Democrat Jon Gray and Republican Stephanie Hancock are contesting the Ward IV seat being vacated by Juan Marcano this fall, each seeking their first term in office.
On his campaign website, Gray identified some of his top legislative priorities as improving public safety, public health and economic vitality in the ward centered on the Heather Ridge and Village East neighborhoods in west Aurora.
Gray advocated for building trust and cooperation between community members and the Aurora Police Department as a first step toward identifying and addressing public safety problems. He described wanting to expand the Police Area Representatives program in Ward IV while “decreasing the police presence in communities of color” to address crime.
Gray also expressed skepticism toward the department’s efforts to rebuild trust following the death of Elijah McClain in the election guide materials submitted to the Sentinel, saying there “seems to be little adherence to the policy standards, and there is a lot more work to be done.”
On the topic of traffic fatalities, he said he wanted to explore slowing traffic on arterial roads and installing traffic calming measures in residential areas with high rates of crashes.
Gray said on his website that he would prioritize public health by reaching out to the county and nonprofits to address environmental problems and provide services for the homeless, poor and people experiencing physical and mental health conditions.
He also said that he would promote economic vitality by investing in food programs serving families, supporting affordable housing to reduce the cost of living and increasing Aurora’s minimum wage to at least $17.29 per hour to keep pace with Denver.
Hancock said on her website that her focuses if elected will include housing affordability, public safety and economic growth. She argued that Colorado’s construction defect laws are an obstacle to building more multifamily housing and also said the pre-building permitting process can stifle development in some cases.
She said improving the economy of the city as a whole would also help with the shortage of available housing, and that encouraging business and industry will grow the city’s tax base.
Hancock said one of the things driving businesses away from the city currently is crime. She said she supports the police department’s PAR program as a vehicle for building trust between officers and community members and said outreach work can and should happen in tandem with enforcing the law.
She said she believes a sense of impunity among criminals is driving rates of crimes such as theft and assault, and the law should be “enforced swiftly with perpetrators required to pay restitution for their crimes.”
Hancock said she also supports mentorship and training programs for middle and high school students that open up opportunities in trade and industry jobs. In the interest of public safety, she said the city should partner with churches and nonprofits to do more outreach to young people.
Meet Stephanie Hancock
Stephanie Hancock, R-challenger
Hancock brings years of experience in the business and arts communities, having co-founded 5280 Artist Co-Op and serving as president of the Aurora Cultural Arts District. She is a graduate of Texas Southern University and a U.S. Air Force veteran, and she has lived in Aurora for more than 30 years.
Meet Jon Gray
Jon Gray, D-challenger
Gray was born in Denver and attended Englewood High School, going on to obtain degrees in sociology and business management from Mesa State College and Metropolitan State University of Denver. He worked in the nonprofit sector and as an Aurora Public Schools teacher for several years before moving into a role in the finance division of the Arapahoe County Department of Human Services.
Stephanie Hancock policy Q&A
Why should Aurora voters pick you as their next Ward IV representative?
- I have lived in Ward 4 for the past 25 years. I’m a wife, mother, Veteran, and a past small business owner. My children attended Ward 4 schools. I have been active in the Arts & Culture community for the past 15 years owning a Theatre company and working as President of the Aurora Cultural Arts District. I bring a lifetime of practical working experience to the city council. I have a deep vested interest in seeing this community continue to be safe, affordable and thriving. I want to be a voice for my friends and neighbors and continue to improve our great city.
What will be your top three legislative priorities if elected?
- My top three priorities while serving on the City Council include addressing the rampant crime epidemic, reducing the unhoused population, and improving the affordability of our city.
Aurora’s City Council has become increasingly polarized in recent years, with members publicly coming into conflict over topics such as police reform and social justice. How will you get work done in spite of this, and what sort of working relationship do you want to develop with council members who don’t share your political views?
- As a City council we must always keep in mind the best outcome for the city we have the privilege to serve. We may not always agree politically or philosophically, but we must work together to find the best solution to our current challenges of safety, affordability and quality of life for all Aurorians. Too much of what we see is “us versus them.” Most of us want the same outcome but we need to work in the gray so both sides can work toward that common goal.
Last year, Aurora’s City Council responded to the phenomenon of homeless camping by banning camping on public property and stepping up sweeps of encampments. Do you think the city did the right thing by introducing its camping ban? Why or why not?
• The city took a bold step instituting the camping ban. The City Council should empower, not enable unhoused persons by discovering the root cause of the issue which could be substance abuse, mental illness or loss of income. Assistance should be strongly encouraged and accessed for safety and good of the community so those who find themselves unhoused can be reintegrated into society and become productive citizens able to care for themselves. We should also seek to partner with neighboring jurisdictions to learn and share resources when we can to help those who want it.
