How many Republicans does it take to hold an Aurora City Council meeting?
None.
City council Republicans and allies on the council made that clear last Monday when they boycotted the regular meeting and nothing happened.
Why the embargo? Because, umm, well, the public doesn’t know why.
What we do know is that ever since the Nov. 4 Election, when four Republicans were turned away by city voters, giving Democrats a 6-4 majority on the dais, the weekly sniping has increased.
And, we know that all 10 city council members and the mayor were present for the executive session of the meeting on Jan. 26.
Mysteriously, when it came time to take the dais and vote to spend or not spend tax dollars and listen to arguments about a controversial rezoning case, poof, they never appeared.
Among those missing, only Councilmember Curtis Gardner talked to the Sentinel. Gardner was a Republican until October 2024. That’s when he publicly left the party, citing Colorado GOP stunts, in particular, when former state GOP Chief Dave Williams posted a flurry of anti-gay hate messages that drove away throngs of party faithful.
Gardner told Sentinel reporter Cassandra Ballard last week that he’d had knee surgery and had planned to miss the regular meeting.
Republican council members Stephanie Hancock, Francoise Bergan and GOP ally Angela Lawson did not respond to messages from the Sentinel asking why they boycotted the meeting en bloc.
They didn’t tell Republican Mayor Mike Coffman, either.
“I was surprised and disappointed that four members, who were participating in meetings prior to the regular meeting, did not show up for the regular meeting,” Coffman said in an email to the Sentinel. “Not one of them mentioned to me that they would not be in the regular meeting.”
If it was a scheme to snarl the night’s meeting, it didn’t work. Democrats on the council have the required quorum needed to meet, and with Coffman showing up as expected, they had someone to run the meeting, too.
It’s unlike in Texas, where a Democratic boycott in the legislature last year temporarily stopped a gerrymandering scheme, making a deafening point.
No, these Aurora conservatives essentially went publicly unnoticed until the Sentinel wrote about it last week.
The new crop of Democrats have without a doubt been flexing their political muscle, just like the Republicans did when they grabbed the reins from Democrats about four years ago.
As to what set off the caucus last week, prompting them to spurn the meeting and not tell anyone, is conjecture for now.
It could have been a court case against the city that was updated by city lawyers in executive session. One case is a possible settlement where an Aurora police officer shot someone during an encounter and the survivor sued the city.
About a year ago, Republicans and the city’s chargé d’affaires told the public that the days of city lawmakers writing checks to people suing the city for alleged wrongdoing by cops or others are over, indicating that the city was going to fight settlements in court until the bitter end.
This new city council may reel in such tough talk, leaning toward settlements, understanding that courtroom bravado can cost taxpayers even more in the end by imposing exorbitant legal costs and a big award for plaintiffs when juries or judges side with them.
The popular bet on the origins of the boycott is quiet talk among progressives wanting to give new direction to the police department, and especially its chief, Todd Chamberlain.
The most recent of seven chiefs over six years, Chamberlain has tried to walk that fine line between rooting for mandated police reform to draw back the public’s trust and keeping the police union and tough-on-crime city lawmakers happy with “get ‘em” stand-ups.
He’s been far from successful in getting away with both coy talk about police not enforcing immigration law, and at the same time demanding local police cooperate with ICE teams.
Chamberlain did not do himself, his cause nor the police department any favors in October 2024 when he mugged for the local and national cameras with Donald Trump. Trump held the rally in Aurora, to amplify his racist anti-immigration manifesto, unveiling “Operation Aurora.”
And, it appears Chamberlain made Aurora city council Democrats go squinty a couple of weeks ago when he took to social media to chide local lawmakers who pushed through a resolution calling out Trump’s lethal and lawless ICE raids for the constitutional anathema that they are.
“Tonight, a resolution was passed by Aurora City Council,” Chamberlain said in a statement on X after the 6-4 Aurora Dems-vs-Republicans city council vote. “I respect the autonomy of the city council. However, I believe it will come at a cost…We have and will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners at the local, state and federal levels to hold those who victimize members of our community accountable for their criminal actions.”
Good of the chief to acknowledge the autonomy of the elected body that runs the city. One would hope, however, that Aurora police are able to keep the peace here without masked ICE goons dragging people away from Home Depot parking lots.
There is little doubt Chamberlain and the new city council will continue to butt heads if the chief thinks that fishing for police cadets at a Trump rally in Aurora, which is what happened then, is in the best interest of the police department and community. Same goes for insisting that APD work with ICE thugs, rather than defend its citizens from their criminal antics.
Such is political life and strife in Aurora, the best and biggest little news town on the planet, no matter who shows up for council meetings.
If this democracy thing in the political minority is just too disconcerting to handle in person, twice a month, remember: must be present to win.
Ask Coffman. A former state legislator, state treasurer, secretary of state and congressman, both in and out of majority power, he showed up last Monday, coughing while either ailing or recovering from some winter malady. But he kept on participating, whether he agreed or disagreed with what was happening at and behind the dais.
If you’re going to be a Republican in Aurora this year, best to be like Mike.
Follow @EditorDavePerry on BlueSky, Threads, Mastodon, Twitter and Facebook or reach him at 303-750-7555 or dperry@SentinelColorado.com
Citizens of Aurora elected these officials to show up, work for solutions, and vote. When people don’t show, they don’t represent the people who elected them. Lawson is my representative. I’m disappointed that she didn’t show, but even more disappointed that she continues to run by not offering an explanation when asked. This action shows contempt for the democratic process. I’ll be looking for a new representative to act on my behalf!
Well Kane, Angela is my CM, also, and she represents my feelings exactly. I’ll offset your vote with a smile on my face. Alas, almost no one cares what you or I think which is probably a good thing. Somewhere in the middle are the answers. Unfortunately, there is no middle for socialists.
Let’s hope that this new Council does not decide to give the Aurora Black Community millions of dollars for the fake problems they have perceived from the past. Fight every case in court. It was always about the money. Don’t let this happen to our community.