AURORA | There are three Aurora City Council district seats up for election this year, wards I, II and III, all with some unique issues — and candidates.

Ward I, encompassing northwest Aurora, includes the city’s oldest and, often, most troubled neighborhoods. While the three candidates for the ward seat being vacated by two-term Councilmember Crystal Murillo disagree on a variety of issues, they all agree that a proposed Downtown Development Authority would make real progress in solving long-term problems.

That proposal — which would create a sort of local government focusing on the East Colfax corridor — will go before a select number of Ward I voters and business owners along with the Nov. 4 city election.

Three candidates are seeking the open council seat, two unaffiliated voters and a Democrat. 

In Ward II, the incumbent, Steve Sundberg, who is running for reelection after his first term, and his opponent, longtime resident Amy Wiles, are the candidates. Ward II encompasses much of northeast and east Aurora.

Ward II is expanding rapidly, with large housing developments, including the Aurora Highlands, growing steadily. Some residents say Ward II lacks infrastructure, and as it develops around warehouses and open land, there is some debate about what kind of housing should make up new and expanding developments in the ward. 

In Ward III, Democratic incumbent Ruben Medina is running for reelection to a second term against Republican Marsha Berzins, a former city council member who previously was term-limited. Ward III encompasses much if the city’s western region.

A variety of issues are linked to the district, including the city’s approach to crime and immigration, particularly in light of the changes being implemented by the Trump Administration.

The Sentinel’s city council ward election report comes from reports of issues that make the city council dais and recent questions posed to candidates. Major issues include public safety, police reform, affordable housing and homelessness.

Aurora is currently under a consent decree imposed by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser in 2021. It was the result of investigations into allegations of the Aurora Police Department’s excessive use of force and discriminatory practices, particularly against people of color. Triggered in part by the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, who died at the hands of police and rescuers after being stopped, unarmed, the decree mandates broad reforms in training, accountability, use-of-force policies, data systems and community engagement.

This year, four people have died so far in police-involved shootings, and three were unarmed. Critics have concerns about whether the city is making changes to the police department quickly enough and whether the city should implement an independent police oversight structure, a long-standing issue that has regularly drawn resistance from police and police allies. 

Homelessness is also a compelling issue for many voters in Aurora, amid the city’s two-year-old camping ban, which was upheld by a Supreme Court decision last year. For about three years, the city has increasingly made the ban more restrictive. Although the city is not required to offer shelter for the homeless people, while ticketing homeless scofflaws, the city is about to open the Aurora Regional Navigation Campus. That center will offer a three-tier “work-first” approach to homelessness. Some shelter services will be available to anyone on a space-available basis. But transitional housing and some other services will be provided only to those who enter addiction programs and agree to work. The idea has been controversial because almost all national, credible studies point to the greatest short-term and long-term success for permanent housing and rehabilitation being linked to some variation of  “Housing First” policies. Candidates were asked whether they would keep the policies as they are or make changes.

Other questions concerned affordable housing and how candidates might utilize policy or their position as a city council member to create more affordable and workforce housing for groups of all income levels. 

Ward I — 3 candidates for 1 seat in northwest Aurora

Reid Hettich

The Rev. Reid Hettich is an unaffiliated, community leader and pastor in Aurora. He brings more than 20 years of service to the area, including community and church work. His focus is on community revitalization, equity and public safety.

In regards to the city’s police-reform consent decree and excessive-force-related issues, Hettich said he believes the police have made progress in the past few years. Hettich is a member of the Community Advisory Council for the Consent Decree, and he in-depth knowledge of the progress the police department has made in relation to it. He said progress has been made, particularly in training and policy development. 

Hettich said he is unsure whether the police department needs additional oversight. He said the current process for investigating officer-involved shootings, which involves judicial districts and outside agencies, is sufficient. Still, he acknowledges that the process can be slow and challenging for families and the community.

“I think we can basically trust that system that is going to be investigated thoroughly, professionally and without a bias to it,” Hettich said. 

Outside of the judicial reviews of police involved shootings, Hettich said the oversight should be continued with a monitor, and that could take on different potential models. He said he would be interested in strengthening the model and ensuring “true” independence and effectiveness.

