Summit County Commissioner Dan Gibbs is expected to take the stand today during a redistricting trial to talk about the mountain pine beetle.
Yes, the problem of those insects destroying trees in the high country has become an issue in the battle to redraw congressional lines.
Democrats have said that combating the pine beetle is one issue that pairs Boulder and Larimer, two counties they have put together in a new mountain congressional district.
Today will be the second day of testimony in a two-week redistricting trial underway in Denver District Court before Chief Judge Robert Hyatt.
The trial kicked off at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday with opening arguments. Testimony was often dry and sometimes combative.
Republicans and Democrats sued after the legislature — charged with redrawing congressional boundaries after the U.S. Census — failed to reach an agreement. Douglas County, the city of Aurora and the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association and the Colorado Latino Forum later joined the suit.
Republicans dubbed their map “Minimum Disruption,” as it loosely follows lines established in the 2001 redistricting.
“We are talking about preserving the existing populations and congressional districts to the fullest extent possible,” said GOP attorney Richard Westfall.
That sentiment didn’t sit well some parties.
“The demographics of this state have not remained the status quo,” said Gina Rodriguez, who represents the two Latino groups. She noted that 42 percent of Colorado’s growth in the past decade was among Latinos.
The Democrats’ map takes Larimer County out of the 4th District. Aurora, now divided between Democrat Ed Perlmutter and Republican Mike Coffman’s districts, becomes its own district, and a competitive one at that.
The first witness, Douglas County Commissioner Jill Repella, talked about why the county needs to stay with south metro counties instead of being put in the 4th District with the Eastern Plains.
She pointed out that 90 percent of the county lives in urban areas, including Highlands Ranch.
But Democrat attorney Mark Grueskin used the county’s own words, in memos and on websites, to point out the county’s emphasis on water and agriculture and even oil and gas.
Also testifying Tuesday was Rico Munn, former head of the Colorado Commission on Higher Education, and University of Colorado Regent Michael Carrigan of Denver, who was representing himself.
Lynn Bartels: 303-954-5327 or lbartels@denverpost.com
