Aurora City Council members are evenly tied in a decision to appoint a mayor pro tem, split between conservative councilmember Steve Sundberg and his more moderate colleague Curtis Gardner, who has served as mayor pro tem once before.

In a vote at Dec. 2’s council meeting, half of the councilmembers chose Sundberg, while the other half chose Gardner. None of the members seemed willing to shift their vote. 

The mayor pro tem only has a few roles: to organize and set the agenda for the quarterly workshops and to assign members to the respective policy committees next year. The appointed member also takes over for the mayor in the case that the mayor is gone — a rare instance.

If there is not a decision made on which councilmember should fill the role, the role will simply go un-filled, Mayor Mike Coffman said. The council will have to vote to suspend the rules and vote on policy committee assignments.

On Monday, Coffman put Gardner’s name forward as the next mayor pro tem. Five councilmembers voted for Gardner, including Ruben Medina, Gardner, Alison Coombs, Coffman and Crystal Murillo. 

Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky then made a motion to appoint Sundberg, who got five votes from councilmembers Hancock, Sundberg, Francoise Bergan, Jurinsky and Angela Lawson. 

With the tie votes, both motions failed, so the council put the item on the next meeting’s agenda. 

“I don’t think that this issue is time sensitive,” Coffman said. “Delaying it until the next council meeting would give both candidates for the appointment time to talk to their colleagues.”

Sundberg has a history of voting steadfastly with his other conservative colleagues on issues presented before the council, while Gardner’s vote is less predictable. 

Gardner also recently posted on X that the Colorado GOP “no longer stands for the issues I care about,” re-posting a story about anti-LGBTQ+ messaging from the Colorado GOP and calling it their “latest hateful stunt.”

“I stand with all Aurorans – and that includes those in the LGBTQ+ community,” Gardner wrote on X.

“The Republican Party, and specifically the Colorado GOP, no longer stands for the issues that I care about – individual rights, fiscal responsibility, restraint of government, limited foreign intervention, and encouraging economic mobility,” he wrote on X.

Republican politician John Fabbricatore, who ran for Colorado District 6 and lost to Jason Crow in November, criticized Coffman and Gardner on social media platform X the day after the council’s mayor pro tem indecision, saying both “need to admit they are Democrats now.”

Fabbricatore linked his post to an Aurora Sentinel article about the mayor pro tem discussion, saying: “Gardner and Coffman want to roadblock Operation Aurora. Both are anti-Trump.”

Coffman told The Denver Gazette he will maintain his vote for Gardner. Councilmember Stephanie Hancock said she was confident in her vote for Sundberg.

No other councilmembers, aside from Sundberg, replied to The Denver Gazette’s request for comment on whether they would be willing to shift their vote, or what that would take.

Sundberg told the Denver Gazette said his “active presence” in the community sets him apart from Gardner as a candidate for the position. 

Gardner is “capable and policy-driven,” Sundberg said, but the role requires “more than policy expertise.”

“It calls for genuine community connection,” Sundberg told The Denver Gazette. “I love this city and take pride in being an active, involved and engaged representative of our community.”

Gardner already served as mayor pro tem once, and the role should be shared among councilmembers with unique perspectives and “fresh energy,” Sundberg said. 

“Being Mayor Pro Tem is about representing Aurora with dedication, collaboration, and a strong connection to its people,” he said. 

Gardner did not reply to The Denver Gazette’s request for comment.

Councilmember Hancock said she “strongly supports” Sundberg as the mayor pro tem because of his experience and leadership.

“As a business owner and chair of the Water Policy Committee, Steve brings valuable experience and a practical approach to leadership,” Hancock told The Denver Gazette.  

Mayor Coffman said that both candidates “could do the job,” but Gardner has been the mayor pro tem before and proven himself. 

“I thought that he did a great job at the time so I will be continuing my support for him,” Coffman said.