Aurora Mayoral Candidates Discuss Affordable Housing and Public Safety Ahead of Election
People living in Aurora will have a chance to hear from the next possible mayor ahead of the Nov. 7 election in an election forum Thursday night at the Aurora Municipal Building. The candidates will discuss several issues, including public safety and affordable housing.
In a hot topic discussion, affordable housing takes center stage as finding an affordable home in Aurora, like in many areas of the state, is difficult. According to the latest report from the Colorado Associations of Realtors, the median sale price of a home in Arapahoe County in August of 2023 was $585,000. This poses a significant challenge for residents in Aurora, where the median household income is $72,052 according to the US Census. The candidates have each proposed their own approaches to help residents find affordable housing solutions.
Incumbent Mayor Mike Coffman highlights the potential of modular homes, stating, I think that modular homes are going to be the future in terms of affordable housing, where you have the majority of the house built in a factory setting. In a much more efficient way and much more cost-effective way. And then those transported to a site and assembled there.
Meanwhile, Aurora City Council Member Juan Marcano emphasizes the need for serious investments in housing, including land use reforms and a commitment to ensuring workforce housing. Marcano states, I think that we need to make serious investments in housing, as I mentioned already from land use reforms, which I was a strong proponent of in the last legislative session. But, also in terms of our commitment to ensuring that we have workforce housing.
Challenger Jeffrey Sanford suggests exploring a land lease model in partnership with developers to build affordable housing for residents who don’t earn high incomes. Sanford proposes, How about we look at a land lease for the city of Aurora and come in and partner with developers to build affordable housing for our folks that don’t make that much.
Another major issue discussed by the mayoral candidates is public safety, particularly considering the hiring challenges faced by the Aurora Police Department. Despite this, recent Colorado Crime Statistics reveal that violent crime in Aurora is currently at its lowest point in five years. Moreover, property crime and car thefts have also dropped to a five-year low. While Mayor Coffman acknowledges the positive trends, he acknowledges the need for continuous improvement in lowering crime rates. It’s great to see that violent crime has gone down. It’s great to see that motor vehicle theft has gone down. That assaults have gone down. That even domestic violence has gone down. So, a lot of positive trends but still we have a long way to go, Coffman said.
Marcano believes in addressing the root causes of crime and working with law enforcement to prevent issues before they arise. He states, I think that what we currently are doing is that we’re stuck in a pattern of responding and the response is important, but we have to make sure that we are putting just as much, if not more effort into ensuring that things don’t go wrong in our city, to begin with.
Sanford emphasizes the importance of fully resourcing law enforcement to enable them to carry out their duties effectively. He highlights the need to support Aurora’s law enforcement personnel: Law enforcement can do better if they are properly supported. We have to support our Aurora law enforcement folks.
The public forum will be held on Thursday at the Aurora Municipal Building from 6 to 10 p.m., providing an opportunity for residents to further understand the candidates’ positions on these critical issues. With affordable housing and public safety at the forefront of discussions, voters will have to consider the strategies and proposals put forth by each candidate when casting their votes in the upcoming election.
