AURORA | A group of Aurora City Council members and public safety union leaders on Monday accused the still-unknown funders of a proposed “strong-mayor” ballot item of dishonesty and trying to undermine representative governance in the city.
The bipartisan group included lawmakers who rarely agree on controversial matters but were united in suspicion of the proposal to give additional powers to Aurora’s mayor.
“If you get (Councilmember) Juan Marcano and I standing next to each other for anything, it should send a very strong message,” Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky said.
She and others specifically criticized the behavior of signature collectors who are reportedly promoting the item primarily as modifying term limits, while the more substantial change would be eliminating the city manager role and handing their power over city staffers to the mayor, who would also be able to veto legislation.
“This is extremely deceptive for the people of Aurora, and whoever is behind this, shame on you,” Jurinsky said. “Should this make the ballot, please vote ‘no.’ I encourage you to vote ‘no.’”
To illustrate the relative significance of the parts of the ballot item related to term limits and the parts related to empowering the mayor, Gardner held up a strip of paper that he said included the language that would limit council members to two terms rather than three alongside multiple pages that he said included the changes to the mayor’s role.
He and Marcano also warned that Aurora’s existing council-manager form of government guards against nepotism by placing the power to hire and fire most employees in the hands of a city manager appointed by the entire council rather than leaving it up to a single person.
Gardner said he would rather see the item studied among other possible charter changes by a citizen group rather than promoted by unknown interests.
“Our form of government works because it requires accountability, transparency, and most importantly, consensus-building,” he said. “We’re able to get our job done because we can interface with staff to address our residents’ needs. Under this proposal, council members would no longer be able to serve our residents if that need is not a priority of the mayor.”
Earlier this month, Suzanne Taheri, an attorney and former Republican candidate for the Colorado Senate, submitted the proposed charter amendment to Aurora’s city clerk on behalf of Garrett Walls, a member of the Aurora Planning and Zoning Commission. So far, neither has told the Sentinel why the ballot measure is being brought forward.
The name of the committee created May 17 to begin the petition collection process is “Term Limits for a Better Aurora.” The name itself has drawn criticism from opponents, saying the measure has only little to do with term limits and by scope and size primarily addresses the change in the role of the mayor. The committee address is the Denver law firm for Taheri.
Walls told the Denver Gazette, however, that the idea for the proposal came from conversations with Mayor Mike Coffman. The mayor was not present for Monday’s gathering, but Marcano and other sources have told the Sentinel that he expressed interest in the idea during closed-door discussions before representatives began collecting signatures.
Coffman previously declined via email to comment on the item. When a Sentinel reporter approached Coffman later after the conclusion of Monday’s city council meeting, Coffman refused to answer questions about his involvement with the ballot item and walked away.
Marc Sears, president of Aurora Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 49, said public safety employees were skeptical of removing checks and balances that could lead to nepotism and favoritism within the department.
“You’re giving one person the power to change and control the city. I don’t like it. I’d rather work with the six votes on council,” Sears said.
He also said he believed civil service positions were especially vulnerable given the rolling back of powers once held by the Aurora Civil Service Commission.
Travis Pulliam, president of Aurora Fire Fighters Local 1290, said firefighters were worried that a strong mayor who did not view public safety as a priority could strip money away from the department’s budget.
“The way I look at it is we need a mayor, not a dictator,” Pulliam said.
Coffman is a trump wanna-be. Don’t give him more power. He doesn’t care about anyone in Aurora if they didn’t vote for him
Coffman is a petty tyrant who can’t even do the job he has today. I can’t think of anyone less worthy of this power than him. Vote this power grab down and vote him out of office this November.
That photo of Jurinsky and Marcano is priceless, and, one you won’t often see!
I have a theory (it is only a theory – no evidence to back it up). One council member not seen in the photos is Council Member at Large, Dustin Zvonek. Zvonek previously worked for Americans for Prosperity, a Koch brothers dark money political group. I suspect that Americans for Prosperity is providing the funds to give Mayor Coffman, then a later Mayor Zvonek, the reins of power in Aurora. Just my theory, having actively watched Aurora politics since about 1971.