AURORA | Aurora’s City Council had firm words for Mayor Mike Coffman on Monday after he introduced and withdrew a controversial economic development bill.
Accusing Coffman of bringing the bill forward to antagonize one of the city’s economic development partners, Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky compared the conflict between the two to “a bad divorce between Mom and Dad.”
“And, quite frankly, Dad is being a dick,” Jurinsky said. “We’re done with this game. … It’s really sad to see how personal this has become for you.”
Tensions between the mayor and other city lawmakers have simmered for months, fueled by another of Coffman’s proposals, unpopular among council members, asking Aurora voters to give the mayor more power. Council members have also complained at meetings about Coffman’s alleged aloofness and unwillingness to work with his colleagues on legislation.
That tension boiled over Monday, as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle took turns bashing the mayor and his proposal to set aside an unspecified amount of money for the creation of a citywide economic development plan. They criticized the idea as “premature” and grilled the mayor over what they described as his refusal to work with others.
“There are things we asked you to do, and asked if we could do, and those were brushed aside,” Councilmember Alison Coombs said. “We want to see collaboration, and we haven’t seen that.”
Coffman said he believed other council members lack courage, and that he was genuinely concerned for Aurora’s economic future. He argued that the city’s government needed a plan so it could steer development and said it was unwise to rely on independent economic development organizations to the extent that Aurora currently is.
“We shouldn’t be so afraid to ask the question of what are we capable of being as a city,” Coffman said. “We have an obligation here to the residents of the city … to have an aspirational vision of what this city can be. And we should never surrender that and outsource that to those who seek to profit from the city.”
Coffman said at a February city council workshop that he believed the city should take on more of a leadership role in economic development. That workshop ended inconclusively, with council members disagreeing over what the city needed to do, if anything, to redirect the work of its economic development partners.
In July, the mayor first introduced his proposal to set aside some amount of money for a plan. Council members suggested at the time that the mayor collaborate with them to flesh out the proposal and that the city take other steps first, like hosting a meeting with local economic development organizations.
Coffman replied by saying he knew his proposal would be voted down because of “outside pressures” exerted by developers who he refused to name. He said he wanted to force the council to vote on the item regardless.
“There will be a vote,” he warned. “You will be held accountable.”
But when the proposal returned for a vote at the end of the group’s Aug. 14 regular meeting, the mayor demurred, saying he had “fruitful discussions” with other council members and wanted to table the item.
On Monday, it was Jurinsky and Councilmember Juan Marcano — who often fall on opposing sides of controversial issues — leading the push to weigh in definitively on Coffman’s proposal.
Jurinsky alleged that the item was the product of a “vendetta” against Aurora Economic Development Council President Wendy Mitchell. The AEDC is a quasi-governmental agency that partners with the city on economic development projects.
Mitchell was present along with a large group of supporters Monday night. After the meeting, she said she, too, believed that Coffman’s proposal wasn’t primarily about ensuring the economic health of the city.
However, she said the council’s 9-1 vote against Coffman’s proposal, with Councilmember Dustin Zvonek casting the only “yes” vote, reflects broad support for the work done by AEDC.
Raymond Gonzales, executive vice president of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, also endorsed the work done by the AEDC during the public comment period that preceded council debate, describing Aurora as “a model that other communities want to replicate.”
“Everyone believes that Aurora is going in a good direction,” Mitchell said. “And I feel very happy that we have bipartisan support from the Aurora City Council on the fact that economic development in Aurora is alive and well.”
Council members reacted negatively to Coffman’s statement that they were acting in response to a “fear factor,” a comment made after Councilmember Steve Sundberg asked Coffman why he had not solicited input from stakeholders or other legislators, telling the mayor that “wisdom and common sense have been trying to chase you down on this issue, but you’ve been moving way too fast.”
Jurinsky told Coffman that council members wanted a say in the city’s economic future, and Coombs said the council’s rejection of Coffman’s idea had nothing to do with fear.
“I’m going to need you to stop accusing the council of being cowards for asking you to do things and standing up to you when you don’t do them,” Coombs told the mayor.
Coffman at one point compared his advocacy for the proposal as “going against a dug-in, entrenched enemy” but said he believed it was ultimately the council’s responsibility to ensure a supply of good jobs for residents, which he said could be accomplished if the city had a plan.
“It’s a vision,” Coffman said. “It’s an aspiration for what the city is capable of doing in terms of attracting targeted businesses and industries that provide jobs that pay a living wage to the city.”
“There will be a vote,” he warned. “You will be held accountable.”
Yes Mayor Coffman, you and Councilman Zvonek, will be held accountable. While on the subject of accountability, did Councilman Zvonek’s dark money friends provide the financial wherewithal to collect an insufficient number of signatures to put your other issue on the ballot?
Coffman has demonstrated he can’t do this job, and he doesn’t want it unless he can have absolute power. I’m not surprised, and Aurora deserves someone about 8 billion times better than this wannabe Trumpie.
Great job Mike!!! Wow. You have managed to do the almost impossible!!
And what is that you may ask?
