Seven people will run to finish Councilwoman Nicole Johnston’s term representing Ward 2 on the Aurora City Council after she resigns from her position next month.

The City Clerk’s office confirmed the candidates Thursday after applications closed last week. One of the candidates is unnamed as the city reviews their qualifications. The verified candidates are Steve Sundberg, Ryan Ross, Robert O’Riley, Robert Hamilton, Jessica Giammalvo and Luke Kodanko.

Sundberg, who is also running as the sole Ward 2 candidate in the general election, is the manager and operator of a family-owned bar and grill called Legends of Aurora. He told The Denver Gazette he wants to create a unified and business-friendly City Council.

Sundberg brings over 20 years of experience serving on nonprofit boards including the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board, Leadership Aurora Board, Pickens Technical College Culinary Advisory Board and Colorado Restaurant Association Mile High Chapter Board.

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Ross is a well-known community activist currently serving as CEO of the Urban Leadership Foundation of Colorado and associate vice chancellor for student affairs, equity and inclusion of the Colorado Community College System.

In his application, Ross said he wants to bring his values of fairness, justice and equity to the City Council. He recently facilitated the city’s police reform task force.

O’Riley is a deputy at the Denver Sheriff’s Department, former security officer at the Transportation Security Administration and former sergeant of the U.S. Marine Corps, according to his LinkedIn profile. He has served on the Aurora Veterans Affairs Commission for three years.

O’Riley previously ran against Johnston in 2017 to represent Ward 2 on the City Council, earning 11.6% of the vote.

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Hamilton is an Ohio-native who moved to Colorado 15 years ago, according to his campaign website. He currently works in finance and accounting but began his career as an intern with the CIA.

On his website, Hamilton said he wants to address Aurora’s high crime rate, reduce city taxes and housing costs and implement policy to make starting and sustaining businesses easier in the city.

According to their LinkedIn profiles, Giammalvo is a system engineer at BIT Systems and former signal intelligence analyst for the U.S. Army and Kodanko is an information technology consultant and former application system engineer for Wells Fargo.

The City Council will review all candidates in a study session meeting on June 7, a public Q&A session in mid-June, a candidate interview on June 21 and a final council vote on June 28. The chosen candidate will be sworn in on July 12 and their term will last until the general election in November.

Under city law, the council has 45 days after Johnston’s departure to appoint her replacement. Johnston said her last day will be on June 14.

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Johnston, elected in 2017, said she is resigning to move her children to Colorado Springs to be closer to their father. She will be beginning a new job as project manager of the Community Health Partnership Suicide Prevention Collaborative.

Aurora City Council candidates must be at least 21 years old, a U.S. citizen and a registered voter. Candidates cannot have been convicted of a felony, hold other elective public office or be a salaried employee of the city. Candidates also must have lived in Aurora and in Ward Two for at least one year.

Ward Two comprises the northeast area of Aurora, including neighborhoods from Buckley Air Force Base to Denver International Airport, and from Star K Ranch to the Colorado Air and Space Port.

All City Council meetings and study sessions are open to the public and can be viewed at AuroraTV.org.