Alderwoman Wani Garza reflects on 21 years and neighborhood programs in Aurora’s 2nd Ward

Alderwoman Wani Garza, who has served Aurora’s Second Ward since 2005, said she has spent two decades pushing small, local investments — from chain‑link fence replacements and driveway grants to a splash pad at McCarthy Park — aimed at improving daily life for predominantly Latino neighborhoods.

Garza, Aurora’s Second Ward representative on the City Council’s infrastructure and technology and building, zoning and economic development committees, said she first ran for a four‑year term but “now it’s 21 years,” and that constituents’ requests and neighborhood needs keep her in office. “They need a lot of help,” she said in the city’s “Meet Your Alderman” interview.

The alderwoman described several neighborhood programs she has pursued. She said the ward has helped residents replace chain‑link fences and has a driveway replacement program for homeowners, with eligibility tied to ownership and household income thresholds she described as around $60,000. In the interview Garza quoted assistance levels in spoken figures — saying the fence help was “7,500” and that driveway help was “5,000” — and also said the ward has at times set aside funds such as $25,000 for driveway work and $25,000 for chain‑link fence projects. She urged residents to contact her office for current program rules and application help.

Garza credited prior larger ward budgets in part to gambling revenue and mayoral supplements that allowed bigger projects in earlier years. “In 2005 every ward we had 480,000,” she said, contrasting that with what she described as about $75,000 more recently.

One of the marquee projects Garza highlighted was a multi‑year effort to turn around McCarthy Park. She said the ward invested roughly $600,000 to renovate the park, add a playground and install a splash pad to give families a low‑cost option for cooling off in summer. Garza said the splash pad and playground fill a practical need for families who otherwise would pay for pool admission.

On outreach, Garza emphasized bilingual communications and neighborhood meetings, saying Second Ward is “84% Latino” and that many residents rely on Spanish materials and direct help to apply for ward programs. She gave a local office phone contact during the interview and said her office and assistant follow up by phone and email to assist people in English and Spanish.

Asked about being the first Hispanic/Latina elected to the Aurora City Council in 2005, Garza said the election was challenging but important for representation. She described selling two businesses she owned after taking office to avoid conflicts of interest and to devote time to constituent work.

Garza closed the interview by urging residents to apply for available programs and to attend neighborhood meetings: “Please take advantage of the driveways. Take advantage of the chain‑link fences. Come to Alderman’s office. We had the applications in there, actually helping English and Spanish.”

The city communications episode did not include formal votes or council actions; Garza encouraged residents to contact her office for the most up‑to‑date program criteria and funding availability.