AURORA | A rule that allows Aurora City Council to reprimand a fellow council member for slacking on the job has some Aurora residents peeved.
The protocol could be used to intimidate council members or block them from fully representing their constituents, some residents say.
The council members who supported the rule said it’s simply a censuring tool to use if someone’s behavior is inappropriate or they’re not being responsible as an elected official.
The rule was part of a package of procedural rules that council members passed Aug. 12 by a vote of 8 to 3, with council members Molly Markert, Sally Mounier and Renie Peterson voting no.
Randee Webb, a Ptarmigan Park resident, said reprimanding a council member should only be up to the council member’s constituents .
“If the council has a problem with a member, that needs to be brought to the attention of the public and then we can decide what to do, whether we put pressure on them or not re-elect them,” she said. “It’s not their place to discipline council members.”
According to the conduct guidelines, “the censuring of a member of council by the city council … could occur where transgression was found to be intentional or reckless. Any potential discipline by the council can be either mitigated or eliminated by consultation with the city attorney’s office.”
With that type of rule on the books, it’s hard for council members to make important policy decisions, Webb said. The rule could also result in more harsh forms of censuring, such as unseating a council member from a policy committee or preventing them from accessing work email, she said.
“It changes the work atmosphere into a threatening feeling, a repressive feeling,” she said. “How does anyone work with that?”
The censuring of a council member would involve passing a council resolution that says a member was wrong. There could be several reasons for censuring a council member, said Mayor Steve Hogan.
For example, a council member could be skipping policy meeting and refusing to attend study session meetings or ward meetings. “You can make the argument that the person isn’t doing their job,” Hogan said. Or, in an extreme case, a council member could be accused of improper conduct or sexual harassment, like the ongoing accusations concerning San Diego Mayor Bob Filner. Hogan said there hasn’t been a time during his nearly three decades on city council where a member has been censured.
“The fact that we’ve never had a situation like that before is an indicator that nobody’s going to go out and take this provision in the rules lightly,” Hogan said.
The three council members who voted against the package of rules said they were burdensome and outdated, and council members should be able to govern themselves however they deem appropriate.
Mounier said she doesn’t approve of censuring.
“A council member is elected, and responsible to the electorate,” she said. “I don’t think any council member has any business censuring or imposing sanctions on a member. I think that’s up to the public to do.”
Reach reporter Sara Castellanos at 720-449-9036 or sara@aurorasentinel.com.
My heavens, do the Aurora City Council members wish to appoint themselves GOD??? Have all but three of our city representatives disowned the theory of democracy? It is not up to fellow council members to decide if a colleague is being “inappropriate” or “not responsible.” It is up to the voters! I think we voters should immediately censure (and then fire) all seven of the members who voted for this absurd rule, since it is so inappropriate and irresponsible! Let’s vote them all out of office, fellow voters, except for Peterson, Markert, and Mounier! We don’t need a dictatorship in Aurora.
How lucky are the Citizens of Aurora to have a Mayor and Council who are tired of the never-ending interruptions. We are a big City and we need to be professional in every way we can. People who worry about censuring are usually the ones who should be censured. Texting. and dozing during a council meeting is not appropriate. Neither is the knitting. Citizens deserve councils undivided attention at all meetings. Remember we VOTE
My oh my, some Council Members want to censure other Council members while Aurora’s Citizens cannot get current Council Members to recuse themselves from voting on obvious conflict of interest issues. Most recently Council Member Cleland voted to extend the red light camera contract even though a large portion of the red light revenue goes to fund Aurora Mental health, an organization that employees Council Member Cleland in a full time position. Should Council Member Cleland be censured for this vote? Should she have recused herself?
In the not to distant past, Council Member Berzins voted to amend a city ordinance on alley improvements that required land lords to pick up the cost of some drainage connections to the alley improvements thus giving land lords an option to participate. Didn’t Council Member Berzins have property in the area? Should Council member Berzins be censured? Should she have recused herself?
And finally best of all; Aurora’s Council Members voted themselves a retirement package, a package Council Members do not have to congtribute one red cent to. But as the City Attorney frequently says it is not a conflict of interest if you do not think it is a conflict of interest. It would seem, at least in this case the City Attorney is correct; Council’s Retirement Package is a self interest not a conflict of interest.
