AURORA | Aurora’s City Council on Monday filled an opening on the Planning and Zoning Commission after months of searching, voting to appoint ex-council member Bob Roth and skip interviewing five other candidates.
After Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky moved to waive the standard step of interviewing all commissioner candidates, Councilmember Crystal Murillo said she was uncomfortable with the city calling off interviews after it had invited people to apply for the vacant seat.
Councilmember Dustin Zvonek told Murillo that Roth appeared to have the support of the majority of the group based on formal rankings submitted by council members and that their endorsement of Roth was unlikely to change.
“I don’t think it’s fair to the other applicants or to this body to listen to other applicants make their case when it’s clear that (Roth) has the votes to be appointed,” Zvonek said.
The council voted 8-2 to appoint Roth, with Mayor Mike Coffman and fellow conservatives voting “yes,” and progressives Murillo and Ruben Medina voting “no.” Councilmember Alison Coombs was absent March 25.
Roth represented southwest Aurora on the city council between 2011 and 2019, serving as mayor pro tem in 2014 and 2019. He left the council after narrowly losing his re-election bid to Coombs, at that time a challenger for the Ward V seat.
After leaving the council, Roth ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for a Colorado Senate seat in 2020 and an Arapahoe County commissioner seat in 2022. He brings more than three decades of experience in the commercial construction business, including a construction consultancy that he launched while still on council.
Aurora’s Planning and Zoning Commission reviews and signs off on site plans, evaluates the city’s comprehensive plan for updates and makes recommendations to the council on topics related to zoning, planning and development.
After the city’s first attempt at drumming up interest in the vacancy left by the January resignation of commissioner Garret Ahern resulted in just two applications, the council voted in February to extend the process.
The two original applicants, Koami Nkouka and Alex Van Zante, were among the names presented to the council Monday, along with Roth, Robin Becker, Joshua Thaete and Daniel Widrich.
As a rabidly independent moderate, I have no qualms about calling out the Mayor and majority for denying interviews to the other candidates. Roth”s selection was 1000% political straight up and this majority has absolutely no interest in doing what’s right or proper.
Sad.
My goodness, Jeff, I wholeheartedly agree with you. Reading the article it shows how political the new council is.
Remember, Bob Roth was voted out by the voters in the Ward he was supposed to represent. Good old boy club lives on.
I wonder how Koami Nkouka, Alex Van Zante, Robin Becker, Josha Thaete and Daniel Widrich feel about Roth’s appointment? They didn’t even get an interview from Council.
They are probably lucky in that respect. Who wants to try to exist in such a toxic atmosphere and the right wing conservative republican council of aurora?????
This is naked corruption for all to see. This man can now “consult” on projects in Aurora while voting on their approval. Republicans get the grifting government they deserve.
If Murillo and Medina are against it, it is likely a good idea.
copy that good buddy!
If you would like to learn more about Bob Roth, go
to the Aurora Sentinel article dated June 6, 2018. He sure wouldn’t be my first choice!
Gov. Polis and the current state capitol lawmakers have an agenda to take over local planning/ amending the local zoning codes to the max for ultra-high density. A new severe pack-em- solid as sardines plan exist, thus creating an imbalance to the original rational of beneficially spaced dwellings. It’s now come down to the wire. Bob Roth, knows where all this social design and manipulation ends up. Bob Roth, hopefully, will stand up with confidence against this take over if deep-seated lefty state politicians manage to get their way. Further, this potential conflict, a neighborhoods nightmare, this city council will be prepared to stand against Polis’s new radical social redesign with whatever it takes. Anyone traveling anyplace in local traffic, their lives are already impacted, and we want more?
🤣
Now, the other side of the above commenters who state that this was all about Aurora politics and corruption. Bob Roth is extremely knowledgeable about how Planning and Commission in Aurora has run directly for the past ten years. Bob Roth is very knowledgeable about the private development system in the Denver area to get projects planned, reviewed and completed.
The current Council certainly knew this, compared this against the applications of the five others and decided that it would be superior to have an Ex-Council member in this, I believe, a volunteer position.
Look who complained and voted against the process, the two socialists. Would have been three if the Coombs family situation didn’t suddenly come up. Now that’s political voting.
My thanks to the City Council for saving my time from watching the process from what a common sense person would call a “foregone, smart conclusion”.
Bob is a gracious and patient man willing to engage all points of view before making a reasoned decision based on the facts and his consitently applied political philosophy. Basically he is a better dressed Curtis Gardner.
Everytime I read about this counsel, the Mayor and the Conservative(fascist) majority bypass rules and regulations to get what they want. Mr. Roth sounds qualified for the job but, other who had applied deserve to be allowed “Just” treatment. These Conservative counsel members need to start following protacol while doing Aurora’s buisness instead of trying to Strong arm the.minority like good little Nazis.