“I spoke just the other day to (City Manager) Jason Batchelor, and there were some high-level folks going to different cities and investigating different models for the independent monitor, and we’ll have to keep an eye on that to make sure that it has some teeth and that it is truly independent,” Hettich said.

Community engagement and input were another aspect, he said, that is crucial for proper oversight, while technical oversight and legal requirements should also be considered. He said he is hopeful that the community will be able to provide some input for the next monitor, and he thinks it should be essential. Hettich also said that creating community-driven suggestions for changes to police policy or a community-driven oversight would not be as ideal in his opinion because police work is technical. 

He said that state laws, the Constitution, and even court cases determine legality in some instances. He said he agrees that there should be community engagement, but experts should drive police decisions. 

At the end of the day, the consent decree is not going to end all uses of force and officer-involved shootings, he said 

“It’s just not,” he said. “That is the world we live in, that’s going to take place. But hopefully, a consent decree will put the right kind of policies in place, can make sure that officers are adequately trained and that there is some sort of monitoring and a transparent system of evaluating whether you know that training and those policies are hitting the street.”

Aurora’s developing approach to homelessness is something Hettich said he mostly agrees with and thinks could have a lot of success. He said he “thinks it is a piece,” of the puzzle, but there should be continued resources throughout the city, as it is unlikely that a single solution will solve the problem as a whole.

“I’m advocating a ‘people first’ plan, where it’s complicated and people are different and unique, and their situations are different,” he said.

It’s like issuing a ticket to someone who will probably lose it and have to pay a fine, and it will likely not turn their life around, he said. Having additional nonprofits and other organizations can help fill the gaps left and ensure that they are more involved in individualized case management. This could also help ensure that these organizations work together effectively, preventing duplication of services and ensuring that nothing falls through the cracks.

“I am not convinced that we’re going to end homelessness in Aurora,” Hettich said. “That will be a persistent problem that we’ll have to deal with on some level, no matter what, because no one else has figured it out yet, and I think it’s naive to think that somehow we have it figured out.”

Some examples he gave were a person who might have a large amount of stuff they don’t want to haul out to the northeast corner of the city. Someone like that would be less likely to take services because they don’t want to lose their belongings, or haul them there and risk losing them at the Navigation Campus. Hettich also mentioned people who get anxious in groups and might feel very uncomfortable in shelter settings. 

“That’s why I just don’t see that as being a one-stop shop for everybody,” Hettich said. 

When it comes to creating affordable or attainable housing for residents through city council, Hettich said he would want to look into a variety of housing types, but he would not be interested in anything like a moratorium. 

Promoting homeownership by building more condominiums and affordable housing, working with developers to push for affordable options through early communication, and collaborating with reputable developers to include a percentage of affordable options are all tools he said he could utilize. 

“I don’t think builders and developers are our enemies, but they have to play by our rules, and working with them in good faith, being good partners in this process, is the right way of doing that, and I think in the end, it benefits everyone in that process,” Hettich said. 

Community engagement for development that meets local needs, which can prevent conflict later, was also an aspect he said he would want to keep in mind, along with utilizing tools such as land trusts and affordable financing, and adopting successful practices from other regions.  

“One of the things I talk about quite a bit in a bunch of areas is cooperation, listening, talking to everybody involved, seeing if there are solutions we can come up with together, rather than a confrontational lawsuit-driven process to get things done,” Hettich said. 

Stephen Elkins 

Stephen Elkins, who is unaffiliated, said has lived in Aurora and Colorado for more than a decade, working as a city planner for Denver for seven years. 

He said police involved shootings do impact the entire community and that they are always tragedies that require thoughtful conversation. He suggested community conversations and open houses to allow the community to discuss possible changes with the police. 

He said that police should always be pursuing the least-lethal options, and at the same time, officer-involved shootings are complex and not one-sided. In our “chaotic society,” police are trained to have people follow their commands, so when they don’t, consequences happen, Elkins said. 

“I think that’s really important, getting that message out there that you know if you’re not following those commands, then unfortunately, this can happen, and it’s not great, it’s not ideal, but it’s something that I think about, and it’s not something that I dismiss callously as an officer involved shooting,” Elkins said.