Since 2020, Aurora has taken several steps to promote diversity in its city government — for example, by creating an Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and by introducing Native American land acknowledgements at the start of council meetings. Has the city been moving in the right direction with these efforts? What additional steps or corrections would you like to see the city make?
- It is important to acknowledge the history and culture of our city, its past and present looking to the future as a community. We are defined by the legacy of opportunity, safety and prosperity our city provides. We are a multicultural community that should not lift one group to the exclusion of others but work to empower all. Working in the art community, there’s incredible diversity of display. While we may be drawn to specific types of art, we should celebrate all of their contributions to the community and the uniqueness each piece represents.
Last year, Aurora’s City Council responded to the phenomenon of homeless camping by banning camping on public property and stepping up sweeps of encampments. Do you think the city did the right thing by introducing its camping ban? Why or why not?
Aurora and other cities in the Denver metro area have recently struggled to respond to increases in certain crimes, including vehicle and retail thefts. To discourage criminal behavior, should the city invest more in social programs (education, job training, etc.), or should it invest more in policing and tougher criminal penalties? What should that investment look like?
- Retail, motor vehicle theft and assault are ever increasing and devastating crimes because there is no fear of consequence. Businesses are leaving neighborhoods that need them most because of this. Individuals are living in fear. It’s not fair that 90% of people are being held hostage by 10%. The law should be enforced swiftly with perpetrators required to pay restitution for their crimes. Consequences for bad behavior that hurt our community should be met with aggressively sending a strong message that Aurora is a safe city. Because entry level employment for juveniles is non existent, mentorship and training programs can be integrated into middle and high schools to steer students into partnership with apprenticeship programs like pipefitters, sheet metal, plumbers and electrical etc Strong families in partnership with churches, non-profit organizations, senior organizations and community involvement will also mitigate adverse behavior. This isn’t a one or the other option. We should be discouraging and penalizing criminal activity to serve as a deterrent and seek to better rehabilitate.
After the death of Elijah McClain, Aurora’s Police Department agreed to implement
a list of reforms to address what the Colorado Attorney General’s Office
described as a pattern of racially-biased policing and excessive force. How much
progress have Aurora police made toward reform? Have calls for reform gone too
far, or are they not ambitious enough?
- Transparency builds trust in communities. Crime in aurora has gone down slightly, but
to the average citizen it doesn’t feel that way. Some councilmembers have led the way
to support police in enforcing the law, increase penalties and slow the revolving door or
prosecution. I support a fully funded well trained police department that is invested in
the community. It is important to build trust with the community and the police force
The first responsibility for APD is to protect and serve all its citizens. No one should
feel unsafe when encountering a police officer. It is incumbent upon city council
and the police chief to ensure that all APD are vetted properly, mentally and physically capable. Support of best practices already in place should be expanded to improve the effectiveness of our police. PAR officers and community officers will help improve relationships. Having non-police support for traffic tickets and other non-violent offenses can free officers to address serious crimes. In the end, our police officers need to create better relationships with our
communities, but still be given the resources and the support they need to keep these communities safe.
Aurora is grappling with a shortage of affordable housing, with one city representative estimating in July that the city needed about 7,500 additional affordable units to meet demand. What specific steps would you like to see the city take to expand its inventory of affordable housing?
- Creating suitable accessible, affordable housing with ownership options are key to
growth. Home ownership is an entryway to building generational wealth. From 2007 -2022 condo development plummeted 84% dropping from 146 to 23 due to construction liability litigation laws. Policy reform is needed such as reduced pre-building permits, high insurance costs and to include the right to remedy opposition to excessive litigation so that builders will re-enter the market. There are currently 15 affordable housing projects already in the works in the city. Stakeholder, community members and subject matter expert advice should be continued to be included in the community building process. Most importantly, economic uncertainty threatens new affordable housing options. We need to have a thriving economy to produce lower interest rates, higher wages and a robust housing stock to give all our
residents multiple housing options.
Some lawmakers have criticized the low-density development patterns typical in
the eastern and southern parts of the city for inefficiently using land and water.
How much of a problem is development “sprawl”? Do you think the city should be
encouraging more compact, high-density development? If so, how?
- The impact of higher density housing will enable more citizens access to home
ownership. Condos, townhomes and duplexes will provide entry level ownership.
Mixed communities that include these options could be a way of achieving this
goal. We must include subject matter experts, stakeholders and community
members when planning and making these decisions.
