AURORA | Newly elected and progressive city council members were sworn in on Monday night, and fellow Democrat Councilmember Alison Coombs already pushed through a few immediate changes.
The four new Democratic members of city council, Rob Andrews and Alli Jackson, at-large, Gianina Horton, Ward I, and Amy Wiles, Ward II, along with Democratic incumbent Ruben Medina, Ward III, were all sworn in Monday for their first night.
The election has flipped control of the city council from Republicans and conservatives to progressive Democrats.
With a newly progressive majority after the election, Coombs proposed changes to meetings to “undo harm caused by the previous council,” a conservative council majority that reduced public speaking time at listening sessions and created rules that Coombs said were directed at her.
“The reason that I did this today and not through the Rules Committee is that this is specific damage that was done by the previous council without a procedure, and it is undoing that damage,” she said. “Damage where the rules were used to bully and attack.”
Aurora City Councilmember Gianina Horton is sworn into office Dec. 1, 2025 by Aurora Chief Judge Shawn Day. SENTINEL SCREEN GRAB 
Aurora City Councilmember Amy Wiles is sworn into office Dec. 1, 2025 by Aurora Chief Judge Shawn Day. SENTINEL SCREEN GRAB 
Aurora City Councilmember Ruben Medina is sworn into office Dec. 1, 2025 by Aurora Chief Judge Shawn Day. SENTINEL SCREEN GRAB 
Aurora City Councilmember Alli Jackson is sworn into office Dec. 1, 2025 by Aurora Chief Judge Shawn Day. SENTINEL SCREEN GRAB 
Aurora City Councilmember Rob Andrews is sworn into office Dec. 1, 2025 by Aurora Chief Judge Shawn Day. SENTINEL SCREEN GRAB
She said the same is true for what the city refers to as “Public Invited to be Heard,” a public listening opportunity for the public to speak about topics not on the agenda. Coombs said that the rule changes to the public listening session were being “used to bully and attack, and that needs to be undone immediately.”
The proposed changes included seating arrangements, which she clarified were due to the council majority restricting her from bringing her child onto the dais after she brought them to her second swearing-in.
City Manager Jason Batchelor and City Attorney Pete Schulte cautioned that removing the restriction could create ambiguity, and Councilmember Françoise Bergan said she had concerns that the amendment would allow anyone to come up on the dais.
After discussion on how to best word the language, Schulte suggested language that said city councilmembers’ family members would be allowed on the dais, if necessary.
Coombs also proposed minor changes, such as putting the land acknowledgement invocation at the beginning of the meeting, “before formal business,” and adding more time to public listening sessions.
“I expect that we will have a rules committee where we will dig deeper and make additional changes to the rules, but those felt urgent to me to do immediately,” Coomb said.
Coombs is also the only city council member who submitted an intent to run for Mayor Pro Tem, which was approved unanimously by city council Monday.
The mayor pro tem designation is significant because the city lawmaker chooses which city council members serve on city council policy committees.
The changes to Public Invited to be Heard include reinstating the session as part of the city council meeting. It was changed during the summer by the majority of city council members, as part of one of many attempts to control disruptions during meetings wrought by protestors. The protests have, for more than a year, been created by family, friends and activists linked to the 2024 police shooting of Kilyn Lewis during his arrest in Aurora.
Monday night’s city council meeting audience was filled with Aurora residents vocally excited about the change in the majority power of the lawmakers.
Making the Public Invited to be Heard part of the meeting requires treating it like any other agenda item, which also requires city council members to be present and on the dais to listen to the public.
Under the resolution Coombs proposed, the Public Invited to be Heard listening session was extended to an hour or more before the meeting, with an additional hour or more after the meeting. It will also allow speakers to talk for three minutes instead of two.
Members of the public who want to speak are now allowed to sign up online before 1 p.m. on the day of the city council meeting, or in person with the city clerk after 5 p.m. and no later than 5:45 p.m.
