AURORA | A handful of past city council candidates are among the 18 that have submitted applications to fill the at-large position vacated by now-Mayor Bob LeGare.

Brian Arnold, Martha Lugo, Tom Tobiassen, Tim Huffman and Jeff Wilson all ran for a seat on Aurora City Council in 2017. The other applicants are: Marc Tachibana, Margaret Sobey, Jonathan Scott, Wiroj Bhetraratana, Craig Upston, Johnny Watson, Jane-Frances Echeozo, Erik Joe Stevens, Malissa Murdock, John Quinn, Joseph Wittig, Perry Jowsey III and JulieMarie Shepherd Macklin.

Tobiassen, a former Regional Transportation District board chair, lost to at-large council member Dave Gruber by less than 50 votes after a recount was called in that race in 2017.

Huffman, a former Aurora police officer, also came up short in the at-large race in 2017. He had the endorsement from the local police union in that race. Huffman was also on the receiving end of a last-minute $100,000 donation from oil and gas industry political action committee Vital for Colorado, along with candidates Sally Mounier, Marsha Berzins, David Gruber and Bob Hagedorn.

The money was primarily for television ads, robo calls and live calls.

If Huffman doesn’t get the appointment, he said he’d run for an at-large seat in 2019, Angela Lawson’s seat will be up along with LeGare’s vacated seat. LeGare was appointed to mayor last month after the death of Steve Hogan.

Arnold, who ran for an at-large seat in 2017, said during his campaign affordable housing would be a top priority of his— especially as he’s executive director of Aurora Warms the Night, a non-profit organization that partners with other organizations to connect Aurora’s homeless population with services.

Wilson, a property investor in Aurora, ran for a Ward II seat in 2017. He first came to the city to work at Buckley Air Force Base.

Lugo, a PhD candidate and former probation officer in the 18th Judicial District Probation Department, ran for a Ward III seat in 2017. Marsha Berzins won that seat, after a slate of self-described progressive candidates split the vote. Lugo was the runner up in that race.

In April, she announced on Facebook a kick-off to her 2019 council campaign for an at-large seat.

“We all know that the right will be coming at us with a fury next year, so we must start early!” she wrote on her campaign Facebook page.

City council members will now decide which of the 18 they want to interview for the position. After interviews are complete, council will vote for their top candidate. The winner must obtain a majority votes from the council.