DENVER Arguing that Durango has more in common with Telluride than Cortez, Democrats moved to draw new boundaries for the areas state House districts Monday.
But Republicans blocked them, at least for now, and adopted a plan that is closer to the current map that has Durango and Cortez in the same district.
The 11-person commission that is drawing the districts is evenly balanced with five Democrats, five Republicans and an unaffiliated chairman. The Legislature gets new districts every 10 years after the Census.
Chairman Mario Carrera sided with the Republicans on Monday, but he made clear that the maps could change after the commission holds public hearings around the state in August.
As far as Im concerned, this is a preliminary step, Carrera said.
The final outcome will have a big effect on freshman Rep. J. Paul Brown, R-Ignacio.
Data from past elections offers a clue to how Democrats and Republicans will do in the new districts.
For example, in last years U.S. Senate race, Republican Ken Buck carried the GOP version of Browns House District 59 by 3 percentage points. In the Democratic version of the district, which trades Cortez for Telluride, Democrat Michael Bennet would have won by five points.
Rep. Matt Jones, D-Louisville, drew the Democratic map. He said it concentrates ski towns and hot springs resorts into one tourism-centered district.
Its a San Juan Mountain district. Those resort communities talk the same talk and have the same point of view, Jones said.
His map would add conservative Cortez to House District 58, which is already a safe Republican seat for the incumbent, Don Coram of Montrose.
Brown doesnt like the idea.
It doesnt make much sense. Its a lot closer for me to have Montezuma County, and its closer for Don to have Telluride, Brown said in a telephone interview.
Republicans argued that Jones plan puts Ouray and Telluride on the other side of Red Mountain Pass from the rest of the district.
One good snowstorm effectively separates an elected representative from a portion of his or her constituents, said Rob Witwer, who serves on the commission.
Witwer and Jones both said they wanted to hear from the two Ute tribes about whether they would like to be in the same district. Currently, the Ute Mountain Ute reservation is in Corams district 58, while the Southern Utes are in Browns District 59.
The GOP plan puts both reservations in Browns district.
There was no controversy over Western Slope Senate districts, which the commission approved unanimously.
Senate District 6 would not change a bit. Sen. Ellen Roberts, R-Durango, currently holds the eight-county district, which stretches from Archuleta County to Montrose County.
Despite the districts favorable numbers for the GOP, Roberts is the first Republican to hold it in more than 10 years.
Reach Joe Hanel at joeh@cortezjournal.com.