Aurora City Councilmember Steve Sundberg announced his campaign for re-election to Ward II on Tuesday, joining a large crowd of candidates for five council seats that will go to the November ballot.

Sundberg, a business owner who has represented Ward II since 2021, announced his campaign in a news release Tuesday, saying he wants to keep his focus on being a “voice” for everyone in Ward II.

“Eastern Aurora represents the full tenure of the city from original residents to brand new families who have found their dream homes or their first starter homes,” Sundberg said in the release. “There is something for everyone in Ward 2 and my focus remains to be their voice to deliver safe neighborhoods and new and increasing opportunities for residents to realize their full potential.”

He is also running because he “didn’t want to see Aurora go down the path of other cities with lenient attitudes on crime, ingratitude towards business, and policies that lead to exploding homelessness,” he said on his Facebook page.

His top priorities are public safety, homelessness, affordable housing and business growth, according to his campaign website.

He has voted for various efforts to reduce crime, such as mandatory minimum jail sentences for auto and retail theft, and “wants to see the Police Department fully staffed again with quality officers,” his website says.

Sundberg has raised almost $5,000 for his campaign so far, according to Aurora’s Campaign Finance system.

He has one opponent so far in the race: Gayla Charrier, a former correctional officer and government security professional for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and United Launch Alliance.

Charrier told The Denver Gazette her top priorities are addressing “a mental health crisis,” educating people and families on city resources and governmental transparency. 

She has not raised any money for her campaign as of Thursday afternoon.

Other council seats up for election in November are Wards I, III and two at-large.

Currently, Crystal Murillo holds the Ward I seat. She has not replied to The Denver Gazette’s inquiry into her future on the council.

Five candidates have filed campaign documents to run for Murillo’s seat, including Pastor Reid Hettich, product development manager and former Denver city planner Stephen Elkins, Christopher Belila, State of Colorado Coordinator Gianina Horton and Leandra Steed.

The at-large seats are currently held by Danielle Jurinsky, Alison Coombs, Curtis Gardner and Amsalu Kassaw, who replaced former member Dustin Zvonek late last year.

Jurinsky and Kassaw have both announced campaigns for re-election. CommunityWorks’ Rob Andrews and USPS clerk and Aurora Human Relations Commissioner Aaron Futrell have also announced campaigns for the two seats.

Ward III is currently represented by Ruben Medina, who has also not announced a campaign for re-election. 

The only candidate currently for Ward III is former city councilmember Marsha Berzins, who represented Ward III on the council from 2009 to 2021.