Elkins said he supports the work and decisions of Chief Todd Chamberlain and that Aurora needs this stability. 

“He’s brought a lot of stability to the department,” Elkins said about Chamberlain. “People were, are and continue to be frustrated with the department, but as long as we have a revolving door in the department, we can’t make changes. We’re just triaging.”

While he’s been on the campaign train, Elkins said he has continuously heard that people want more police and more safety. 

“We have to engage,” he said 

An independent oversight committee was not something Elkins said he was currently interested in committing to. He said he preferred the idea of full community engagement instead. 

When it comes to the city’s handling of homelessness, Elkins said he favors the “work first” approach over the “housing first” approach. Drawing on personal experiences from working for the City of Denver, he said he processed group-living applications for sober homes and observed numerous complexities in homelessness, which led him to support more structured solutions in his campaign. 

“I like that there are steps that if you show that you’re on a pathway to recovery and you’re engaged, that there is a pathway to eventually become self-sustaining,” Elkins said. 

He said that homelessness can involve many other factors like mental health, substance abuse and/or living paycheck to paycheck and that he thinks the Navigation Campus will benefit people in those situations.

“I think there is no silver bullet for homelessness,” Elkins said. “I think if there was, every municipality in the nation would have shot it a long time ago. But I think I want to see how the Navigation Campus goes forward.”

Periodic updates and community conversations about the progress, as well as any potential impacts, would also be required, he said. 

Living within walking distance of a large encampment near Morris Heights and under the Peoria Street bridge, Elkins said, he has seen the aftermath of where a fire broke out and the damage it caused. He said that people can’t sleep outside because it’s not dignified or healthy, and it’s not a way to live. 

“I see how much money the City of Denver has spent on housing first, and that they can’t continue to spend it,” Elkins said. “I think that has been really crucial, is that the city just doesn’t have those resources, and neither does Aurora.”

Elkins said that he believes addressing affordable housing requires everyone to work together, including the government, residents and developers.

“We need policies that actually will get us there,” Elkind said. “We need to ensure, number one, what is the government going to slow down affordable housing? What processes, expenses, fees, and staff are in the way?”

Ideas and solutions for affordable housing could include creating policies that actually increase the availability of affordable housing, Elkins said. This could include reducing regulatory barriers,  such as reconsidering material standards and extensive landscaping requirements, which can drive up costs. He said he would want to look into what government processes, fees, and regulations might be slowing down development.

Although he said he received some negative responses, he also suggested making the city’s planning department more accessible and efficient, as delays in permitting and meetings can hinder new housing construction.

He said people should live closer to their work, and there should be a variety of housing types from single-family to multifamily and apartments. 

“We need more of everything,” Elkins said. 

Elkins said he is also more supportive of local control over housing policies, such as accessory dwelling units and parking requirements, and is skeptical of state mandates that may not take into account local infrastructure or needs.

“We need to start understanding who the users are of affordable housing, what their needs are, and how do we meet them where they are, rather than just thinking we can figure it out without actually engaging with them,” he said.

Gianina Horton

Democrat Gainina Horton serves as the state’s coordinator for reducing racial and ethnic disparities. She previously served as a co-executive director for the Denver Justice Project and a project manager for the Denver Office of the Independent Monitor. 

Horton received a bachelor’s degree from Colorado College in political science and government. She also served as a member of Aurora’s consent decree Community Advisory Council. 

Horton’s background includes experience in police monitors and solutions for the use of force by police.

Her approach to police use of force and officer-involved shootings, if she were elected, centers on the need for independent, community-based oversight that could be voted in, she said.

“We need independent oversight,” Horton said. “We need oversight that is built into our city budget, that is right here at home, that’s not an outside agency coming in every quarter to give presentations, and that it is folks who live here in Aurora that will understand what we are facing when it comes to our police department.”

An independent oversight agency, established in the city charter and protected from political shifts, should have the ability to objectively review incidents involving the use of force and officer-involved shootings, she said. The agency should be composed of residents, operating transparently, with the authority to investigate, review and provide policy recommendations.

