Applications for an open seat on Aurora City Council will open Tuesday with a Nov. 13 deadline, councilmembers decided in Monday night’s study session.

Current Mayor Pro Tem Dustin Zvonek announced his early departure from his position at a city council meeting earlier in October, opening up a seat on the 11-person council.

Councilmembers Monday discussed several possible procedures for appointing Zvonek’s replacement, landing on one proposed by councilmember Curtis Gardner.

The process will begin Tuesday, Oct. 29 with applications accepted online and an application deadline of Nov. 13. Councilmembers will decide who to interview in a Nov. 18 council meeting.

In a Dec. 2 special study session, councilmembers will interview candidates. On Dec. 9, candidates will have a meet and greet with the public and the council will appoint a new councilmember during a regular meeting Dec. 16.

Along with his role as a councilmember, Zvonek also held the title of Mayor Pro Tem, making him responsible for performing the mayor’s duties in their absence.

The Mayor Pro Tem is chosen by a majority vote of the council at the first council meeting following every regular municipal election, according to city code. City staff recommended the council select an interim Mayor Pro Tem, but councilmembers opted to wait, since the period for selecting a new permanent person for that position is upcoming quickly.

While Zvonek did not specify his reason for leaving, he said it had to do with family and “curveballs” thrown his way.

Zvonek has served on the Aurora City Council for three years, with his current four-year term set to expire in November 2025. However, he will instead vacate his position by the end of the month, he said at a previous meeting.

He recently joined public relations firm 76 Group as a principal, the company announced in mid-September. Prior to joining the firm, he was the president and CEO of Young Americans Bank and Young Americans Center for Financial Education.

In the last meeting, Zvonek expressed gratitude to his fellow councilmembers, saying he is proud of the council’s work over the years.

“Serving on this council has been a wild ride, to say the least, and yet it’s something I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world,” Zvonek said. “Sometimes in life you get thrown a curveball, or in my case, it was several all at once. After much reflection and a few tough conversations, I’ve made a decision that’s in the best interest of my family.”

Zvonek emphasized his pride in the council’s work cleaning up homeless encampments, paving roads, and enacting mandatory minimum jail sentences for vehicle and retail theft.

He thanked the people of Aurora as well, saying he is “forever grateful” for the trust people have put in him and sorry that he cannot fulfill his four-year commitment.

Zvonek has been a major part of road maintenance pushes in the city as well as a recent push to privatize the city’s Public Defender’s Office.

Before Zvonek was on the council, he presented the idea for Build Up Aurora, a program to improve roads across the city. As a councilmember, he sponsored the program to close a two-decade funding gap for road maintenance.

Zvonek also partnered with fellow Councilmember Danielle Jurinsky in a push to figure out if the city could save money contracting out for indigent defense rather than funding an internal public defender’s office.

In his speech announcing his resignation, Zvonek also acknowledged the tension among councilmembers, particularly between the conservative majority, of which there are seven members, and progressive minority, of which there are three.

He referred to the discrepancies between members as a “reality TV show.”

“I know that for many of you who’ve tuned into our meetings, it sometimes feels like you’re watching a reality show where nobody’s going to get voted off the island,” he said. “We may not always agree, and some of us less than others, but I can promise you this: every single one of my colleagues genuinely cares about the city and its people.”