Aurora’s municipal elections are underway, and while we have previously looked at who’s running for the at-large city council seats, there are three other wards up for election in November.
Although municipal elections in Aurora are non-partisan, political ideology has played an increased role in city elections. There is a conservative majority on Aurora’s City Council, but with five seats in total up for grabs, city policy could shift dramatically depending on the outcome of this election.
Here is an overview of who is running in the various wards.
Ward I
Ward I in Aurora sits at the Northwest corner of the city and is currently represented by City Councilwoman Crystal Murillo. Murillo has not filed for re-election and did not respond to CTR’s inquiry into whether or not she was running.
Stephen Elkins
Elkins is running unaffiliated and is a former community planner for the City of Denver who resides in the Jewell Heights neighborhood. He is an active participant in Aurora city governance, regularly attending city council meetings and making public comments.
“I was motivated to run for City Council after attending the current Ward I council member’s town hall meeting last fall,” Elkins told CTR. “There was a clear disconnect between what residents were sharing and the responses to their issues.”
Elkins is part of the Mabry Safety Collective, a neighborhood group focused on public safety in northwest Aurora, particularly the Edge at Lowry, an apartment complex run by CBZ management that was thrust into the national spotlight over gang activity and slum-like conditions. In his work with the group, Elkins says he advocated for Aurora to close the Edge and rehouse existing residents.
Elkins says that his top priorities include public safety and economic development. In terms of policing, he says that Aurora “needs to focus on rebuilding the police department, where Chief Chamberlain had been off to a great start. We need to look at what it means to be a police officer in Aurora — particularly administrative tasks that may be able to be completed by others or technology to ensure our police officers focus on fighting crimes.”
Elkins says that his experience with the Mabry Safety Collective as a community advocate and as someone who has worked with local governments has prepared him to serve on the City Council.
Rev. Reid Hettich
Hettich, an unaffiliated voter, is a pastor and community leader who has been in Aurora for nearly 40 years. Hettich’s experience stems from decades of community and church service in Aurora, focusing on community equity, safety, and revitalization.
“I’ve been working on a grass level with people, their needs, their problems … been with during the best times of times and the worst times,” Hettich told CTR. “After the theater shooting in 2012, I was on the executive committee to monitor and had some role in divvying up the money that came in for some of the victims. Then we opened up the Aurora Strong Resilience Center, and I served as chair of that steering committee. Again, it was a heartbreaking thing to see some of this strong trauma and struggles from people who went through that tragedy, as well as seeing folks come through strong and resilient and ready to serve and help others.”
Hettich is the founder and executive director of Mosaic Unlimited, a church-based organization aimed at preventing youth violence, the chairperson of Aurora’s Key Community Response Team, a member of the Community Advisory Council for Aurora’s Consent Decree, and sits on a variety of other community boards/programs.
According to Hettich, his top priorities include public safety and economic revitalization.
Gianina Horton
Horton, a Democrat and fifth-generation Coloradan, currently serves as Colorado’s coordinator for reducing racial and ethnic disparities and was the co-executive director of the Denver Justice Project, a non-profit that works on criminal justice reform. Additionally, Horton was a project manager for the Denver Office of the Independent Monitor.
Horton says that her work as a public advocate allowed her to reflect on the traumatic experiences both from the perspectives of those who are victims of police violence and from the traumatic experiences police officers have.
Horton says that there is a massive disconnect between the Aurora Police Department and communities within Aurora, especially communities of color. APD has had a string of highly publicized incidents of police violence that include the killings of Elijah McClain, Jor’Dell Richardson, and Kilyn Lewis, which have made community members distrustful of law enforcement on the whole.
“We need oversight that is independent of city managers, to council members, to police, to the community, and can work along the lines of policy that understand the practice of policing,” Horton said. “Practice of policing that can really be S.T.A.R. cases [the Support Team Assistant Response Program that can send out behavioral health clinicians and paramedics to assist people experiencing mental health crises], as well as facilitate robust community engagement.”
Horton says her experience working with municipal, county, and state governments gives her a unique insight that makes her suited for public service.
Similarly to Hettich, Horton served as a member of the Community Advisory Council for Aurora’s consent decree.
Horton’s platform includes advocating for a safety program that includes accountable policing, prioritizing affordable housing and support for renters, and working to embrace newcomers in Aurora.
Christopher Belila
Belila did respond to CTR’s request for an interview and does not have a campaign website up.
According to the Aurora Sentinel, Belila is an “unaffiliated voter, [who] is the founder of Beer Bodega in Denver, a partnership business model that offers small Denver metro-based breweries the opportunity to expand their business into new markets.”
In a LinkedIn post, Belila said: “Excited to share that I am running for Aurora City Council, representing Ward I, known for its rich cultural diversity, making it a vibrant community in Colorado. Despite its current reputation, Ward I is home to kind-hearted individuals deserving of a positive image.”
