Councilperson Crystal Murrillo is sworn in for her second term on the Aurora City Council Dec. 6, 2021 at the Aurora Municipal Center. Photo by PHILIP B. POSTON/Sentinel Colorado 
Councilperson Steve Sundberg is sworn in to sit on the Aurora City Council Dec. 6, 2021 at the Aurora Municipal Center. Photo by PHILIP B. POSTON/Sentinel Colorado 
Councilperson Ruben Medina is sworn in to sit on the Aurora City Council Dec. 6, 2021 at the Aurora Municipal Center. Photo by PHILIP B. POSTON/Sentinel Colorado 
Danielle Jurinsky is sworn in to sit on the Aurora City Council Dec. 6, 2021 at the Aurora Municipal Center. Photo by PHILIP B. POSTON/Sentinel Colorado 
Dustin Zvonek is sworn in to sit on the Aurora City Council Dec. 6, 2021 at the Aurora Municipal Center. Photo by PHILIP B. POSTON/Sentinel Colorado 
Councilmembers Dustin Zvonek, left, and Ruben Medina take their seats on the dais for the first time, after being sworn in Dec. 6, 2021 at the Aurora Municipal Center. Photo by PHILIP B. POSTON/Sentinel Colorado 
Council members Danielle Jurinsky and Steve Sundberg take their seats on the dais for the first time, after being sworn in Dec. 6, 2021 at the Aurora Municipal Center. Photo by PHILIP B. POSTON/Sentinel Colorado 
Council members Crystal Murillo and Curtis Gardner wait to begin an in-person council meeting, Dec. 6, 2021 at the Aurora Municipal Center. Photo by PHILIP B. POSTON/Sentinel Colorado 
Council members Dustin Zvonek, left, and Ruben Medina, left center, join Juan Marcano and Alison Coombs on the dais during an in-person council meeting Dec. 6, 2021 at the Aurora Municipal Center. Photo by PHILIP B. POSTON/Sentinel Colorado 
Danielle Jurinsky is seated on the dais for the first time after being sworn to the Aurora City Council Dec. 6, 2021 at the Aurora Municipal Center. Photo by PHILIP B. POSTON/Sentinel Colorado 
Marsha Berzins receives a plaque from Mayor Mike Coffman honoring her tenure on the Aurora City Council on her last day as a Councilperson Dec. 6, 2021 at the Aurora Municipal Center. Photo by PHILIP B. POSTON/Sentinel Colorado 
Dave Gruber poses for photos with Mayor Mike Coffman on his last day as a Councilperson Dec. 6, 2021 at the Aurora Municipal Center. Photo by PHILIP B. POSTON/Sentinel Colorado 
Allison Hiltz stands for photos with Mayor Mike Coffman honoring her tenure on the Aurora City Council on her last day as a Councilperson Dec. 6, 2021 at the Aurora Municipal Center. Photo by PHILIP B. POSTON/Sentinel Colorado 
Nicole Johnston stands for photos with Mayor Mike Coffman honoring her tenure on the Aurora City Council on her last day as a Councilperson Dec. 6, 2021 at the Aurora Municipal Center. Photo by PHILIP B. POSTON/Sentinel Colorado
AURORA | In the second in-person meeting in 20 months and before a crowd of friends and family — about half of which was abiding by a mask mandate — five new Aurora City Council members were sworn in Monday evening, officially giving an edge to conservatives.
At large members Danielle Jurinsky and Dustin Zvonek and Ward II member Steve Sundberg join a conservative faction of the technically non-partisan lawmaking body, who most recently penned a letter urging the city to opt out of a mask mandate from the Tri-County Health Department. None sported masks despite the city building being under the health department’s health order.
“The city of Aurora follows the Tri-County Health Department’s public health order that requires all individuals two years of age and older to wear face coverings inside all publicly accessible spaces,” city spokesperson Michael Brannen said in response to comment from the Sentinel on Republicans disregarding mask rules. “As the city does not have its own health department, the city relies on TCHD for public health guidance and to enforce public health orders.”
Under the order masks can be removed when a person is giving a speech — which some members wearing masks opted to do — but they must maintain a 12-foot distance from people that aren’t a part of their household.
Outgoing members Dave Gruber and Marsha Berzins also declined to wear masks along with members Mayor Mike Coffman, Curtis Gardner and Francoise Bergan.
The Tri-County mandate is set to expire on Jan. 2 or “when staffed ICU bed capacity falls to 10% or greater for 14 consecutive days.”
Only sheep wear masks. Glad to see elected leaders standing up against masks!
Hope you get sick!
People get sick every day, goofy.
Thanks for highlighting your character (hint: it is not good)
I’ve never seen a sheep wear a mask. However, if I did, I would think the sheep is much smarter than
our Mayor and republicans on council.
Doctors and nurses are begging people to wear masks, as hospital beds are filling up.
This was the first challenge for council, and the republicans failed in their duty to protect the citizens of aurora, and the people they work with on Council.
such disrespect shown for Tri County Health and citizens attending the meeting. Two unmasked council members haven’t even bothered to get their
vaccinations! I guess they figure rules aren’t meant for them! Disgusting.
Oh boohoo. Tricounty health are not elected.
Uh, Danielle, how do you feel about defacing the flag that you are supposed to love?
Call this news?
The correct headline
CITY- OPEN UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT
“the technically non-partisan lawmaking body”
Haha, the days of the council being “technically non-partisan” ended the same day the Emerge claque took their seats. That’s why the Sentinel, whose staff are all partisan Democrats, just happened to promote every single Democrat running for the council during the previous election.
