Money comes with strings.
In Aurora, dark money front groups are being funded by a who’s-who of Republican-aligned donors – but they’re playing in the Democratic primary. Big business, school privatizers, corporate polluters, the apartment association, the realtor’s association, the insurance industry, and the for-profit hospital industry have collectively decided that it is easier for them to buy a Democrat than to run a Republican in north Aurora.
These groups have friendly names like “One Main Street”, “Brighter Colorado Future”, and “We Are Colorado Business” – but their “main street” is gilded by wages stolen from working families. A brighter future for for-profit hospitals and the pharmaceutical industry looks like medical bankruptcy and an early death for people who can’t afford their medicine. Business as usual is why our cost of living is obscenely high and our homelessness rate is skyrocketing. The faceless cowards behind these groups don’t just want to keep things this way. They want to take even more, because our hardship is their profit.
The HD36, SD28, and CCD5 Democratic primaries are a perfect representation of corporate front groups and the far right’s political strategy in Aurora.
One trio of candidates is willing to rubber-stamp an anti-working-class agenda. In exchange, they get propped up by front groups for people who want to keep your wages low, your medicine expensive, weaken consumer protections so they can sell you an unaffordable lemon of a house, continue to use algorithmic apartment pricing so that they can trap people as permanent renters, give Aurorans asthma and cancer by polluting our air and water, and privatize schools so that their kids don’t have to learn alongside our kids.
These are Republicans in Democrat’s clothing.
Thankfully, we have a choice to vote for actual Democrats in these races. Bryan Lindstrom is a life-long educator, union organizer, and community activist. He has demonstrated his commitment to working-class Aurorans in his classroom and in his advocacy, and will be a champion for working families as the next representative for House District 36.
Hashim Coates is a Navy veteran, small business owner, and has helped combat AIDS through volunteer work and community organizing. He is ready to put his commitment to our community, professional experience, and lived experience to work for north Aurora as the next Arapahoe County Commissioner for District 5.
Mike Weissman has led the charge in the Colorado House against rental price-fixing, metropolitan district abuse, and protecting our air and water against corporate polluters. Tried and true, he’ll keep fighting for Aurorans against corporate special interest groups as the next representative for Senate District 28.
Money comes with strings. We deserve legislators who are backed by and will fight for working-class Aurorans, rather than those who are propped up by shadowy PACs tied to Republican dark money groups. Vote for Coates, Lindstrom, and Weissman by June 25th.
Juan Marcano is the former Ward IV council member for the City of Aurora. He currently helps guide and educate first and second generation immigrants serving in office.
Great, from radical council person to guest columnist.
What a pleasure it’s been not to hear from Juan Marcano, the Democratic Socialist and local Aurora rebel rouser, since he lost his last election. And now he reappears to spread his verbal socialistic rubbish in an attempt to get his socialist leaning friends elected. We are a better city not hearing his opinions. Do not vote for Coates, Lindstrom, and Weissman by June 25th, his selected candidates.
Notice the two fascists big mouths denigrating a moral man trying to do the right thing. No surprise here.
Silly me, I assume one of the fascist big mouths, you stated, for understanding that you or Marcano do not care for my views. No surprise there. I do wonder is Duh your first or last name? Maybe it’s both, Duh Duh. Insults from a fake person holds zero credibility in my book. Use your real name to gain some credibility. Duh?
Yes, to marxists, anyone who doesn’t follow their dumb political theology is a fascist.
I was wondering where Juan Marcano went. Glad he’s still contributing. Only disagreement – Rhonda Fields for Arapahoe County Commissioner.
Why is so much hatred communist Marcano?
Cry me a river former (thank goodness) council member Mercado. There’s dark money funding both parties and most candidates, so don’t say this is only a Republican issue. Liberal PAC’s have been funding moderate candidates to go against the grain of radical conservatism. Unions are outdated and unnecessary; only serving their own interests and bogging down the economy. Your liberalism only helps lazy people stay tied to welfare, food stamps, and medicade; entitlements hardworking, tax paying citizens of Colorado end up paying for. Aurora is turning into a crime-laden embarrassment that, if this continues, will become the Chicago or Detroit of the Centennial State.
Aurora, and Colorado, needs legislators who support Colorado values; meaning middle of the road politics that support law enforcement, business, freedom and education that actually allows educators to be successful in the classroom. Please, please take your police hating, homeless loving, crime-ridden liberal Californian politics back to where they came from. We don’t need or want you in Colorado.
Working-class Americans do just that, WORK! We work hard, and long hours, and if we don’t like the pay, we work harder to do learn more so we can promote within our career or change careers. We don’t sit on our collective rear ends and take handouts. We don’t rob stores or steal cars, deal illegal drugs, or become porch pirates. If moving to California is too far and expensive, Boulder might be your next choice. You’ll feel right at home there.
Ah, unions, Jonathan: the folk who brought you the weekend, paid overtime, workplace safety, retirement accounts, and a voice for the worker.
And with a name like Moore, Dick, I wouldn’t ridicule anyone else’s moniker.