As the demand for water grows, Colorado cities are being forced to reconsider
how they allocate and share their limited water rights. If another city wanted to
lease water from Aurora, how would you decide whether to support or reject that
proposal?
- Before making any decision regarding water rights and leasing, the Council would
need to leverage the expertise of experts in water conservation and distribution
along with intensive study to make water available to citizens of our state.
Aurora has been aggressive to plan for its water usage. The city might consider
selling surplus water to other jurisdictions to offset costs for our residents and
we should work with our neighbors to pursue more water storage options to
build our supplies during the wet years to lessen the impacts on the dry ones.
Jon Gray policy Q&A
Why should Aurora voters pick you as their next Ward IV representative?
- At the age of 15, my first job was at Craig Hospital in Englewood, CO, as a dishwasher and later as a prep cook. I know what it means to work hard, and I will always put the people first. I recently received my Master’s degree in Public Administration from CU Denver, and I have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to be exceptional in this role. I have worked with youth and families in our most vulnerable communities for decades. I am a natural-born leader, and I care about my community. I know I don’t have all the answers, but I will turn to the residents of Aurora and figure things out with them rather than in a silo.
What will be your top three legislative priorities if elected?
- Public Safety- It is imperative that we put safety first. One of the biggest issues in my Ward is crime (car theft and gunshots) and traffic fatalities. Last year, there were 50 traffic fatalities in total. As of mid-September 2023, there have been approximately 46 traffic-related fatalities in the city of Aurora. My priority is to ensure we slow speeds on some of our arterial roads and install traffic calming measures in residential areas with high traffic incident rates. In regards to crime, I plan to work with APD in hopes of expanding the PAR program in some areas of Ward 4 while decreasing the police presence in communities of color and holding bad actors accountable. Moreover, start a grant program to help fund neighborhood watch programs and work with non-profits and the city’s SAVE program to address the root causes of Youth Violence and crime in general.
- Increase Wages- Increase the minimum wage from $13.65 to at least $17.29 to keep up with the Denver minimum wage.
- Expand Utah Park- Make Utah Park a full-service recreation center. Ward 4 does not have a recreation center.
Aurora’s City Council has become increasingly polarized in recent years, with members publicly coming into conflict over topics such as police reform and social justice. How will you get work done in spite of this, and what sort of working relationship do you want to develop with council members who don’t share your political views?
- This job is about what is best for the people of Aurora. The nature of the job is to get work done in spite of conflict. I will have to work with the City Manager, Mayor, and Council Members for at least four years. It is in our best interest to get to know each other, try to be mature about disagreements, and do our best to find common ground at times.
Since 2020, Aurora has taken several steps to promote diversity in its city government- for example, by creating an Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and by introducing Native American land acknowledgments at the start of city council meetings. Has the city been moving in the right direction with these efforts? What additional steps or corrections would you like to see the city make?
- Yes, the city is moving in the right direction with these efforts. 20% of all Aurorans were born outside of Aurora. There are over 160 languages spoken throughout the city of Aurora. We are a very diverse city. But DEI is more than race and ethnicity. It is gender, physical characteristics, socioeconomic status, and so much more. As a city, we must be committed to embracing our diversity and ensuring we have representatives from all walks of life contributing to the growth of our city, internally and externally. The only additional steps I would take at this time are to re-evaluate how we put DEI into practice and re-assess how we measure the success of the Office of DEI.
Last year, Aurora’s City Council responded to the phenomenon of homeless camping by banning camping on public property and stepping up sweeps of encampments. Do you think the city did the right thing by introducing its camping ban? Why or why not?
- No. I think the camping ban criminalized homelessness, and sweeping them down the street only causes more trauma to our unhoused. Permanent Supportive Housing with wrap-around services is the answer.
Aurora and other cities in the Denver metro area have recently struggled to respond to increases in certain crimes, including vehicle and retail thefts. To discourage criminal behavior, should the city invest more in social programs (education, job training, etc.), or should it invest more in policing and tougher criminal penalties? What should that investment look like?
- I have spoken with attorneys in the city of Aurora, and tougher criminal penalties, such as mandatory minimums, are not the answer to discouraging criminal behavior. It has actually exacerbated the problem. For our youth, mentorship programs, career pathways, and the Aurora SAVE program will hopefully prove effective in the coming year. How we measure the success of some of these programs is key. I firmly believe that working APD’s PAR (Police Area Representatives) program and investing in grants that support the creation of neighborhood watch programs throughout Ward 4 will allow our communities to come together, get to know one another, and become more vigilant when it comes to watching each other’s backs and reporting criminal activity. However, in many of our communities of color, over-policing is a problem, and I believe expanding the funding of the Aurora Mobile Response Team to be city-wide and training civilian response teams that are racially and ethnically diverse to respond to non-violent incidents and wellness checks in these communities is the answer.
