On Election Night, as the final numbers came in, one thing was clear: Aurora chose a new direction.
Voters did not just elect me as an at-large council member. You elected a full slate of candidates committed to collaboration and community: Alli Jackson for At-Large, Ruben Medina in Ward 3, Amy Wiles in Ward 2, and Gianina Horton in Ward 1. Together, we represent different lived experiences, backgrounds, and neighborhoods. But we share one core belief: Aurora works best when we work together.
This victory was not inevitable. We were running against powerful incumbents and a status quo backed by more than $1 million in resources. Our slate had a fraction of that – roughly $150,000 across the board. By every traditional metric, we were supposed to be outspent, outgunned, and outmatched.
But Aurora proved that money is not the only measure that matters.
We won because we were a team. Alli, Ruben, Amy, Gianina, and I made the decision early on that we would not run as isolated campaigns. We combined forces, shared resources, and backed each other up at every turn. We knocked doors for each other, made calls for each other, and showed voters a united front around shared values. More importantly, our team was never just the five of us.
Our team was the retiree who knocked doors on a windy Saturday because she believes her grandkids deserve a brighter future. It was the high school student who showed up to the phone bank after practice. It was the small-dollar donors who chipped in $5 or $10 at a time, often with notes that said, “I wish I could do more.” It was parents who brought their kids to canvasses so they could see grassroots democracy in action.
This was a people-powered campaign. And now, it must become a people-powered city government.
As we move from campaigning to governing, my hope is that our approach does not just stay within our slate or our supporters. Aurora is a big, diverse, complicated city. We will not thrive if we stay in our political corners and shout across the divide. We have to build bridges – intentionally, consistently, and with humility.
So here is my commitment: I want to work with you.
You may not have voted for me. You may not agree with me on every issue. That is OK. We do not need unanimity to make progress. What we need is a shared willingness to sit at the same table, listen to each other, and remember that at the end of the day, we are neighbors long before we are partisans.
The problems Aurora face do not check party registration before they show up at your door. Rising rents and home prices do not ask if you lean left or right. The cost of groceries, health care, child care, and transportation impacts all of us. When someone is priced out of their apartment or cannot afford to stay in the community they grew up in, that is not a partisan failure – it is a collective one.
Affordability is the challenge that will define this new era for Aurora. Too many families are one emergency away from losing their home. Too many young people who grew up here cannot see a realistic path to owning or even staying in Aurora. The American Dream – the idea that if you work hard, you should be able to live with dignity and build a stable future – is slipping further out of reach for too many of our neighbors.
Our focus must be on making Aurora a place where regular people can afford to live, work, and thrive. That means pushing for more attainable and affordable housing options, working with community partners to support tenants and responsible landlords alike, and making sure growth does not just benefit the few at the top.
It also means looking at affordability more broadly – from utility bills and transportation to access to good jobs and small business opportunities. When we talk about economic development, we cannot just talk about big projects and glossy press releases. We have to talk about whether everyday Aurorans can pay their bills, support their families, and see a future for themselves here.
None of this will be easy. The challenges are complex and the pressures on working families are real. But I believe that Aurora has everything it needs to rise to this moment: a resilient community, a diverse talent pool, and now, a council majority that has pledged to put collaboration over conflict.
To everyone who volunteered, donated, hosted a house party, shared a social media post, or simply had a conversation with a neighbor about this election — thank you. Your efforts did not just help elect a slate of candidates. You helped open the door to a different kind of politics in Aurora.
To everyone in Aurora, whether you were deeply engaged in this election or barely paying attention, whether you are celebrating these results or skeptical of them, I want you to know this: You are part of what comes next. This new era will not be defined by one candidate, one slate, or one election. It will be defined by how we show up for one another in the months and years ahead.
Aurora is at its best when we remember that our strength lies in our diversity, our willingness to listen, and our refusal to give up on each other. That is the spirit that carried this campaign, and it is the spirit I intend to bring with me into City Hall.
The campaign is over. The work is just beginning. Let’s build this future together.
Councilmember Rob Andrews has lived in Aurora for more than a decade. He is a nonprofit group leader and served on multiple boards and commissions in Aurora and across Colorado.
“Collaboration over conflict.” “A different kind of politics in Aurora.” Words are easy. Let’s see what “working together” means to you. Does it really mean the five of you and Coombs working together to ram socialist policy down residents’ throats? Let’s see how magnanimous the assignment of committees by Mayor Pro Tem Coombs is first.