Aurora voters so far favored progressive candidates to fill five City Council seats, with Rob Andrews, Alli Jackson, Gianina Horton, Amy Wiles and incumbent Ruben Medina leading over their conservative counterparts, according to unofficial results.

At-large candidates Andrews and Jackson led conservative incumbents Danielle Jurinsky and Amsalu Kassaw, with the former at 26% and 25%, and the latter at 22.6% and 18%, respectively. Watson Gomes trailed with 8%, according to the latest tally.

In Ward I, Horton held a 28-point lead over Stephen Elkins, 57% to 30%. Reid Hettich trailed, with 13%.

In Ward II, Amy Wiles was ahead of incumbent Steve Sundberg by seven percentage points, 53.3% to 46.7%.

In Ward III, incumbent Ruben Medina secured victory over former City Councilmember Marsha Berzins by 24 points, 62% to 38%.

There are five Aurora City Council seats up for grabs, including one each in wards I, II and III, and two at-large positions.

Conservative members make up the majority of the council, with three progressive members, two of whom, Ruben Medina and Crystal Murillo, are in seats up for election. Medina is running to maintain his seat and Murillo is not.

Mayor Mike Coffman, a Republican, said Tuesday night that he worries about the progressive swing for business and law enforcement in Aurora.

“I think the Republicans weren’t fired up enough for this election, and the Democrats were,” he said about the political swing.

Aurora is Colorado’s third largest city with more than 400,000 residents, and its council election comes during a period of tension between councilmembers and the public.

The Aurora City Council has been meeting via video conference since June, when councilmembers voted to meet that way until an official ruling came in from the court in the Kilyn Lewis shooting case. Protesters for Lewis have attended every council meeting for more than a year, often speaking over time limits and interrupting meetings.

Meanwhile, the conservative majority and progressive minority on the council have had heated arguments and councilmembers talking, or sometimes yelling, over each other.

AURORA PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Voters in Aurora Public Schools favored keeping Anne Keke and Tramaine Duncan on the district board, and adding Kristin Mallory and Gayla Charrier, according to the tally.

There are seven total candidates for four school board director seats.

Incumbents Keke and Duncan led their counterparts with 20% and 18%, respectively, followed by Mallory and Charrier, with 18% and 15%, according to the unofficial results.

Nino Pepper, Tapsuru “Ousman” Ba and Hendrix Percival Lewis trailed with 10%, 11% and 8%, respectively.

The Aurora Public Schools board has seven total members, four of whom are up for election this year. 

The APS district, also known as Adams-Arapahoe 28J, has more than 38,000 students who speak more than 160 languages, 42% of whom are second language learners, according to the district’s website.

APS had the state’s lowest-performing CMAS school this year, Aurora West College Preparatory Academy. Meanwhile, the district’s classified staff members are demanding a union for better pay and better working conditions.

AURORA BALLOT QUESTIONS

Aurora voters appeared to have been persuaded to change the city charter in some ways and not others.

•Ballot question 3B: Amend the city charter to use gender-neutral language: 50.6% yes, 49.4% no

•Ballot question 3C: Amend the city charter to establish procedures for filling vacancies on the City Council based on the timing of the vacancy: 74.4% yes, 25.6% no

•Ballot question 3D: Amend the city charter to remove the residency requirement for the city manager: 19% yes, 81% no

•Ballot question 3E: Amend the city charter to remove the prohibition on elected officials holding another elective public office: 18% yes, 82% no

•Ballot question 3F: Designate ward and at-large councilmembers as separate offices for purposes of term limits: 51.5% yes, 48.5% no

AURORA DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

Aurora voters within the proposed authority’s boundary have embraced its creation as a means of revitalizing the Colfax Avenue corridor, according to the latest tally.

•Ballot question A: Whether voters want to form a DDA: 77% yes, 23% no

•Ballot question B: Whether the DDA in question A can use tax increment financing under Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights: 80% yes, 20% no

The two ballot questions were on a separate ballot that went out only to voters within the proposed Downtown Development Authority (DDA) boundary. 

Aurora councilmembers unanimously approved taking the question to voters. The authority, as envisioned, seeks to revitalize the Colfax corridor.

Efforts to revitalize Colfax in Aurora began in April 2024, when Aurora’s Urban Renewal Authority board voted to approve an evaluation on how to improve downtown Aurora, with a focus on the areas between Colfax Avenue and Yosemite Street and 17th and 13th streets.

Progressive Urban Management Associates (PUMA) is targeting six areas to address with the DDA, including public safety, business support, advancing the arts, housing and neighborhood stability, cleaning and maintenance, and public space improvements.