Aurora's Political Pendulum Swings Right with City Council Election Results, Bolstering Conservative Majority
In a landslide victory, conservative candidates gain ground on Aurora's city council following Tuesday's election results. With a 6-4 majority already in place, voters have chosen to strengthen that lead with the potential for a 7-3 margin.
The council, though nonpartisan in nature, has seen a shift towards a more conservative leadership.
This strong conservative presence has been attributed to the council's proactive measures to "insulate" the city from progressive values that have seemingly overreached in neighboring Denver.
“This race was really about issues,” Mayor Mike Coffman said. “It was about a tough on crime approach… I believe that everyone in the city regardless of where they live have a right to live without fear of being a victim of a crime. And I think they want a result on homelessness on the encampments. We’re going to move forward with being more aggressive about abatements, but also being more aggressive about treatments.”
Winning a second term, Mayor Mike Coffman welcomed the swing to the right, stating that it will serve as a preventative measure against returning to the policies of the past. "I don't think the new council will alter the policy direction of the city from where we have been over the last two years," Coffman told The Denver Gazette. "It will certainly insulate us from going back to where we were during my first two years as mayor."
Though the majority of councilmembers are working towards similar outcomes, the difference lies in their preferred methods of achieving those goals.
Curtis Gardner, a conservative councilmember who is expected to retain his at-large seat, believes that focusing on city issues rather than national and international ones will eliminate much of the partisan disagreement.
On the other hand, progressive candidate Alison Coombs, who was poised to win one of the at-large seats, expressed disappointment with the election results. She believes that a strengthened conservative majority will continue to block important worker and tenant protections and will not address the root issues of crime in the city.
While there is still a small chance for the progressive candidates to come out on top, the current results show a clear lead for the conservative candidates.
Mayor Mike Coffman easily defeated his progressive opponent, Juan Marcano, with a 54.39% to 38.59% lead.
In the council ward races, Stephanie Hancock is currently ahead in Ward IV with 54.36% of the vote, while Angela Lawson leads in Ward V with 61.05%.
Incumbent Francoise Bergan also sees a wide lead in Ward VI with 61.8% of the vote.
In the at-large council race, where two candidates will be chosen, Coombs leads with 28.2% while Gardner trails closely behind with 27.6%.
However, conservative candidate Jono Scott and progressive candidate Thomas Mayes are not far behind, with 22.27% and 21.93% of the vote respectively.
The candidates' positions on public safety and homelessness have been a major factor in this election. Conservative candidates have pushed for tougher punishment for crime while advocating for a "treatment-first" approach to addressing homelessness. In contrast, progressive candidates prioritize addressing the root causes of crime and advocate for a "housing first" approach for homelessness.
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The city council in Aurora is made up of 10 part-time elected officials, including four at-large council members and six ward council members. The mayor holds a full-time position.
As the final results are being tallied, it is clear that Aurora's political pendulum has swung towards a stronger conservative majority on the city council reflecting the changing make-up of one of Colorado’s fastest growing cities.