The Republican Death Cult now in charge of our city! This is sure to turn out well…
Another that is in touch with their inner coward.
It is utterly irresponsible an a lack of leadership to refuse to wear a mask. I expect more from City leadership than to ignore basic safety protocols. We are not out of this pandemic and we need all leaders to set the example. Such a small request to don a mask.
Thank you, Bob!
Your rights end where mine begin; mine end where yours begin. You do not have the right to infect me. I do not have the right to infect you. It’s completely possible for vaccinated people to become infected — they’re called breakthrough cases. It’s completely possible for someone to feel fine but be infectious — known as asymptomatic. Some folks want this pandemic to end. They know the basics of Contamination 101 and behave accordingly. Other folks don’t seem to care how long this pandemic lasts. And they behave accordingly, as if completely ignorant about the basics of Contamination 101.
REPUBLICANS are on a power trip and they JUST DON’T GIVE A DAMN
By your logic, and not having the right to infect ME, you should wear something more than a performative mask that lists on the box its ineffectiveness to stop the COVID-19 virus.
An N95 maybe? Or perhaps a fully enclosed respirator. Do you not care about others, or do you care only to the point of your personal inconvenience? You, my friend, are a hypocrite.
Look over Danielle Jurinsky’s left shoulder (at swear-in) and see Rubin Medina sitting inches away from fascist Juan Marcano–WITHOUT A MASK! The ‘Republican contingent’ is the only contingent there who are not blatant hypocrites nor virtue signaling their homeys, like Aurora Sentinel!
I’m sorry, but I thought Juan was a Socialist….I keep getting confused with all this name calling…..(sic)
Really.
And the Republican clown show begins…
I know it’s their first official night as new Council Members but, I hear a recall already stirring if they think bucking the system and not being smart about wearing a mask is so important to them. Mask have nothing to do with politics. It’s all about safety you blowhards.
::wants to recall over not wearing masks::
::says masks have nothing to do with politics::
“only sheep wear masks” yeah: “Currently 1,419 people are hospitalized statewide with COVID-19, about 40 more than last week. Of those, 83% are unvaccinated.” And? “The New York Times: U.S. Covid Deaths Get Even Redder
The brief version: The gap in Covid’s death toll between red and blue America has grown faster over the past month than at any previous point. In October, 25 out of every 100,000 residents of heavily Trump counties died from Covid, more than three times higher than the rate in heavily Biden counties (7.8 per 100,000). ” So we start out with our ‘new’ conservative republican city council doing kinda what we expected them to do. Ignoring science and the Tri County recommendations INSTEAD OF LEADING. OK….here we go.
Yawn.
They said two year old’s were exempt and some council members chose to act like it.
Seethe more, Harry.
Ruben Medina, seen here also defying the order.
I knew liberal heads were exploding with this new council, but I have to say this is next-level hysterical panic. Please set your social experimentation to the side and let them TRY to undo some of the damage inflicted by your wrong-headed policies.
Please elaborate.
Nothing to elaborate on really. We will have to wait and see. Personally, I hope it involves public safety, as the crime here is through the roof.
For me the respect for the rule of law includes respect for regulations and emergency edicts and proclamations. I am aware of the proud history of civil disobedience in this country, but I respect that only when the consequences fall only upon the person making the statement. When one’s protest could harm others, well that is not something I can respect or admire.
Good for the Republicans for taking a stand! Very few people in Arapahoe county are following the mandate as well! I think we’ve had enough!
I wonder how many of the roughly 81 % percent of hospitalized Covid patients in Colorado are Republicans? Eventually the virus will reduce their numbers.
COVID is not political. It is a virus. It doesn’t care who you vote for
Finally! True leadership! I don’t wear a mask either and I’m in Aurora!
Good for you, sweetie! So edgy!
What a bunch of babies. How hard is it, really, to wear a mask? No one is asking you to do anything drastic, but you make a huge deal out of it and then walk around smugly just waiting for someone to call you out on it. I asked an unmasked old man behind me in line at the store to please back up 6 feet an he lost his mind screaming at me. COVID doesn’t care about what your politics are. You all brag about being so ‘patriotic’ but you can’t wear a mask to protect your neighbors? GET OVER YOURSELVES
Woof, the neuroticism in this post is off the charts.
that’s all you got? meow
Your handle is a cry for help.
Cope, seethe, and dilate.
Basically unless they are fined or refused entry in chambers for not following rules why would they comply? I mean everybody already knows Covid doesn’t infect Republicans right?
So interesting that this discussion started on December 7, the anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The result of that attack was that the nation by and large pulled together and sacrificed for the war effort. That attack killed over 2000 people. We have an epidemic killing hundreds of thousands of us, and there are some who see wearing a mask as too big a sacrifice to make. I doubt that we could win a world war today with such divisive self-centered feelings and actions.
Let me see if have got this conundrum straight. If you own and operate a small private business in Aurora and you don’t follow the masking rule: i.e. “mask required” the city has no problem sending out the cities business licensing investigators under orders from Trevor Vaughn to give the business a warning notice (We will shut you down unless you comply) But as we saw Monday night if you are Vaughn in the mist of the city hive, these same rules… forget about it… don’t worry about rules around here. So typical of the city department managers and the schizophrenic direction and sloppiness coming from headquarters that the citizens have watched over the past four years. In short, the city of Aurora hopefully, will endeavor as Douglas County did. Masking discretionary. If you wish, wear your mask, no problem. If you wish not to, that’s your business, so we can move on. And these new leaders have the gumption to set us on a new course to get out of this quagmire.