Voters have one week left to determine Aurora’s subsequent mayor

AURORA — Aurora voters have lower than every week left to solid their ballots and determine who would be the subsequent chief of the third largest metropolis in Colorado.

Three candidates are on the poll — Incumbent Mike Coffman, Juan Marcano and Jeff Sanford. Denver7 spoke with the 2 main the race with regards to fundraising — Coffman and Marcano.

Coffman was elected to the mayoral seat in 2019 and is searching for re-election. He stated the final 4 years have been a handful, since Aurora faces city challenges whereas being a suburb.

Coffman needs to serve one other 4 years as mayor “to proceed what I have been engaged on. So, been working to scale back crime, to take care of the challenges of homelessness… and to handle the problem of housing affordability.”

In keeping with town, Coffman has raised $254,382.91, which is greater than double what his challenger, Aurora Metropolis Councilmember Juan Marcano, has raised. Marcano has raised $106,179.97.

“When it comes to uncooked {dollars}, I anticipated to be outraised, proper. He is been in politics longer than I have been alive,” stated Marcano. “So, I am unable to compete with that Rolodex, however I’ve one thing that he would not have, and that’s grassroots assist and real assist that is native.”

Although Aurora’s elections are nonpartisan, Coffman is a former Republican congressman and Marcano defines himself as a progressive Democrat.

Tied for Coffman’s high donor is the president and CEO of an oil and pure fuel exploration and manufacturing firm, Roger Hutson.

“Roger Hutson and I’ve been associates because the Earth was cooling,” Coffman stated with fun. “We have been associates for a very long time, means earlier than I obtained to this workplace. And he would not do any work on this space. I do not assume he does any work anymore in Colorado, any drilling.”

In the meantime, the biggest single donation given to Marcano got here from the Service Staff Worldwide Union (SEIU) Native 105.

“It was via their small donor committee. So, that is a mixture of not more than $50 per individual,” stated Marcano. “Plenty of our Ethiopian group who work in service, the service business or within the medical area, are SEIU 105 members. So having their assist is a big honor for me, so I am actually blissful about that. I used to be very excited to earn their assist.”

Metropolis information reveals the third candidate, navy veteran Jeffrey Sanford, has raised no cash.

Coffman believes the three largest points that have to be addressed in Aurora are crime, homelessness and housing affordability. His high precedence is crime in Aurora.

“Persons are involved about — throughout the board, no matter get together — they’re involved about crime,” stated Coffman. “They need a tricky on crime strategy, and that is what I am providing. And I consider that, on the finish of the day, that may essentially make a distinction.”

Coffman believes accelerating the hiring course of within the police division, which has already occurred, will result in a completely staffed division by early 2024.

If reelected, he hopes to develop sure companies for the unhoused inhabitants within the metropolis that he believes could possibly be applied by March or April.

“I wish to create a specialised courtroom to take care of low-level offenses for homeless folks, that focus not on punishing them, however getting them into remedy in change for dropping any expenses,” Coffman stated. “It is going to be totally different than Denver in that they are going to be required to do one thing in change for these helps that they get, versus simply having the wraparound companies there. And I hope that strategy is profitable, that in giving them the discretion to make the most of them or not, I would like them to make the most of these companies. And we’re most likely going to take a really robust love strategy to get them to maneuver in that path.”

Coffman stated he would additionally like to enhance town’s partnership with faculty districts to forestall youth violence via extra after-school packages, particularly focused at grades six via twelve.

The present mayor additionally believes by making housing in Aurora extra inexpensive, town will turn out to be extra engaging by way of financial improvement.

Marcano, then again, views inexpensive housing as his essential precedence.

“I put housing on the high as a result of so as so that you can have a protected metropolis, so as so that you can achieve success in our society, it’s important to have steady housing, at the start,” Marcano stated. “The best way we might deal with that situation right here is, frankly, we simply have to have extra funding from town’s out there sources into our Housing and Group Companies Division. We have to actually bolster our skill to do hole financing grant funding, and to assist that we’re a Housing Authority and the federal authorities assist that we get for the Aurora Housing Authority to only actually aggressively construct top quality and blended earnings, blended use housing… One of many massive failures up to now for public housing efforts have been that they only concentrated poverty, and put that housing on the fringes. We have to make sure that we’re really constructing the place present companies and employment alternatives are at.”

Inexpensive housing straight connects with homelessness as effectively, in line with Marcano.

“Most individuals, they lose their housing due to momentary incapacity, job loss, fleeing a home violence state of affairs, or simply merely divorce. After which lots of the behavioral and psychological well being issues sometimes observe that. So if we are able to make sure that housing stays inexpensive for our residents, we’ll have much less homelessness. After which we have to spend money on everlasting supportive housing, and speedy rehousing to handle the unhoused inhabitants that we at present have,” stated Marcano.

He agrees that vacancies within the police division have to be stuffed, but in addition stated the Police Space Representatives (PAR) program needs to be the inspiration of the division.

“It is one thing that was actually revolutionary and was began within the Nineteen Eighties right here. Our mannequin was so distinctive that really lots of different companies have taken it and run with it. Whereas right here, division management and former councils haven’t prioritized it. So it has been on the backburner,” stated Marcano. “It is a lot better for us to have the ability to resolve issues via conversations or intervention, since you’re in tune with the group and you realize the parents who stay there, than it’s to attend till issues get out of hand and have to reply, you realize, with lights and sirens and weapons drawn. So I might a lot moderately see us reinvest in our division and guarantee that PAR is the inspiration of that division.”

Each Coffman and Marcano stated they assist Interim Police Chief Artwork Acevedo turning into the everlasting chief, if Acevedo decides to remain.

Marcano stated there must be massive modifications with regards to how the Youth Violence Prevention Program is dealt with in Aurora.

“We want town council to cease meddling in our Youth Violence Prevention Program. So, I do not know if people are conscious of this, however we have really had full employees turnover in that program since we started it. And that is as a result of a few of my colleagues, principally harass our employees. They attempt to micromanage employees, which by the way in which, is a violation of our constitution. We’re not supposed to try this,” stated Marcano. “It is by no means really, actually been in a position to get it is ft below it, as a result of council continues to meddle. So the very first thing I might change is, we’re not enjoying round with violations of town constitution. For those who preserve doing this, we will censure you. And we’re going to ensure your constituents know that you just’re harassing employees and making it tougher for them to handle these points that we’ve got in our group.”

Election day is November 7, and polls are open till 7 p.m. Denver7’s voter information breaks down every of the problems in Colorado this yr.