Residents of Aurora can expect a fairly quiet election season this year.
City Council is placing only one ballot item in front of voters this fall, a proposed amendment to the city charter.
If approved, the measure would give the city more time to appoint new council members in the event of a vacancy. Currently, council has 30 days to fill a vacancy. The proposal would extend that time window to 45 days.
The issue has come up several times over the last couple of years. Some council members felt 30 days wasn’t enough time to advertise, interview and swear in a new member, said councilwoman Marsha Berzins, of Ward III.
“I personally didn’t have a problem with 30 days,” Berzins said. “To me that’s OK, it’s just part of the job. But some people wanted the extra two weeks so they voted it in.”
Otherwise, the ballot should be pretty light. Arapahoe County’s commissioners have no plans to place anything in front of voters this year, county spokeswoman Andrea Rasizer said.
Adams County, meanwhile, is also opting against placing any issues on the ballot. There will be some activity, however, in races for local school board and city council seats. In Aurora, five seats are up for grabs, in Ward I, Ward II and Ward III, in addition to two at-large positions, said Karen Goldman, deputy city clerk for Aurora. Candidates have until Aug. 27 to turn in their petitions to get on the ballot, she said.
Several hopefuls have already filed their paperwork to run for office. Eric Busch will challenge incumbent Sally Mounier in Ward I. In Ward II, councilwoman Renie Peterson will likely run against two candidates, Bernard Celestin and William Given. Christopher Gutierrez is challenging Berzins in Ward III.
There’s a crowded field of candidates, meanwhile, for the two at-large positions. Incumbents Brad Pierce and Barb Cleland will take on four other hopefuls: Pervaiz Kaiser, Maya Wheeler, Angela Lawson and Matthew Cook.
The Aurora Public Schools district, meanwhile, will have elections for four of the school board’s seven seats.