“Those who sign up after 5:45 p.m. will be heard in the order they sign up, regardless of proof of residency,” the proposed changes said. “For the first Public Invited to be Heard portion of the agenda, sign-ups will be accepted until the time the last speaker finishes speaking. For the last Public Invited to be Heard portion of the agenda, sign-ups will be accepted until the item immediately preceding Public Invited to be Heard is finished.”
The resolution also proposed eliminating the 30-minute limit for public comment for agenda items.
Another clause in the resolution said that if the “Public Invited to be Heard, or any other part of the regular city council meeting becomes disrupted to the extent that it jeopardizes the ability to conduct city business and council decides to move the council meeting to a virtual format, the city manager is directed to order the Aurora Municipal Center closed to the public.”
The resolution proposed changing the mayor’s appointment power over city lawmakers to regional boards, commissions, and organizations, requiring ratification by a majority of city council during study sessions. Coombs agreed to remove that language because the city council already does so during study sessions. She said it was mainly added as administrative cleanup.
With a few friendly amendments, city council approved the resolution unanimously.
Please proceed with caution. Be mindful of unintended consequences. Often times, things are the way they are for good reasons.
Now that wasn’t too hard to open meetings to public comment, was it. It was shameful that meetings became so denigrating to Aurora citizens. Coombs is right to pay immediate attention to opening up meetings to the public. Jurinski and her comrads were used to issuing edicts and then running to hide from the public. That is not the way city governments are supposed to work. Most city council members want to work on behalf of citizens, so I’m glad that some semblance of normalcy seems to be creeping back into the process. It is incumbent upon this new group to continue a more contemplative process toward public involvement to improve the city. It won’t be easy, especially with the funding holes left by Jurinski’s selfish dedication to eliminating, but not replacing, a primary funding source!
Lets stick to the facts, Mikey. The nuisance tax Jurinsky sought to kill was never a “primary funding source” for the city.
Sales Tax makes up 57% of the city’s revenue.
Property Tax makes up 11%.
Auto use tax: 7%
Other use taxes: 7%
Other sources: 10%
Also, can we please stop with the hateful comments. Forty-nine percent of us are Unaffiliated which means we place family and country well ahead of any political party.
Frankly, offending us with hateful comments targeting either side of our extended family … seems like your lining up in a circular firing squad.
Well, well,well, Combs barely waited for the ink to dry. I hope she enjoys the crowded meetings, the councils children running around and whatever mayhem she has up her sleeves.
Crowded council meetings are actually a sign that people care about what’s happening in their city. Community engagement is healthy for democracy, and it’s great when families bring their children; that’s how the next generation learns what civic participation looks like. I’d much rather see residents showing up and being involved than empty seats.
Reserving more time to listen to people complaining might feel good but it does NOTHING to resolve the city’s most complex problems.
There’s $40 to 50 million per year in additional tax revenue just sitting on the table awaiting the execution of a serious strategy to revitalize Aurora’s retail, dining and entertainment.
Given that sales tax pretty much fuels everything the City does and in light of the tremendous opportunity to improve entertainment in Aurora, I would expect a solution-oriented Council to give this a very high priority.
Know this: The City can’t fund its way out of a wet paper bag without deferring maintenance, closing facilities and letting the roads crumble.
I can think of many constructive uses for that additional revenue beginning with safety and crime then to roads and infrastructure.
Let me also add that we’re protected by one of the most poorly funded Fire Departments in the state because our retail and dining economy is so weak.
Remember this the next time the wind blows on a scorching hot day.
Oh great I can’t wait for Aurora to become the new San Francisco
I for one miss seeing scouts get their government badge and being able to speak on issues that matter to them, the demonstrations of what Global Fest does, Kids watching their parents being sworn in, if your not aware council now has quite a few mothers and grandparents , parents in general elected so if they need to tend to care for their children from the Dias on emergency situations what’s the big deal. Watch this council is going to show they care about community over profit and watch as Aurora becomes the place to come live.