“I think that’s the hard part, a lot for community members to understand about oversight agencies, is that they’re not a conduit for advocacy,” Horton said. “They’re a conduit for accountability and transparency, and it is very much a reform effort when it comes to police and sheriff departments, depending on municipalities, and so I would always advocate for the independence from law enforcement, from the community, as well as from the politics and leadership of city council and city governance.”

She said that Chicago has five different types of oversight agencies, which can get extensive and convoluted.

Ideally, oversight should not be passive, but instead, it should have the power to examine the policies and their implementation within the police department, Horton said. Law enforcement can establish an oversight structure that involves the community and ensures all voices are heard, allowing trust to be rebuilt, she said. 

“The hope that I have is that if there can be enough buy-in from police, from the community, then it could allow us to establish a really strong, independent civilian oversight agency that can have some true impact when it comes to the need for accountability and transparency,” Horton said. 

Transparency in communication is also essential after an incident, but the police should avoid public relations approaches that justify shootings without addressing community concerns, she said. Horton said she did support the police department’s data-driven approach, and that she would want to push for more data-driven analysis and learning from other cities to inform policy changes that could reduce the frequency and harm of officer-involved shootings.

Horton said that community policing is also very important for the community and for officers to feel a connection and trust between each other. Community policing involves officers leaving their vehicles to conduct foot or bike patrols and engage with the community. 

“When officers don’t live in the community, when they’re in cars, when they are not talking to residents, in a more holistic fashion that is outside of suspecting criminal activity, then I believe it facilitates a culture where a police department does not value community,” Horton said, clarifying from her perspective of working in police oversight. 

Horton’s approach to homelessness, if she is elected, is not in favor of criminalizing homelessness. She said she would want to shift the narrative on homelessness to recognize unhoused individuals as people in need of tailored services, not as criminals. She said that these types of policies funnel people into the criminal justice system and do not address root causes.

“There needs to be, fundamentally, a narrative change that individuals experiencing homelessness are not pests to get rid of, but individuals and families who are in need of services,” Horton said.

Horton said she is excited to see what the Navigation Campus can offer, but she is not yet convinced it’s the right solution. She said she is currently opposed to the “work first” approach to homelessness, citing data that consistently shows the “housing first” approach to be more successful and effective when implemented well.

“The ‘work first’ approach is not the most effective approach to addressing homelessness, and that housing, yes, expensive, tends to be the one that, if done well, provides more safety and long-term stability,” Horton said.

She said she would be interested in advocating for policy changes to prevent forcing individuals into unwanted services, and she would want to ensure that the Navigation Campus collects and analyzes data transparently to assess its effectiveness and to adapt policies accordingly. 

The approach to homelessness should be grounded in dignity, choice and evidence-based solutions, she said.

She compared it to offering the carrot or the stick, and said it’s like offering the carrot or the stick, which is jail.

“Individuals cannot be forced to get the resources they may not want,” Horton said. “That binary of a choice, do you want the resources or do you want the stick and go to jail, is not right, it’s not ethical.”

As many in the city continue to struggle with housing affordability, Horton said she is focusing on “housing dignity” for everyone, regardless of income. She said she would also want to focus on low-income residents since many in Ward I are less wealthy than in the other wards.  

Her focus also includes housing for renters, young adults, families, immigrants, refugees, and public servants, as well as stronger renter protections, thoughtful increases in housing density, and equitable development that avoids stark socioeconomic divides between neighborhoods. 

One tactic she said she would want to use is engaging with developers to find creative, mutually beneficial solutions, such as including affordable units and supporting local businesses in new developments. 

“For me, it’s about: where’s that tug and pull?” She said. “What’s the win-win? I won’t know that until I have those conversations with developers around their interests, their vision, and whether there can be a bridge or compromise or creativity.”

Ward II – Two candidates for northeast Aurora

Steve Sundberg

Republican Steve Sundberg is a longtime Aurora resident who owns and operates Legends of Aurora Sports Grill. He is the Ward II incumbent running for his second term. He describes himself as pro-small business, and he has worked on public safety legislation and initiatives aimed at reducing homelessness.

Sundberg did not respond to repeated requests for interviews for this report.

He has said during campaign appearances and in his campaign literature that he will focus on public safety, local business, affordable housing and reducing homelessness, if reelected. 