About time, and please do not think the voters pay attention to the bad behavior. We currently have one council member who assaulted a school employee and she got reelected. That same woman, used her position on council to bully a business she had issues with, all under the guise of the majority of her citizens didn’t like the business. Wait there were 3 people who didn’t like it. About time, perhaps all council should go and Charlie should lead the way. Please take the city manger with you.
Who is the leaky leak ?
Have you ever been exposed at a city meeting when a certain council person leaks information? Then she says OOPS!
Ptarmigan Park and Randee Webb are in council member Markerts ward. Markert is one of three members who voted against censure. The Sentinel manages to stumble across a resident against it as well, who just happens to be a Markert constituent?
There’s a rat in the wood pile and it knows how to knit more than winter scarfs. Or, maybe it’s just exceptional at knitting the wool over everyone’s eyes.
Where censure occurs, it’s more than appropriate to ban a council person from making important policy decisions. If as a member of council, you can’t rein yourself in, then your peers who sit beside you should have the right to do it.
It’s what we call accountability. As an elected official, you better remind yourself that the voters expect you to have some. Or, you can keep it up and lose all of your credibility. If, you haven’t already.
Open transparent and accessible Government dies in secrecy and intimidation. The Citizens of Aurora need more information from council members not less; that is called good government. Elected officials are accountable to those who elect them, a Council Member has no moral obligation to keep secrets from the public no matter what their elected colleagues believe is the “right thing.”
I take it that you must have been drinkin’ the Kool-Aid being served at Ms. Markert’s ward meeting last night?
Do not pass go until you’ve read the 7th paragraph in this story again and understand it.
Ashley, sorry I missed, it sounds like you prefer the Kool-Aid that tells others how to behave or how to think; try the liberating Kool-Aid of independent thinking, of freedom, the Kool-Aid of a republic.
No, I just prefer elected city officials who don’t assault citizens.
gee. . .wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that there are five
democrats running for the Aurora City Council? Why were the rules
changed now? What a bunch of petty bullies.
City council is supposed to be bi-partisan. The action taken in this article refers to conduct not, political party affiliations.
Mayor Hogan says you may argue that not going to a policy committee meeting might mean you are not doing your job. But isn’t the policy committee the place that the Aurora Charter article that forbids Council Member to give direction to city staff goes to die, the place fresh ideas are killed, and the place controversial items are placed in limbo?
The Charter calls for a part time Council, does not set ward meetings, nor does the Charter insist that Council Members attend study session with its’ faux votes on policy questions.
The Mayor’s memory may not be as good as it once was; I believe he was around when Mayor Hood was indicted, tried and convicted for his participation in Science Fiction Land.
Is that a threat?
Hey Ashley — we get it. You don’t like Molly Markert. Until you see the
study session and the last 30 minutes of the Aurora City Council
meeting, you are just blowing smoke. Educate yourself so you
don’t sound like just another person with a vendetta against
Molly, and maybe grow up in the process.
Typical political antics. You can’t handle the truth so you stoop to accusations about vendettas and telling a person to grow up. You are grasping at straws here in your attempt to down play my point of view on the topic of discussion. Which I’m entitled to express if you agree with me or not.
Speaking of growing up, what are your thoughts on a council member spending precious ward meeting time complaining about censure? Did you find it appropriate, professional and educated on the part of Ms. Markert to portray co-council as being out to get her?
Aurora is not a small City anymore. Most of Council makes us proud in their attire, speaking and professionalism. Our Mayor does this effortlessly. Then we have the others who just do not cut it in this day and age. I am for Censoring of bad behavior! I don’t put up with it at my job why should the other Council members have to put up with this? It’s been along time coming!!!
because you weren’t elected by the citizens of Aurora.
Ashley you just made my point. You simply cannot contain yourself can you?
You would fit in quite nicely with the Aurora City Council members. . .trying to
put a damper on what is discussed in Ward meetings as well as carrying out
a campaign against an elected official that you obviously don’t care for, but
attend her meetings so you can report on what didn’t suit you.
You still have time to apply for candidacy on the council if you aren’t already
a council member. Go for it!
Alright Molly. Ahem, I mean “Voter”. 🙂
Alright Molly. Ahem, I mean “Voter”. 🙂