map and in fact most of the maps being considered have a good portion of Southern Colorado included in the 3rd Congressional District, just as they have had for the last forty years. Although in your particular area, Durango and extreme Southwestern Colorado has elected two representatives since 1984, the Southwestern Counties from San Miguel to Hinsdale and from Ouray to the New Mexico border, including your county - La Plata, is in a position of that seems to have lost its strong political influence on the Western Slope to the areas around Garfield and Mesa counties. We could be wrong; however, I have studied Colorado politics since I was eight years old, some 67 years, and in my experience once an area falls out of political favor it takes decades for it to regain its dominance, if it ever does. A good example is Pueblo County who at one time dictated the political climate in all of Colorado including Denver, and I feel that is the direction that Southwestern Colorado is heading, and by voting against the Tafoya 007 Plan just to keep the entire Western Slope together may not be in the best interest for the Southwest Corner of Colorado, and in fact by supporting the plan may allow the Western Slope counties south of Montrose and Gunnison to the Continental Divide an opportunity to maintain and regain some of its the political strength, regardless of the political entity. Commissioner Schell, one of the arguments against the Tafoya map tonight by the Republican Commissioners was that the more affluent counties around Aspen, Vail, and the main belt of the Ski Resorts would be that they have so much money that they would control the district because of their wealth, we disagree! The reason we feel that these counties could force a compromise, however they will not control. Part of the proposed Southern District included Pueblo, Huerfano, and Las Animas Counties and although many people in these counties are below the poverty line, the landowners and other people who want to control have a lot of money, including the Leone’s of Trinidad and if they are in the proposed 3rd Congressional District they will spend the money to maintain control over the ‘more affluent areas’, that is just they way it works. Another area that has the type of wealth that is needed to support a Congressional District is the San Luis Valley and Commissioner Schell that is the alliance that Southwestern Colorado needs to have the political strength to be a leader again within the 3rd Congressional District. Your area aligned with the San Luis Valley can control the direction the political wind within the area proposed in Commissioner Tafoya’s map. Frankly, we should not care about districts 2, 4, 8 or any other district, they will be fine, and they will survive. The question is will Southern Colorado survive politically? Not if the same basic format is followed and that is the entire western slope annexing the San Luis Valley and what we previous described as South-Central Colorado is retained, or mostly retained. Those maps do not help any part of Southern Colorado including the seven counties in the extreme Southwestern portion of the State. Yes Commissioner Schell, we would love to have a map for an exclusive South-Central Colorado, however our proposals did not pass the commissions scrutiny and with that in mind we will not give up, however for the 2022 Congressional District we need to at least be able to be represented again (after forty years as political slaves because oof the gerrymandering maneuver in 1982) and the best way to accomplish this is to vote for the Tafoya 007 headwater map. Commissioner Schell, we checked your background, and we find that you are a very educated, extremely intelligent, and an exceptionally capable executive and we trust that you will look at the facts and in doing so you will understand what concerns South-Central Colorado has and so does the Durango - Southwestern Colorado corner of the State also is concerned with, and we basically have the same issues. As commissioner Wilkes put it during tonight’s session , “common interest will always stay within the area, however we are concerned with the mapping and representation”, so with that in mind we ask you to reconsider your position and vote for the Tafoya 007 headwaters map. We are at the deadline! Thanks for your time and Sincerely Thomas McKenna On behalf of all the citizens of Southern Colorado

This is a public comment for Commissioner Kelly: Commissioner Kelly: I realize your comments about helping all of Colorado by not voting for the Tafoya 007 Headwaters Amendment, however we question if that is really going to help the entire state or just satisfy a political justification to help the GOP? I am asking you to be honest and do some soul-searching because I think your real motivation lies within the best interest of the San Luis Valley and then the best interest of Colorado. The reason the commission was set up to have at least two commissioners from Southern Colorado and those commissioners are Commissioner Lori Smith Schell from Durango and you from Alamosa, and although you and commissioner Schell have an obligation for the whole of Colorado, each of you have a more compelling commitment to the area that each of you represent and your case the San Luis Valley. If the Tafoya 007 map is approved as the Colorado Congressional plan, then your area will actually be in the ‘catbird’ seat of the 3rd Congressional District because whatever political strength is sought after within the district, those wishing to control that strength must secure the blessings of the leadership of the San Luis Valley before they can prevail within the district, this includes Pueblo County, Mesa County, and Eagle, Pitkin, Clear Creek, and Summit Counties, because not one of those counties can muster enough support from any other section of the Congressional District, only the San Luis Valley can provide the crucial support to put one party over the top. That is power and if you support the Tafoya 007 plan, the San Luis Valley will control that power. Just remember that the 3rd Congressional District was represented by one other person than a Republican since 1984 was John Salazar of Alamosa (Ben Campbell started out as a Democrat Republican, but after the first election became Republican) . Why did a committed Democrat win against the Western Slope GOP? It was not just the fact that he was a strong candidate, the real reason is that he had the political strength of the San Luis Valley behind him. Congressman Salazar that was able to prevail, and he won the election in 2006 and was reelected in 2008, the other sixteen Congressional elections for the 3rd Congressional seat since 1984 were won by Republicans who were