“By utilizing governmental tools and taking essential steps, we can strengthen the Ward’s foundation and pave the way for Ward I and the Colfax corridor,” Belila added. “As a candidate, my priority is to lay the groundwork for a thriving future. I am committed to empowering city professionals with the expertise to drive meaningful change and supporting initiatives led by experienced leaders to restore and strengthen Ward I. Together, we can create a brighter, more vibrant community.”
Leandra Steed
Steed, a registered Democrat, also did not respond to CTR’s request for an interview and does not currently have a campaign website up. Steed is the director of Equity Matters at Great Education Colorado.
According to the Aurora Sentinel, Steed has served on several community organizations, namely as the chairperson for the NAACP Aurora Education Committee.
Ward II
Gayla Charrier
Charrier, who is running unaffiliated, is running against incumbent Aurora city councilman Steve Sundberg, who is finishing his first term.
Charrier, a veteran, previously worked in the field of government security for United Launch Alliance, the Department of Corrections, and RTD. Charrier is currently a Certified Nurse Assistant and serves as a caregiver for her non-verbal autistic son.
Charrier told CTR she was motivated to run for city council following a troubling trend she saw in city politics.
“I’ve witnessed a lot of city council meetings where our community is not really being heard. They speak, but they’re not heard,” Charrier said in an interview. “ A few city council members currently go through the motions of listening, but they are not really being attentive or perceive any of the issues that occur within the community as they’re not experiencing it themselves.”
Charrier says she has seen the time allotted to community members for public comment has been reduced over the years and been frustrated by members of the current city council tabling issues rather than addressing them in a public forum.
Charrier criticized Sundberg for what she describes as a lack of presence in the community. “I don’t see him anywhere [in the community],” said Charrier. In particular, Charrier was frustrated over the lack of response from some city councilors, Sundberg included, who she feels dismissed concerns from families who have lost someone to police violence.
Charrier said that she fears that her son, who is on the autism spectrum, may one day be the victim of police violence, especially given high-profile cases of police killings of young black men in Aurora, like Elijah McClain.
“I’m used to advocating for individuals who don’t have a voice or who feel like they don’t have a place. I know what it’s like to not be heard or looked over and dismissed. My son, who is non-verbal autistic, I’ve had to go to bat for him a lot because he literally doesn’t have a voice.”
Charrier says she is committed to “improving services for senior citizens, children, and adults with special needs or developmental disabilities”.
Steve Sundberg
Sundberg is the incumbent for this seat, as well as the Mayor Pro Tem and the proprietor of a local bar and grill in Aurora.
A registered Republican, Sundberg is finishing up his first term. Sundberg did not respond to CTR’s request for an interview, but his campaign website says his priorities are: keeping Aurora safe, keeping APD fully staffed, reducing homelessness, and finding “attainable solutions” for affordable housing.
Amy Wiles
Wiles has lived in Aurora for 25 years, owns a small photography business, and works in strategy and product development for a healthcare company.
A single mother of two, Wiles is a member of Aurora’s Human Relations Commission, which she has chaired for the past three years.
As councilwoman, Wiles says her top priorities would be improving infrastructure, dealing with what she describes as a “lack of police presence”, addressing the lack of accessible grocery stores in east Aurora, and the absence of other community facilities like recreation centers and libraries.
“The rapid construction of homes, townhomes, and apartments in the eastern portion of the ward has outpaced critical investments in the infrastructure and amenities necessary for a thriving community,” Wiles told CTR. “Many areas rely on two-lane roads without proper traffic signals–a design flaw that has contributed to numerous accidents and fatalities in recent years. Additionally, emergency response times in the eastern part of the ward can exceed 25 minutes, creating an unacceptable safety risk for residents.”
Wiles says she has been prepared for leadership through her commitment to community advocacy.
“I’ve dedicated years to hands-on service. As a seven-year member of the City of Aurora’s Human Relations Commission (and Chair for the past three years), I’ve helped organize initiatives like Community Reading Hours, supply drives for low-income and unhoused neighbors, and Know Your Rights workshops to empower residents.”
Ward III
Ruben Medina
Medina, a Democrat, is finishing out his first term on Aurora’s city council. While Medina did not respond to CTR’s request for an interview, Medina’s website says that he will continue to fight for “livable wages”, ‘compassionate’ community policing, and new infrastructure projects that he says will boost jobs and local businesses in Aurora.
Medina, a former emergency medical technician, will be facing off against former City Councilwoman Marsha Berzins, who opted not to run for re-election in 2021, when she stepped down to unsuccessfully run for Arapahoe County Treasurer, but is now vying for a return to the council.
Marsha Berzins
Berzins did not respond to CTR’s request for an interview, but she previously represented Ward III from 2009 until her departure in 2021. She served as Mayor Pro Tem twice, in 2023 and 2018.
Berzins ran for county treasurer as a Republican. According to Berzins’ campaign website, her priorities include public safety through collaborating with local police and fire departments, supporting local businesses, and broadly speaking “community support”. She owns a small electrical and lighting shop near Aurora Hills.
