AURORA | Candidates for Aurora City Council largely agree on incentivizing businesses and creating more jobs, but they’re split on issues such as paying for a new police and fire training facility and photo red light red cameras, they said at an Oct. 4 candidate forum.
Councilwoman Sally Mounier, who is running against Eric Busch to keep her Ward I seat, said she originally supported a new police and fire training center but plans on pulling back support for it.
“We have many, many needs in the city of Aurora, and at least one more recreation center is of critical importance,” Mounier said.
Councilwoman Renie Peterson, who is running against Bernard Celestin to keep her seat in Ward II said she only supports funding for a new fire training facility, and prefers to save the rest of the money. Some candidates said the city should look into other ways of funding the facility instead of using money from the General Fund. Matt Cook, an at-large council candidate, said asking taxpayers to pay for bonds is an option that needs to be explored.
PK Kaiser, another candidate for one of two open at-large positions, said money should be spent according to priorities, and the city has several other priorities in addition to a police and fire training facility, such as more libraries and financially assisting flood victims.
Candidates were also split on their support for photo red light cameras. Angela Lawson, an at-large council candidate, said she wouldn’t vote to extend the contract for photo red light cameras. Instead, she said more speed cameras could be implemented. Maya Wheeler, another at-large council candidate said she supports them because they help prevent serious accidents. “To me, safety is the most important thing,” she said.
Support for luring businesses to the city using tax incentives and allowing backyard chickens was widespread among all the candidates.
Reach reporter Sara Castellanos at 720-449-9036 or sara@aurorasentinel.com.
Thank you, Sara for sensible reporting.
I don’t know….am i suppose to print this picture and use it on my dart board? are you looking for a date?
PEOPLE…whatever you do…vote for the candidate that wants less taxes…less regulation…no red light cameras…no bag fees….that means no nannies or dictators….common sense people.
BINGO!
It’s high time we clean house people!
For a city of 325,000 to have only one recreation center and two pools (both of which need updating, I think) is ridiculous and even shameful. Please support candidates who will support building new rec centers. If that means a few more dollars a year in taxes I will gladly pay them to keep Aurora a desirable location for relocating businesses.
“if it means a few more dollars in taxes” we are taxed to death….if you want to pay more…WRITE YOUR OWN DAM CHECK…!! stop running your uneducated mouth to suggest people pay more taxes….do you pay at least 50% in taxes?? NO…of course not….alot of people are…..people like you don’t care about other people….you run your mouth only thinking of your situation and have no idea what’s really going on….SO SHUT YOUR MOUTH…..want to pay more?? speak for yourself stupid….write a seperate check….oh? you can’t do that huh? you just want everyone to suffer by being taxed more so you can feel good inside if they say they will build more parks…..we are where were at in this country because of uneducated white trailor trash like yourself.
I suggest that if you are going to call people uneducated and stupid you should pay attention to the spelling, grammar and punctuation you use when you do so. Otherwise the only one you make a fool of is yourself, which is exactly what you have done.
As for the substance of your comment, the claim that anyone at all is paying 50% or more in taxes is pure nonsense. Neither you nor anyone else pays that. If you are going to claim that you are really paying that much I challenge you to scan your pay stub or your income tax filing and upload that image here to prove it. There’s a little link in the lower left corner of the comment box for uploading images.
A little investment now in making Aurora a place employers want to be in will pay off in the long run in increased employment, which generates more sales tax revenue as more people spend more in Aurora. It will also help to maintain property values, which will also mean more revenue for the city without raising tax rates. This would cost the average Aurora homeowner just a few dollars a week. All that may be too complex and long term for you to be able to understand it, but do try to stretch your mind a little.
ARE YOU OUT FRIGGIN MIND MAGGOT….!! there is millions of people that pay 40-50-60% in taxes all over the country….you live in your self rightous baboon world and don’t investigate any facts….people in NY pay 50-60% in taxes ….look it up you uneducated baboon….yes you are a idiot….the proof? right in your statement that no one pays 50% in taxes or more…..this is what i like about you trailor trash liberals….no intelligence..you just run your turd filled toilet mouths about things you don’t know about…..you figure if it’s not happening to you it must not be happening….so again SHUT THE HELL UP YOU UNEDUCATED BABOON….!!
Typical Koch-Head…. We should focus all our concerns on the top 1%. Guess what? Trickle Down does not work.
Makers and Takers is a false dichotomy. It is about Takers and Givers. You can be both a maker and taker. The GOP is the Party of Takers who would rather live in a society in which they have everything THEY WANT instead of one instead of one where EVERYONE has everything they need.
There is no perfect government, but if we let those who base their actions on greed and fear decide our elections, we will fail.
Please, Pleae, PLEASE keep posting Tom. You illustrate so well what the GOP represents.
Just curious, do any of these people belong to an actual political party? Why do they all keep this a secret? What else do they keep secret? I’m just looking for a little transparency in a politician.
Of course they belong to political parties, but the law requires municipal elections to be nonpartisan, so they can’t advertise their party affiliations.