supported by the stronghold Republican Western slope counties who would still be in control if a different Congressional map is drawn. Please note: (Ben Campbell, who won in 1986, started out as a Democrat, but after the first election became Republican) Please understand I am not trying to get you to support a democrat, on the contrary this is still to be an unbiased commission, the purpose of the above paragraph is to demonstrate the power that you will allow the San Luis Valley to control and you being from the San Luis Valley you will look out for the valleys interest before your political parties concerns. As far as the San Luis Valley is concerned, It doesn’t matter that Mr. Salazar was a Democrat the point is that by selection the Tafoya 007 MAP whomever can either field a strong candidate or support a strong candidate needs the San Luis Valley in order to win the election, and by following the lead of Commissioners Leone and Moore, you risk taking that power away from your home area, the San Luis Valley, please do not let them sway you for their political gain, be your own person. Stand up for your San Luis Valley and not a political system. As I heard the discussion tonight, 9-27-2021, it was obvious that these two commissioners were making a political grandstand and it is obvious that neither one cares for the best interest for Colorado, just for their and your political party – the GOP. Commissioner Kelly, based on tonight’s discussion and the conversation you were having it was apparent that you seemed to follow along with their path to be against the Tafoya map to satisfy their GOP commitments. Please review what is more important to you, to the San Luis Valley, to Southern Colorado, and to the State of Colorado itself. If you think on these terms, and not on a political basis you will realize that by supporting the Tafoya 007 map that you can help not only Colorado, not only allow all the citizens of Southern Colorado to be represented in Congress after forty years of being in political exile, but your decision, your own decision, could either benefit the San Luis Valley for decades to come or be a detriment to largest alpine valley on earth for many decades as well, the question of whether or not that we in Southern Colorado will be represented in Congress for the next ten years is in your hands! I hated to address a letter to one commissioner, but what I said needed to be said Thank you for your time. Thomas McKenna – Pueblo

I agree 100% with the opinion expressed below from the Colorado Sun. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Water is the 3rd District’s ‘community of interest.’ Only one redistricting map gets it -- Redistricting Commissioner Simon TAFOYA'S proposed 3rd Congressional District boundary deserves strong consideration" -- By Mark Craddock -- ColoradoSun.com --- 1:30 AM MDT on Sep 26, 2021. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ On Aug. 17, 1962, President John F. Kennedy spoke to a capacity crowd at Pueblo’s Dutch Clark Stadium. “I don’t think there is any more valuable lesson for a President or Member of the House and Senate than to fly as we have flown today over some of the bleakest land in the United States and then to come to a river and see what grows next to it, and come to this city and come to this town and come to this platform and know how vitally important water is.” Kennedy had traveled to Pueblo to announce the **Fryingpan-Arkansas project, an enormous trans-mountain project to divert Western Slope water to the Arkansas River basin. In all, it required six storage dams, 17 diversion dams and structures, hundreds of miles of combined canals, conduits, tunnels and transmission lines, and two power plants, switchyards and substations. The project took 10 years for authorization, spark-plugged throughout by Colorado’s powerful 4th District Congressman Wayne Aspenall, a Palisade Democrat, and another 20 years to construct. “This is a national responsibility,” Kennedy said in 1962. “When Theodore Roosevelt became President after being Vice President, the leader of his state said, ‘my God, they have put that cowboy in the White House.’ Well, because he had been a cowboy in North Dakota, and had spent some of the most significant years of his life there, he became committed to the development of the resources of the West, and every citizen who lives in the West owes Theodore Roosevelt, that cowboy, a debt of obligation.” These words uttered by one of this country’s most-iconic leaders, delivered in a football stadium in the heart of Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, are as prescient now as they were nearly 60 years ago. Consider the **Colorado River Compact, a 1922 agreement among seven U.S. states within the Colorado River basin governing the allocation of the water rights among the parties to the compact. It serves to this day as a foundational document in water law. Or the **Colorado-Big Thompson Project, the largest trans mountain diversion project in the state, which annually delivers some 213,000 acre-feet of water from the headwaters of the Colorado River to the South Platte River Basin. Then there’s **Dillon Reservoir and the **Harold Roberts Tunnel, which delivers Colorado River headwaters to the North Fork of the Platte River to serve a thirsty Denver metro area. The list goes on. The point is, past projects to divert & share water have been expensive, generational endeavors involving participation and coordination, arm-twisting & teeth gnashing, among all manner of federal, state & local officials. And the fights over Colorado’s headwaters will only gain in importance over the coming decades, as global climate change influences our weather & thirsty citizens clamor for a piece of a dwindling pie. In pondering the boundaries of a 3rd Congressional District that must by nature encompass nearly half of Colorado’s land area; water policy is the one, clear, universal “community of interest” that has historically impacted the entire area, continues to do so today, and will continue to do so well into the future. In this context, I urge the Commission to give its utmost consideration to Commissioner Simon Tafoya’s redistricting plan, illustrated in the “P.005.Tafoya” map submitted Sept. 13, 2021. TAFOYA'S plan is the only one among the 120-or-so I have reviewed and continually reported on that puts this vital community of interest front and center in constructing the boundaries of the 3rd District. It seems like the kind of plan that would have brought the rousing support of a young president from Massachusetts, a powerful Congressman from Palisade, and “that cowboy from South Dakota.” It is a nod to our region’s past and a powerful recognition of our inevitable future.