Mike Coffman, the newly elected mayor of Aurora, has proven perhaps the most adept chameleon in Colorado’s political ecosystem. A few months before the 2018 elections I was interviewed on one of public television’s weekend panels of selected bloviators and asked what I thought Republican and then-U.S. Rep. Coffman’s chances of re-election were. I observed that his imminent demise had been consistently predicted across a dozen elections over 30 preceding years, and not merely by Democrats. Mike had always proven a winner anyway, so betting against him struck me as a foolish wager.

It was true that his victory margins had been shrinking, but he had also faced down an all-star cast of Democratic rivals. His luck finally ran out against Jason Crow. It was not so much that Crow brought extraordinary talents to this race, but that Coffman’s baggage, largely in the form of Donald Trump, finally soured his appeal to suburban voters. Nonetheless, Mike was able to turn this defeat around in a razor-thin win for mayor, indicating there must exist some modest and lingering affection for him among his neighbors. He will now be working with a left-leaning Democratic majority on the Aurora City Council. It is likely, however, that forecasts of blood spilled across the municipal rugs are premature.

When first elected to the Colorado legislature, Coffman was seen as a middle-of-the-road moderate who worked effectively across the aisle with Democrats. Years have blurred our memories, but Mike took the lead in creating the state’s first, high-risk medical insurance pool together with other major legislation. His practical, “let’s actually do something,” attitude often fried the brains of several of his more ideologically Republican colleagues. Meanwhile, he quietly burnished his everyman credentials by serving combat tours in Iraq with his Reserve unit. As he continued to to ascend into higher office, including a stop as state treasurer, it was Republicans who were predicting he would soon lose a primary contest. That was not to be.

Following his freshman term in Congress he joined the Tea Party caucus that swept Republicans into power in 2010. This allegiance seemed a poor fit for both Coffman and his district. The congressman soon swept this misadventure under the rug, while commencing to champion the concerns of the wave of refugee migrants flooding Aurora. Mike is frequently criticized as a “finger in the wind” politician who serves without inflexible political principles, unless, of course, his guiding principle has been an attempt to represent the opinions of his constituents. This concept is sufficiently novel to flummox partisans on both the right and left.

Coffman was always noted for the high quality of service provided by his congressional office. Veterans and immigrants were confident they could receive attention and assistance from a notably competent staff. There is little reason to believe his mayoral office will be any different. A large part of any new mayor’s responsibilities will entail petitioning Washington for grants and inclusion in federal programs and policy trials.

It can’t hurt when that petitioner actually understands Washington, knows how the bureaucracy works and will be welcomed into the offices of the deciders. Bringing bacon home is not a partisan task. Aurora’s Democratic Council members and their Republican mayor agree on a shared goal – funding a smarter, hipper city that rivals the Queen City of the Plains located just next door. Coffman will find it challenging to thread the needle between the needs of his residents and the anti-immigrant jihad originating in the White House, but it wouldn’t hurt to have a Republican arguing on their behalf.

Former Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan commenced his political life as a Democratic legislator, finishing his career as a Republican. Yet he was a Republican who had figured out how to fund tollways, light rail projects, a water system, a convention center and a new City Hall complex without raising taxes. Fuzzing up his government expansions with public/private financing legerdemain allowed him to keep Republican voters on board. Without his untimely death, Hogan would have been a far more formidable candidate than Walker Stapleton in last year’s governor’s race.

Mike Coffman may not possess Hogan’s entire skill set. But we too quickly discount the importance of experience. Jerry Brown was labeled Governor Moonbeam in 1992, while he touted canoe politics as a presidential candidate (“first you paddle a little on the left, then you paddle a little on the right”). When voters returned him to the governor’s office in 2010, he proved California could pay its bills and improve its residents’ quality of life.

Don’t be surprised if Mayor Coffman does the same for Aurora.

Miller Hudson is a public affairs consultant and a former legislator. He can be reached at mnhwriter@msn.com.