Aurora councilmembers interviewed three top candidates for a council vacancy Monday night, pressing them about health, policing and public safety.

The three candidates are Danielle Lammon, a business owner and chair of the Citizens Advisory Budget Committee; Jonathan McMillan, director of Firearm-Related Harm and Violence Prevention Program Office at the Trailhead Institute; and, Amsalu Kassaw, a lieutenant at Aurora’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement  processing center. 

Each was given two minutes for opening remarks, then went through a round of interview questions from each councilmember.

The elected officials asked several questions, many of which dealt with current challenges the city faces.

Mayor Mike Coffman asked the candidates what economic development looks like in Aurora.

Councilmember Crystal Murillo asked candidates what the role of policing is in Aurora and what, if any, “reform” they think needs to happen.

Councilmember Alison Coombs asked about the candidates’ core values and how they would apply them to public policy.

Murillo also asked candidates if they have any relationships with current councilmembers that could affect the way they make decisions and vote on issues.

Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky asked if they are proud to be Americans — to which all three said “yes.”

Kassaw, who immigrated to the U.S. from Ethiopia in 2007, said his priorities are economic development, affordable housing and public safety.

When it comes to public health and safety, he said he is still “studying up on that” but added there needs to be more trust between police and residents.

“We need to support law enforcement,” he said. “We gotta work hard to have public trust between law enforcement and the community.”

Especially for small businesses in Aurora, public safety is a major issue for the council, Kassaw said, adding it is directly connected to economic development.

Diversity is the main thing that ignites his passion to serve on the council, he said. When he came to America, Aurora welcomed him, and he wants to give back to the community, he said. 

Lammon has been a resident of Aurora for 12 years. Her children graduated from Cherry Creek Schools and she has been involved in the city, she said, “since we became a part of it.” 

She has served on the Citizens Advisory Budget Committee, taking “deep dives on the city budget,” which makes her a good candidate because she knows where the city stands financially, she said. 

Lammon’s top priority is public safety, she said, emphasizing the “need to make sure we have the money to fund our fire and police.”

She said she also prioritizes having safe places for community members to come together, including an arts and entertainment venue, a plan city officials have been exploring recently. 

McMillan, who has lived in Aurora for 15 years, said his priorities are public health and safety, as well as affordable housing. 

One of the things that makes him a strong candidate is his history, he said. As a young person, he was involved in a gang and it “took me being incarcerated to figure out what I needed to do better in my life and I have spent the last 26 years walking that path giving back to the community.”

The role of policing in Aurora is “exactly what’s on their car doors — to serve and protect,” he said, adding he wants to see police officials across the board trained in “trauma-informed” practices.

Another big challenge the city faces is the perception that is crime-ridden, he said.

“I think we have some work to be done here in the next few weeks, few months, next year or so to really reestablish ourselves as a safe, healthy, welcoming and hopeful place for our citizens,” he said. “It’s important that our residents have hope and back that hope up with services and service.”

On Dec. 9, candidates will meet with the public. The council will appoint the new councilmember during a regular meeting on Dec. 16.

The candidate who is appointed will fill the rest of Aurora Mayor Pro Tem Dustin Zvonek’s term, which ends on the first council meeting in December 2025.

Qualifications for the position include being a registered elector in Aurora, a U.S. citizen, at least 21 years old on the date of appointment, a resident of Aurora for at least one year before the date of appointment, not employed by the city and not holding any other elective office.