The first Saturday in August, a reapportionment hearing was held in Montrose to try to determine how the state's house districts would be reapportioned. One of the proposed maps by the Democrats would have thrown a good portion of Delta County, including the city of Delta, in with Pitkin, part of Garfield and part of Gunnison Counties. The three criteria in determining reapportionment, in order according to the Supreme Court, are equal number of voters in each district, compact size, and last, but not least in our eyes, communities of common interest. For a state as large as Colorado and the differences in population pockets, it had to be a difficult, but to put Delta County in with the likes of Aspen and Glenwood would have been a big blooper. Even though, as the one professor from Colorado College put it, it would have made District 61 a "swing" district, meaning it could swing either way, Delta County's conservative values just don't mesh with those of Aspen and Glenwood Springs. As I pointed out in my testimony, Delta County sits in a U-shaped basin with mountains on the north, east and south, effectively isolating it from Aspen and Glenwood. Up until the new road on the east side of McClure Pass was completed in the 70's or so, travel over the pass was impossible in winter and even in summer it was rather intimidating, given that there was at least four, I think, switchbacks that could give an experienced driver a pain a pill wouldn't reach and a doctor wouldn't dare. Even as experienced driving in the mountains as she was, Mom got spooked on one of the switchbacks to the point she couldn't comfortably travel on real rugged roads again! You would have to know my mom to know how much it had to have scared her because I really don't think there was much of anything she was scared of! As she often told us, "dynamite comes in small packages" and believe me, my sis and I were convinced of it! I think there were quite few others who were, too, cuz not many, including Daddy, crossed her!
But I digress! The pass has provided a barrier, not only physically, but psychologically and economically all these years. People from the east end of the county don't go to Aspen and Glenwood to shop - the pass is used more as a shortcut to get to Denver than anything!
The point of this whole thing is that we won! The reapportionment commission met Monday and decided to leave Delta County basically the same as it had been - the western and northern parts (around Cedaredge) as part of District 54, now renumbered as 56, and the eastern and southern part as part of District 58! So, Ray Scott retains the possibility of being re-elected in District 56, but we will have to find a better representative for District 58. Mr Coram, for all his affability, dances to his own tune regardless of what his constituents want, and didn't hesitate in letting the reapportionment commission know that if he lost Delta County as part of his district, it was "no big deal". Excuse me, Mr. Coram, I do believe we consider ourselves as important as the rest of your constituents!
Anyhow, just wanted to toot my own horn, so to speak, because along with Bruce Hovde and Ann Eddington, I have to feel I was effective in helping the commission make up its collective mind to leave the two districts intact!
The Patriot Granny
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