AURORA | What looked to be another polarizing political battle on the Aurora City Council, evaporated when the suddenly contentious race for mayor pro tem unexpectedly became a contest of one.
At its Monday meeting, council members selected Councilmember Steve Sundberg for the position for next year.
While the title and job are pretty much passed around among city lawmakers as a nod to holding their seat for a couple of years, the race garnered unusual attention this year as council members Curtis Gardner and Steve Sundberg vied for the nod.
“This is truly an honor, and I hope to live up to the expectations,” Sundberg said.
The job as mayor pro tem primarily only occurs when the mayor is absent from a meeting, and the mayor pro tem is then just that, mayor at the time.
It was the one other duty that drew attention this time was appointing council members to committees.
Two weeks ago, the contest was tied 5-5. Afterward, city council members said the race had become an internal referendum on the behavior of some council members.
Monday’s vote quickly devolved into an argument over voting procedure, as both Sundberg’s and Gardner’s names were offered.
Then, unexpectedly, Gardner withdrew his name for consideration, barely heard over the din of the protocol squabble.
The council voted 7-3 to appoint Sunberg as the new mayor pro tem. Councilmembers Ruben Medina, Crystal Murillo and Alison Coombs opposed the appointment.
Sundberg took it as a victory.
“I just want to continue to be plugged into this great city and be involved, across the board as much as I can,” Sundberg said. “It was gracious of Councilmember Gardner to withdraw. I have a lot of respect for him. He is very knowledgeable, and I might look to him for some advice.”
The swift conclusion was unexpected after tensions rose at the last council meeting on the topic.
Previous efforts to appoint a new mayor pro tem stalled on Dec. 2 after two tie votes exposed deepening political divides.
The vacancy arose after former Mayor Pro Tem Dustin Zvonek resigned on Oct. 31, citing family obligations and a new professional role.
After two rounds of voting on Dec. 2, neither secured enough votes to win the position.
With no clear winner, the decision was tabled, as required by city protocol.
The vote drew criticism from former Republican congressional candidate John Fabbricatore, who attacked Mayor Mike Coffman for supporting Gardner. Labeling Gardner an “anti-Trump” candidate, Fabbricatore accused Coffman of undermining Republican unity, further fueling partisan tensions.
Gardner, a former Republican who left the party earlier this year over party leader’s email slurs targeting LGTBQ+ residents, rejected the politicization of the appointment.
“Trying to turn the selection of the mayor pro tem into a referendum on so-called ‘Operation Aurora’ demonstrates a lack of understanding of how our form of city government works,” Gardner said, referring to Trump-backed deportation efforts.
The political discord is further amplified by Jurinsky, a usually vocal proponent of Operation Aurora and chairperson of the Public Safety Committee. Her frequent high-profile criticisms of city leadership and public safety policies have deepened the council’s divisions.
Some council members said they had hoped a change in the jobs of the dais would remove Jurinsky from using her position on the public safety committee to gain media exposure for her personal, controversial positions.
On Monday, Jursinky clarified her position on the controversial plan to mass deport immigrants in Aurora during council comments at the end of the meeting this week, saying she did not think the city should be using its resources and police force to carry out mass deportations of immigrants not accused of crimes.
Seriously. Who cares????
The job as mayor pro tem primarily only occurs when the mayor is absent from a meeting, and the mayor pro tem is then just that, mayor at the time.
The other duty is
appointing council members to committees.