Well, you have managed to obtain a bipartisan condemnation of your stupid, ignorant proposal for a power grab. Oh, I’m sorry that’s right “officially” the city council members are not partisan or identity themselves as partisans. What total BULLSHIT!
I’m sure it wasn’t your intent to have bipartisan result of your scheme.
The City of Aurora’s retail tax base is in the toilet and the fact that the city recently borrowed $35 million by selling Certificates of Participation to address the road maintenance backlog is clear indication of the city’s steady financial decline. That backlog accumulated while the economy was absolutely stellar nationwide. More houses bring more miles of roadway to maintain, but when everyone leaves town to spend and so few visit, the city’s sales-tax engine sputters 59% less efficient per capita than Denver’s — the city’s #1 competitor on so many vital dimensions including LE hiring.
On this the Mayor is right, but his past reluctance to embrace the city’s biggest economic challenge–instead believing laissez faire is absolute and that its God’s will that few come to Aurora for fun– I’m not buying into Mayor Coffman’s latest pitch. Clearly, Aurora’s the poster child for what happens when laissez faire is applied 100% for 30+ years. You kill a city, yet Coffman remains proud of that legacy.
But I’m not buying into Marcano’s pitch either. When presented with a solid plan and ballot measure to finance and build an entertainment district with a large performing arts venue, both Coffman and Marcano refused to stand up to the Denver Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) and the Ponzi-scheme that’s seen over 91% of the district’s collections in Aurora go elsewhere for about 35 years. We could be voting on plan in November expressing Aurorans wish to be taken out of Denver’s district and to form an Aurora district, but they didn’t even want to give us a vote. You see, the Denver SCFD is fertile ground for partisan fundraising and Aurora’s future is NOT a big topic at Denver’s cocktail-party circuit where Colorado’s oligarchs set the agenda. Not one elected official is willing to stand up to this voter-approved fraud– a fraud that’s reauthorization is still over the horizon.
Sorry folks but Colorado party leadership — both red and blue — deems that the City of Aurora shall remain a s__hole. And I see no one running for Mayor or council challenging that. All the name-calling we see on the council dais is merely a distraction for the shared lack of political courage to get anything significant done.
Mayor Coffman, doing what many said could not be done. He has united the city council.
As for Wendy Mitchell and AEDC, they take their half million each year and do very little for it. The money would be better spent elsewhere.
Ditto Visit Aurora. Its continued focus on business conferences and trade shows when post-COVID, Zoom/WebEx has permanently impaired that market– both in the number of events and their draw. The city clearly needs to re-think how the hotel tax is invested. Mailing the Visit Aurora magazine to residents is pure waste. But its not Visit Aurora’s fault we have so few notable attractions. That’s squarely on a City Council that’s meticulously drove our retail economy into the ground over the last 30 years.
The City of Aurora could learn a lot from the City of Irving, Texas where the hotel tax is split between the convention center and the entertainment district. Irving (pop. 230K) is home to 13 of the Fortune 1,000. Its convention center and the city-owned Toyota Music Factory sit adjacent to DFW airport — somewhat like NE Aurora’s position with DIA. In 2019, the Toyota Music Factory led amphitheater ticket sales worldwide.
Comparing Aurora to Irving, Aurora’s strategy of focusing on business conferences with the Gaylord was a half-pregnant solution. As a result, the City is leaving about $30 to 35 million in taxes per year on the table.
See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi64Rhc7Zic
Publius, you bring up Aurora Economic Development Council and their 1.5 million dollar three year grant from the city. One reason for this cities “economic vision” being so murky and convoluted is because the politically incestuous relationship between our council and the non profit AEDC. How does the city attorney allow 1.5 million be gifted to a non profit and the board of directors is made up of seven Aurora council members giving the grant no questions asked? No one identified themselves as AEDC board members as they are required to do for the other council members to ask legitimate questions of their membership before voting on city ordinances giving grants to AEDC. CM Medina, voting had no idea of who sat on the board of directors, CM Murillo knew very little. Did, CM Marcano, or CM Combs know anything of AEDC boards membership make-up? You talk about fiduciary duties. Is council acting as a fiduciary directors for AEDC or as our elected employees as city councilman? CRS 31-4-404 (2) and (3) and section 24-18-110 gets right to the facts of conflict of interest for elected officials.
What this high priced non profit has to offer the city is questionable. But the political fallout we can clearly see as the city council seems clueless what direction to go.
Why can’t we have civil discourse at city council meetings and when the mayor or council members represent the city? Danielle Jurinski called the mayor a dick? Really? He’s talking about enemies on the council and accusing them of being cowards? In March he asked for more civility. Perhaps the conservative majority is incapable of self-control! Next year we can replace them…
If it was anyone else besides Coffman it might be worth considering a stronger mayor role. But….Coffman is not to be trusted. His history of deception and sidestepping issues disqualifies him from being mayor much less a “strong mayor.”
Mr. Gonzales stated: Everyone believes Aurora is headed in the right direction. “Everyone” includes myself and I am sure as
Night follows day, it certainly NOT going in the right direction.
Dream on,sir,dream on.