Sundberg is also a father and husband. He met his wife, who is from Rwanda, while building homes with Habitat for Humanity abroad, according to his campaign website. 

As a city lawmaker, he has sponsored legislation discouraging panhandling and has regularly backed his council votes with rhetoric focusing on a “tough-on-crime” approach, as well as a “tough love” approach, to homelessness. 

Sundberg has supported city legislation linked to the Aurora Mental Health’s Acute Care Campus, and has connected stakeholders to collaborate on the city’s soon-to-be-open Regional Navigation Campus and advocates for affordable housing projects, including being a proponent of a permanent supportive housing, 43-unit Aurora Housing Authority mental health care bed-space facility, according to his informational webpage. He has sponsored legislation addressing Aurora water policy and a focus on long-term water security.

Sundberg has advocated for infrastructure investment in Ward II and has represented Aurora at key regional board meetings, as stated on his webpage. He spearheaded the expansion of the Aurora Police Department’s Homeless Abatement Relocation Team (HART), a police department initiative that requires unhoused individuals to relocate or face ticketing or jail time unless they utilize the city’s resources. 

Sundberg has also faced widely publicized controversies since taking office in 2021, much like his close council ally, Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky. 

In 2022, allegations against Sundberg for sexual harassment and inappropriate comments at city hall surfaced. According to previous Sentinel reporting, investigators confirmed that Sundberg made remarks in the presence of city staff that were deemed sexual in nature.

The Aurora City Council withheld disclosure under Colorado’s public records law relating to sexual harassment investigations.

A Sentinel investigation, however, revealed that Sundberg made inappropriate comments to staff in 2021 because he was in “a nervous and challenging situation in which I blurted out a joke or a story which was about a prank.”

During a December 2021 meeting that included city staff members, attendees had commented on a COVID mask that he was wearing. He said he replied with a “joke or story” about wearing a mask over his genitals.

“I related a prank that was played on a really good friend of mine where I wore a large mask as a loincloth and gave it to my friend,” he said. “As the last word came out of my mouth, I knew it wasn’t fitting. I wasn’t trying to be lewd or offensive.”

Sundberg’s account was said to be consistent with the information included in the Sentinel report, which concluded that the council member “made an inappropriate comment about the size of his mask in relation to his genitals.”

“Upon completing that, I realized it was an inappropriate thing to say,” he said in the previous reporting. “I do genuinely care about other people and how I treat them, so I am meeting with a couple of staff tomorrow to apologize, have a crucial conversation about that and move on with important city business.”

The only action ultimately taken was the apology.

There were other, less substantiated accusations of sexual harassment as well, including Sundberg making a joke about whether he is allowed to file receipts from the strip club and allegedly looking an employee up and down in an inappropriate manner. 

Another scandal came from the earlier days of the COVID-19 pandemic when “racist” videos surfaced from Sundberg’s Facebook, with his joking about different stereotypes of different groups of people. 

After the videos surfaced, Sundberg said the series of videos was intended to drive business to his restaurant, Legends of Aurora Sports Grill, during the pandemic, by performing mocking impressions of various ethnic people.

He later apologized, saying they were not intended to be racist, nor did he consider them racist. He apologized to those who were offended, not for making the videos. 

A massive backlash from regional minority community leaders disagreed, resulting in calls for his resignation from the city council.

The 2022 article focused on Facebook videos of Sundberg performing a variety of stereotypical impressions of various ethnic groups in promotional skits for his business. The scandal that followed at the Sentinel exposed the videos received national media coverage.

In one video, Sundberg wears a turban and robe, exclaiming “haram” after being offered bacon. In another, he dons a Mexican blanket serving as a poncho and mimics a Mexican accent, making racist trope jokes about an employee. Other videos include Sundberg imitating Asian and German accents in skits, which are criticized for perpetuating offensive stereotypes. One video depicts Sundberg and a black Man at a urinal, with Sundberg making racist trope comments about the man’s genitals. 

Community leaders said the videos undermined trust in Aurora, a city known for its diversity, where 21.8% of residents identify as foreign-born, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and more than a quarter of the city, 30.7%, identify as Hispanic or Latino. Around 15.8% of Aurorans are Black, 6.0% are Asian, and 15.6% are two or more races. 

