AURORA | It’s 10:30 a.m. on a Friday and Mayor Steve Hogan just got off the phone with a 14-year-old boy who wants public transportation to be cheaper for his neighbors.
Hogan plans to help his cause by signing letters in support of his idea for a Neighborhood EcoPass Program in the Hoffman Heights subdivision.
Since Hogan succeeded Ed Tauer as mayor five months ago, conversations like those have been scattered between meetings, speeches, and leading discussions on hot topics like hydraulic fracturing, job creation and neighborhood crime.
But his favorite part of the job so far has been helping to foster positive change in communities.
“That’s part of what I like,” Hogan said. “It’s the variety, it’s the sense of accomplishment, and knowing that in the end I’m doing something to make Aurora a better place.”
City officials say the big themes during his first five months as mayor have been economic development, transparency, and lots and lots of discussion.
“I think the council is coming together as a team,” said Aurora City Councilman Bob Broom, who has been involved in Aurora government since 1972. Hogan’s strengths are that he is patient and he solicits input from everyone, Broom said.
“We’re not as hell-bent on getting something done and getting something over with,” Broom said. “We take the time to let everyone say their piece and become a part of conversation.”
City Manager George “Skip” Noe said he appreciates Hogan’s dedication to open communication, transparency and cooperation. Since Hogan took office, there has been an increase in council meetings and special study sessions.
Council members now meet in public at least three times a month; before, open meetings were held about twice a month.
Hogan’s commitment to openness in municipal government was evident as soon as he announced he was running for mayor in early 2011.
In March, an open meeting was held for council members to interview candidates for the at-large seat that former Councilman Bob FitzGerald vacated.
That was the first time all of the interviews were held in public and televised on Channel 8, Hogan said.
He admitted that it was a bit awkward.
“We all knew those finalists, some better than others, but we knew them and for the first time in recent memory, it was all done out in the open,” he said. “That makes for strained relationships sometimes, but we’re all big kids, and we’ve got to learn to get over it.”
A lot of the discussion revolving around economic development incentive deals like the ones recently awarded to Niagara Bottling and Cooper Lighting are still talked about behind closed doors for legal reasons.
But for the most part, the former state lawmaker and executive director of the E-470 Authority pushes for open discussion whenever it’s possible.
“Citizens deserve to know what’s going on,” Hogan said. “People in Aurora need to understand that council doesn’t always agree. I think before, it almost appeared like all the decisions were made ahead of time and we didn’t have a lot of discussion or debate. Now, some would say we have too much discussion, but I still think it’s for the best.”
As the 30th mayor of Aurora, Hogan is the first to succeed Ed Tauer and his father, Paul, who both served as mayor for more than two decades.
It was evident on the campaign trail that Hogan’s leadership style would be different than his predecessor’s, but Councilwoman Molly Markert said Hogan’s identity as mayor is still a work in progress.
“I think he’s aware of the fact that he has to be the ‘Un-Ed,’ and the process of finding who the Steve is in that is taking some time,” she said. She said she’s pleased with Hogan’s trajectory.
“He wants things to be different, transparent,” she said. “In a sweetly, soft way, he’s very attentive to criticism and tries really hard to help people get the information they need to make the decisions they need.”
During his campaign, Hogan didn’t waste time letting residents know about what his priorities would be once he took office.
He wrote up a 20-page document called the “One Aurora Plan” that outlined his top goals, the first of which was job creation.
Since he took office, he has announced four economic incentive deals that he said will either create or save 1,600 jobs and bring $500 million worth of new investment dollars to the city.
The city has approved tax rebates to lure businesses like General Electric, Niagara Bottling, United Natural Foods and Cooper Lighting, and Broom said two more deals could be in the works.
“We have brought in more jobs so far this year than any other city,” said Wendy Mitchell, president of the Aurora Economic Development Council.
Part of that is because of Hogan’s commitment to job creation, Mitchell said.
“He’s really supportive and has been incredibly aggressive and really cares about economic development,” she said.
Not all council members agree that tax incentives should be doled out to attract businesses. But Hogan has made a strong case for why tax breaks are needed help facilitate the creation of projects like the $800 million Gaylord hotel and conference center.
The Colorado Economic Development Commission will decide on May 18 whether to give the project state tourism incentives, and Hogan said he will be “a lot happier” if and when that’s finalized.
Besides helping to support the Gaylord project, his goals for the immediate future include advocating for a mill levy tax extension that would generate money for infrastructure improvements.
Extending Sixth Avenue east to connect to E-470 and widening Arapahoe Road between Himalaya Street and Parker Road are some of his top infrastructure goals.
Hogan said the hardest part of his job so far has been shifting the mindsets of city officials and staff.
“The most difficult one, and I don’t mean this as a criticism to anybody, is changing the attitude of the organization to be more proactive instead of reactive,” Hogan said.
That means focusing on problem solving, acknowledging that Aurora has issues, and seeking out opportunities for improvement, he said.
He prides himself on being able to tout Aurora’s accomplishments while also acknowledging its problems, ranging from north Aurora crime, poverty and homelessness.
“You can’t fix a problem unless you can identify that it is a problem,” he said. “It’s like the crime perception. It’s not going to go away unless you acknowledge that people think that way.”
Ultimately, though, he’s excited about the future of the city and believes others should be thrilled about it, too.
That enthusiasm was the theme of his first State of the City Address on April 24, where he spoke about the city’s endeavors.
“In Aurora, what will happen next is a future so bright that the rest of Colorado will wonder how we got so lucky,” he told a crowd of more than 400 people at the Crowne Plaza Hotel near the Denver International Airport. “We are not lucky. We are good. We have a focus, we have a vision, we have the citizenry, the elected officials, the business community and we have the residents as partners to help make things happen.”
He said the city is capable of growing from 335,000 people to more than 1 million in 40 years. He trumpeted the city’s huge medical and military presence, its cultural and culinary diversity and its commitment to job creation.
And in true Hogan fashion, he also stressed the importance of debunking the common misconceptions of Aurora.
“Now is the time to take a lead on the false images of no trees and rampant crime,” he said. “Instead, Aurora needs to be clearly identified as the comfortable home for hundreds of thousands of citizens.”
Reach reporter Sara Castellanos at 720-449-9036 or sara@aurorasentinel.com