Weld County residents made their voices heard at the first of three public hearings regarding the Colorado Supreme Court-ordered redistricting of the county, and most were not pleased.
On Wednesday, Weld County Commissioners Scott James, Lynette Peppler, Jason Maxey and Perry Buck hosted the first public hearing to discuss three new options for the county’s district lines. The commissioners approved these maps as options June 30 when they were presented by the Weld County Redistricting Advisory Committee.
Most residents who spoke at the public hearing advocated for keeping the districts as they are. Adam DeRito, the vice chairman of the American Veterans First Association, described the state-ordered redistricting as an effort from “powerful outside groups” to flip Weld County in the 2026 election.
“They aim to unseat Republican representatives who defend our livelihoods in the oilfield, our farms and our homes,” DeRito said. “I moved to Weld County in 2017 to escape those policies and to find peace, prosperity and freedom. Those who support different ideologies are free to live in those counties that reflect their voice, but their ideas are not welcome here in the county that I love.”
Ann la Plante, an attorney in Greeley, said neither the current maps nor the presented maps are ideal because they all divide Greeley across all three districts, diminishing the city’s ability to use its power to elect a representative that is different from the county’s traditional conservative leaning.
During further discussion with the commissioners, la Plante clarified that Greeley’s power, as she was defining it, referred to its voting power as the county seat and city where most of the county’s population is located.
James confronted la Plante on her definition of power, clarifying if she meant to imply that a smaller town like Johnstown was less powerful than Greeley and if that should be taken into consideration in the redistricting process. Providing a neutral response, la Plante confirmed her stance that Johnstown does have less voter power in the county than Greeley and stuck by her statement that the redistricting process should try to keep Greeley together in a single district.
Former Weld County Council member Fred Lacey called the redistricting process a direct attack from the Supreme Court on the county.
“It’s an insult to every person in this county who believes in local control, local values and local voice. We didn’t ask for anything radical. We just asked for fair representation, representation that reflects who we are and how we live, and the courts decided we needed to be corrected,” Lacey said. “I promise you as long as I will be in this county, I will fight for our autonomy, our charter and our right to determine our own future because we are Weld County and we will not be redistricted into silence.”
In March 2024, a Weld District judge ruled that the county had improperly drawn the county district lines under a recently passed state law meant to prevent gerrymandering. In response, the county filed an appeal in April 2024, which led the Colorado Supreme Court to hear the case in December. Two months later, the Supreme Court upheld the Weld judge’s ruling, requiring the county to redraw the districts ahead of the 2026 election.
The redistricting maps were created by a nine-person committee of Weld County residents who were appointed by the county commissioners. In compliance with the state’s redistricting laws, the committee hosted public meetings to gather feedback from county residents.
The state requires that the redistricting officials make an effort to keep communities of interest and political subdivisions intact, as well as ensuring each district is competitive, with similar population sizes across the districts.
According to Weld County Assistant Attorney Matt Conroy, county officials could decide against all three maps or make their own revisions to the presented maps. However, as a resident in attendance Wednesday noted, doing so could result in another lawsuit on behalf of the League of Women Voters and the Latino Coalition of Weld County, the groups that sued after the initial redistricting process failed to follow state law.
This was the first of three public hearings about redistricting, with the other two taking place 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 16 and 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 23. The hearings will be hosted in the Pawnee Conference Room of the Weld County Administration Building, 1150 O St., Greeley.
Residents who wish to attend the public hearings virtually must register in advance by going to bit.ly/WCRedistricting. Virtual attendees will also have the opportunity to ask questions or provide comments through the link they will receive upon registration.
Residents can also learn more about the redistricting process and its requirements by following that link. From there, residents can submit comments in advance and even propose their own redistricting plans to the county.
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