In January 2025, Sundberg contacted the Sentinel, saying he noticed his election website domain had been purchased after he allowed it to expire, and the purchaser had the website page link back to the Sentinel article about Sundberg’s videos. Sundberg accused the Sentinel of taking control of his domain and having it rerouted back to the article.

Sentinel Editor Dave Perry said the Sentinel had nothing to do with the website and informed Sundberg that someone had purchased his domain name and rerouted it themselves. Website records did not make clear who purchased and now controls the website URL.

Amy Wiles

Democrat Amy Wiles is a longtime Aurora resident and is actively involved in community-driven groups. 

She said she is not a politician, but a community member focused on improving Aurora’s neighborhoods. Wiles said she believes in community engagement, volunteering and giving back.

The majority of her campaign has been spent focusing on advocating for the repair of aging infrastructure, improving street conditions, expanding youth opportunities and addressing food insecurity in parts of East Aurora that she says remain “food deserts.”

Professionally, Wiles works in health care and operates a photography business, balancing her career with a growing portfolio of civic involvement. She serves as a City of Aurora Human Relations Commissioner, as chairperson, and is a member of the Community Advisory Council for the Aurora Police Department’s Consent Decree, a role that has significantly shaped her platform on public safety and police-community relations.

Wiles’ approach to policing supports expanding Aurora’s community policing teams to include more officers walking beats, talking with residents, attending more events and connecting with youth.

“All the things that our Community Policing Team does, we would just need to expand it,” Wiles said.

She also wanted to explore the city’s co-responder model to see how it can be expanded, either through partnerships with nonprofits or other groups, or by hiring more mental health support, trained officers, or mental health professionals. She said she would want to advocate for more strategic, “common sense” deployment of police resources, and the police need more support to address mental health issues and substance abuse calls.

“Sometimes just seeing an officer can escalate somebody who is already having mental health challenges,” Wiles said. 

Although she mentioned the challenge of hiring professionals for an independent oversight model with a looming budget deficit in Aurora, Wiles suggested finding volunteers to create an oversight board, and then having the city pay for the volunteers’ training to evaluate police oversight. 

“We could have the community team, who is there to help give feedback, to help provide comments to the police, to help review any shootings or any use of force that they may need to look at,” Wiles said.

Making racial bias training more frequent and creating implicit bias training would also be a preferred addition, Wiles said. 

“The reality is, the de-escalation training that we’re currently using is not effective,” Wiles said. “These trainings need to be refreshed and re-offered on a yearly basis, not just okay, you did it once in the academy, and now you’re done.”

When addressing homelessness, Wiles said she opposes the camping bans and said that in many cases, criminalizing homelessness perpetuates the cycle by making it harder for people to access jobs and services.

“Cities that have implemented camping bans actually have an increase in homelessness,” she said. “You’re potentially setting people up to stay in that cycle of homelessness and incarceration.”

Wiles said she also strongly prefers the “housing first” approach over the “work first” approach to addressing homelessness, because it prioritizes providing stable housing as the foundation for addressing other issues, such as employment, mental health, and substance use. She said that studies show the approach typically saves the city money on jail, detox and Emergency Medical Service costs while reducing homelessness.

​​She also discussed additions to the Navigation Campus, such as specialized, longer-term options, such as tiny-home villages for veterans, which can be built through partnerships between nonprofits and developers.

Her other views on making housing more accessible for residents throughout the city include increasing housing affordability for young professionals, teachers, and local workers who are all priced out of the city by maintaining or incentivizing developers to set aside a percentage of new units as affordable. 

She suggested a diverse mix of housing types, including patio homes, townhouses, and smaller homes, rather than focusing solely on large single-family homes. Wiles said she also wanted to explore workforce housing options through a partnership with the public schools for teachers and public safety employees. 

Infrastructure, besides housing, was a big part of Wiles’ campaign. Ward II lacks adequate roads, traffic lights, retail, public transportation, parks, recreation centers and libraries, she said. She hopes to foster community by developing infrastructure that builds communities, by leveraging the ward’s undeveloped land for thoughtful, balanced growth that addresses both housing and community needs.

