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Aurora council votes to reopen appointments for Public Defender Commission after members demand interviews
Summary
After a motion by Council Member Bergen, the council voted 7–3 to reconsider a consent reappointment to the Public Defender Commission and to reopen the application/interview process; staff reported application materials in the backup but the count of applicants was inconsistently reported during discussion.
The Aurora City Council voted Nov. 3 to reconsider a consent reappointment to the Public Defender Commission and to reopen the candidate process for interviews.
Council Member Bergen moved to reconsider consent item 9c2 — the reappointment of three members to the Public Defender Commission — saying he had been on the prevailing side and wished to interview candidates rather than simply reappoint. The motion was seconded and passed on a 7–3 vote.
During discussion staff said that all applications received were in the backup materials and initially reported six total applications, with three incumbents recommended for reappointment. Later in the exchange staff corrected or clarified that only three individuals had applied for the seats recommended for reappointment, creating a discrepancy in the record during the meeting.
City Attorney Schulte told the council that holding interviews would not create a conflict with the commission’s independence so long as council did not usurp the commission’s statutory responsibilities; Schulte warned that adopting interviews for this commission could set a precedent to interview nominees to other boards and commissions.
Council directed staff to reopen and advertise the appointment period for about a month and tentatively aim to return candidate interviews to the council around mid‑December.
