DENVER A bitter, yearlong fight to redraw Colorados political maps reaches its last round this week.
The week has in store decisive days for efforts to draw new districts for both the state Legislature and U.S. Congress.
On Monday and today, an 11-person panel is meeting to take a final crack at drawing state legislative districts, including another attempt to turn back a Democratic plan to pair Durango and Telluride in the same House district, while attaching Cortez to the Montrose district.
The state Supreme Court had rejected the panels earlier plan, which included the Cortez-Montrose district that caused an outcry in the Four Corners.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court hears arguments over congressional districts. Democrats won the first round of that fight, too, when Denver Chief District Judge Robert Hyatt picked their preferred map for seven new districts over competing plans.
While little stands to change for western Colorado in the congressional debate, Democrats hope they can get Supreme Court approval for their plan to radically redraw Denvers suburban districts. The plan endangers U.S. Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Aurora, who until now had one of the safest Republican districts in the state.
Although state law sets up different processes for drawing state and federal districts, both have ended up before the Supreme Court.
The Legislature is supposed to draw congressional districts, but Democrats and Republicans couldnt agree on a map, so Hyatt, the Denver judge, picked a map after a two-week trial. Republicans appealed after he chose the Democratic map.
State legislative districts are drawn by the 11-person Colorado Reapportionment Commission. The Supreme Court has the final say in that process, too, and earlier this month, it rejected the commissions plan because it splits up too many counties.
The commission began a two-day meeting Monday to fix its maps and resubmit them to the Supreme Court.
What we know from the court ruling is we have to reduce the number of county splits, and thats what well be doing, said Rep. Matt Jones, D-Louisville, a member of the commission.
One Democratic proposal puts all of Montezuma County into the Montrose district, which creates one less county split in the hopes of passing the Supreme Courts test.
Democrats, a few Republican panel members and the unaffiliated chairman voted for the earlier map because it created a high number of competitive seats that either party could win.
I think therell be fewer competitive seats out there as a result of the court ruling, Jones said.
One of the most competitive seats would have been Southwest Colorados House District 59, held by Rep. J. Paul Brown, R-Ignacio.
That plan peeled off conservative Cortez from the Durango district and added Telluride and Ouray, despite the treacherous mountain passes that separate the northern towns from Durango.
Durango lawyer Bill Zimsky filed a brief in opposition to the plan on behalf of Brown and dozens of other area residents.
I dont think they really care about the interests of the people down here. Its just some political scientist trying to draw a map in his office that makes districts more competitive, Zimsky said.
The Supreme Court told the commission to adopt a new map that does a better job of respecting county borders. A vote is scheduled for today (Nov.29).