“Throwing a bunch of houses in an open lot or an open space isn’t the solution to our problems. It’s not just enough,” Wiles said.  “You have to look at the entire approach, and that means looking at those mixed-income communities, making sure that the roads and the streets are adequate, making sure the traffic lights are adequate, making sure that there is development nearby, so that people can live and shop and have entertainment within a reasonable distance of their home.”

Ward III – Two candidates for west-central Aurora

Ruben Medina

Ruben Medina, a Democrat, is a longtime Aurora resident and a project manager at the Foundation for Sustainable Urban Communities. Medina is the incumbent in Ward III, running for his second term. 

A Community organizer, a wrestling coach, a father of three and a former firefighter/EMT, Medina said he sees his priority as listening keenly to his community, representing them on the dais with his vote. 

Medina spent his last term building the city’s relationship with his diverse constituency. He is community-focused in both his work and his position on the city council. 

Medina said he plans to focus on building a safer Aurora, breaking the stigma surrounding mental health, especially among youth, and ensuring strong support for the elderly community, according to his campaign website. 

As a former firefighter and EMT, he said he understands the stress the officers are under. He thinks officers should be offered rotations for desk work, not as a form of punishment, but to help them manage the regular and sometimes intense trauma and avoid burnout the encounter during their duties. He said that when he was dealing with too many traumatic situations as an EMT, he would begin to look at individuals as numbers, not people. 

He said that this could be one solution to help officers decompress, avoid burnout and maintain empathy for the public. 

Ruben spoke a lot about looking through the lens of an officer, with empathy for what they have to deal with. Officers endure regular moments of trauma, and then they must move on to the next call with composure, he said.

Medina said he would support an independent oversight committee for the police department, and he stated that outside perspectives and community involvement would make a strong foundation for it. 

Regular bi-monthly meetings between the police and the community would foster open dialogue, address concerns, and help build relationships, which would also be a helpful way for the community to gain trust and respect for the police. He said it would have to be ongoing with all levels of officers, not just one-off events. 

Another suggestion Medina thought would be powerful was encouraging officers to engage with the community by “walking the beat” and participating in community events without uniforms or weapons holstered, which would also help garner respect and humanize officers, breaking barriers between the public and the police. 

He said he currently doesn’t see officers engage with the community outside of their uniforms. 

Medina’s approach to every part of his job in city council has been to listen first, find common ground to build trust on both sides, he said, which is often shown in his round table discussion style at his town halls and not always voting strictly on party line, but through what he thinks his constituents would want from him. 

He said that officers should speak regularly at public events instead of having the chief talk on their behalf. 

“When we peel it all back, we’re really just one and the same,” Medina said. “We’re just trying to figure it out.”

Medina’s approach to addressing homelessness focuses on what he calls dignity, individualized solutions and community involvement. He said he disagrees with policies that place unhoused individuals into specific programs or locations, especially when these may disconnect them from their communities or fail to address their unique needs, such as elderly individuals or those with mental health challenges.

The “work first” approach does not address all populations, Medina said, preferring the “housing first” approach. Forcing people into choices they don’t want adds unnecessary stress; instead, people should be asked about their needs and solutions. 

There are programs that build relationships and empower the unhoused to take charge of their own progress, Medina said, referring to groups such as a project called “The Illuminators,” where unhoused individuals lead the process. Solutions that are flexible, respect individual dignity and choice, and are rooted in genuine community engagement and support are the solutions Medina said she prefers to explore. 

When considering affordable housing, Medina said he would focus on a solution-oriented, creative and multifaceted approach that would also involve flexibility, community engagement, and a willingness to try innovative solutions to meet diverse housing needs.

Medina said he would advocate for exploring and expanding alternative housing models such as manufactured homes and container homes, which can be built more quickly and affordably than traditional housing. He also suggested experimenting with these models in specific geographic areas to assess their feasibility and community interest. Co-ops or special districts could be created to allow residents to own both the land and their homes, similar to HOAs, to foster stability and affordability. 

Revisiting past policies that can be improved, like those affecting condos and townhouses, rather than banning them outright due to previous issues, was another suggestion from Medina. 