After the death of Elijah McClain, Aurora’s Police Department agreed to implement a list of reforms to address what the Colorado Attorney General’s Office described as a pattern of racially-biased policing and excessive force. How much progress have Aurora police made toward reform? Have calls for reform gone too far, or are they not ambitious enough?
- Jordell Richardson is proof that APD has made no progress towards reform. The success of the consent decree is measured by the implementation of the policy and adherence to the policy standards once implemented. We have to re-evaluate how we measure the success of the consent decree because, at this point, there seems to be little to no adherence to the policy standards. I plan to work with the interim police Chief to find ways to effectively change police culture in Aurora. Maybe start a mentorship program with APD. I remember back in the day when cops would take groups of kids to baseball games and basketball games regularly. It’s not a solution, but it wouldn’t hurt.
EDITOR’S NOTE: After submitting his responses, Jon Gray asked to offer this response instead: - After the death of Elijah McClain, Aurora’s Police Department agreed to implement a list of reforms to address what the Colorado Attorney General’s Office described as a pattern of racially-biased policing and excessive force. How much progress have Aurora police made toward reform? Have calls for reform gone too far, or are they not ambitious enough? The success of the consent decree is measured by the implementation of the policy and adherence to the policy standards once implemented. We have to re-evaluate how we measure the success of the consent decree because, at this point, there seems to be little adherence to the policy standards and there is a lot more work to be done. I plan to work with the interim police Chief and the city manager to find ways to effectively change police culture in Aurora and continue to address the needs of police and AFR to ensure the key areas of the consent decree are being adhered to.
Aurora is grappling with a shortage of affordable housing, with one city representative estimating in July that the city needed about 7,500 additional affordable units to meet demand. What specific steps would you like to see the city take to expand its inventory of affordable housing?
- This is a zoning reform and land-use issue. Land banking, repurposing, and taking inventory of unused city property can be beneficial. Zoning reform is something that is necessary in Aurora to make housing more affordable. Promoting the development of a diverse range of housing options, including affordable rentals, Accessory Dwelling Units, Duplexes, and Tri-plexes, is essential as well. As of July 2023, the City of Aurora had nearly 2,000 low-income apartments available to eligible low-income families. The city is short 7500-8500 affordable housing units. My Ward (Ward 4) has over 60 thousand residents, and 10% of those residents live at or below the poverty line (6000). We absolutely need our supply of affordable housing to meet demand. It is vital to work with developers to establish an inclusionary zoning ordinance that requires them to designate a certain percentage of units for those with low income.
Some lawmakers have criticized the low-density development patterns typical in the eastern and southern parts of the city for inefficiently using land and water. How much of a problem is development “sprawl”? Do you think the city should be encouraging more compact, high-density development? If so, how?
- No one in government wants to see the growth of their city executed poorly. Sprawl and the continued creation of Metro Districts is an unsustainable way to grow the city of Aurora. High-density development and increasing the number of homes around bus and train stops would also cut down on car dependency helping the environment.
As the demand for water grows, Colorado cities are being forced to reconsider
how they allocate and share their limited water rights. If another city wanted to
lease water from Aurora, how would you decide whether to support or reject that
proposal?
- In short, we would have to conduct a comprehensive assessment regarding several factors, such as environmental impact, long-term sustainability, public opinion and legal framework. These are just a few of the many factors we as a city would have to consider.
More about Stephanie Hancock
If you had a superpower, what would it be?
- The ability to grow any vegetable
Did you have any New Year’s resolutions? What were they?
- I strive every day to be the best person I can be.
What was the last movie you watched?
- I enjoy old movies, “Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte, and The Little Foxes starring Bettie Davis are classics.
What is your least favorite household chore?
- Laundry
What fun fact about you would most surprise people who know you?
- I sang the National Anthem at the Colorado Rockies game once
More about Jon Gray
If you had a superpower, what would it be?
- Manipulate time
Did you have any New Year’s resolutions? What were they?
- My New Year’s resolution was to publish a children’s book I had written. I did it. The book is titled The Fluffy Farmer and is available on Amazon. The link is below.
What was the last movie you watched?
- The Nun 2
What is your least favorite household chore?
- Cleaning the bathroom
What fun fact about you would most surprise people who know you?
- I am a writer. I have written stories, op-eds and screenplays.