Medina said there could be a state-level rent control to address rising housing costs, and he said tax breaks or incentives could be implemented to help seniors age in place. A combination of approaches would be most beneficial, as there is no single solution for housing, he said. This can include intergenerational living and partnerships with developers and the city to pilot new ideas.

Marsha Berzins

Marsha Berzins, a Republican, previously served as the Ward III representative from 2009 to 2021. After stepping down from the city council, she ran unsuccessfully for Arapahoe County commissioner. Berzins is a business owner and a mother. She continues to serve on multiple community boards and commissions, according to her website.

She said that, if elected, she plans to act as a “unifier and to serve everyone in Aurora,” according to her website. 

Her campaign website said she plans to focus on public safety, jobs, the economy and community support. 

She said she plans to continue participating in the local community and meet people where they are.

Berzins’ approach to how she might use her city council power to work with the police includes communication and respect between city council and the police department. She said that respectful dialogue is more effective than criticism and that it should be mutual between police, city officials and the community. 

Setting an example of respect as a city council member is one way she said she can plan to set a standard. 

When it comes to oversight or possible policy changes, Berzins said that under the current city charter, the city council has no direct authority over police operations, which are managed by the city manager. For decades, however, council policy has driven the direction and performance of the department. 

Berzins said she would see the most value in collaborating with the police instead of trying to enforce changes, and stated that she would work to build trust between the police and the community by organizing regular meetings for the two groups to come together and engage in discussions. This would also make city council members and officers more accessible, fostering direct communication. 

Community policing was also an idea that Berzin said could help build trust between the community and the police. She said that positive contact, such as implementing bicycle patrols or exploring new ideas like having officers on golf carts, could help reduce use-of-force incidents and build trust. 

“I believe that the more contact, the more positive contact our officers have with the community, the better we are,” Berzins said. 

A non-partisan oversight committee is another idea Berzins said she would be willing to consider again, but she recalled many of the challenges with previous attempts and noted that there would be a need for genuinely non-partisan members. She said that they would also need oversight, but she wasn’t sure yet how that would be implemented. 

She said that the city council doesn’t always have all of the answers, and she would be interested in asking people in the city for their solutions and ideas as well. 

As far as homelessness and Berzins’ approach, she said she is strongly in favor of the developing Navigation Campus and “work first’ approach. Aurora Mental Health and Recovery will be offering resources for the Navigation Campus. As a member of their board, Berzins said she is confident in the three-tiered system the campus will provide, and she believes the resources will be sufficient and beneficial. 

“Nobody wants to be homeless,” Berzins said. “These counselors will help them. They will help them get their papers back, their driver’s license. If they lost or had to run out without their birth certificates or their social security or whatever, they’ll help them with that. It’s a hand up to help them get back on their feet.”

Her only concern was whether the campus would offer resources to people who want to stay on campus but have pets. Joe Rubino, a city public information officer, confirmed that the campus will be offering resources for people with pets. 

Berzins said she disagrees with arresting homeless people, but she said the camping ban is a “first step” in getting people off the streets. As she has been knocking on doors, she said that many people have complained about the trash encampments left behind, and they have told her they want the city council to take action. 

“I don’t like the idea of arresting them, because I don’t think that solves any problems,” Berzins said. “I don’t know exactly why that was put in place. I can only imagine it’s for the shock value of telling people they can’t live on the street. It’s not safe, it’s not humane.”

Although she does not think it will be the “silver bullet” to answer homelessness, Berzins said she is excited to see where the Navigation Campus goes, and she hopes it works like a charm. 

As things progress, she said she will be prepared to adjust and make improvements as needed. 

In her approach to housing affordability, Berzins said there is a clear need for attainable housing for lower-income workers, as well as for a range of income groups, including those working in local hospitals, the military, and other sectors. 

She said she would work to collaborate with builders and developers to understand their needs and find ways to facilitate their projects, rather than imposing a “one size fits all” mandate. One example she mentioned was considering code changes or exemptions when appropriate. 

Overbuilding was a concern, she said she wanted to prevent, which she said she experienced with condos when she previously served on city council. She said there would need to be careful planning as development continues in Aurora. 

Ward III is also almost fully developed and wouldn’t require much new development in her ward. She did say that she would be interested in finding out what is happening with the Argenta development and she would want to follow up there.