Dave Gruber Former Aurora City Councilman

It's seems incredible that the new liberal council members ran for a job without understanding that they would actually have to work. Now they want citizens to pay to hire more city employees to do the work they were elected to perform. Their voters aren't responsible for this. They got what they wanted. Those who didn't bother to vote against them are to blame.

The second of four furlough days for city of Aurora employees in 2026 is Friday, April 10. Most city facilities and operations will be closed, while essential services and emergency operations will remain fully operational.

Learn more and see a full list of closures: https://bit.ly/4drmtm7

[Image description: Aurora Municipal Center with text "Furlough Day City Closure"]

Buckley Space Force Base has come a long way since my time as a senior commander there from 2003–2005, and I couldn’t be more proud of the mission and the people behind it. Today, Team Buckley not only helps protect our nation and our allies, it also drives billions of dollars in economic impact and thousands of jobs right here in Aurora and the Denver metro area. Buckley has been, and remains, one of Aurora’s greatest strategic assets — for national security, good-paying jobs, and our long-term economic future. It was an honor to serve there then, and it’s an honor to watch their continued success now.

ROB ANDREWS' APOLOGY: AI OR CRISIS PR?

I asked Perplexity to analyze Councilman Rob Andrews' apology for drunk driving. The verdict? It wasn't sincere.

AI-GENERATED PROBABILITY: 75-85% HIGH

Here's what the analysis found:

LINGUISTIC RED FLAGS

Formulaic structure with five paragraphs, each with topic sentences in classic persuasion format

Repetitive themes: "Accountability," "consequences," "trust," "humility"—repeated mechanically

Corporate language: "restorative justice," "naming the harm," "rebuild trust"—reads like HR templates

Parallel sentence construction: "I am [adjective]..." and "I will [verb]..."—classic AI pattern

WHAT'S STRATEGICALLY MISSING

No mention of BAC (3X legal limit)

No acknowledgment he tried to use his councilman status to evade arrest

No specific people acknowledged as endangered

No concrete timeline or verifiable commitments

No detail on how he'll actually change behavior

WHY THIS MATTERS
A genuine apology from someone who made a serious DUI decision, tried to use political status to escape consequences, and violated public trust would include:
✓ Specific remorse about actual behavior
✓ Acknowledgment of facts he's trying to bury
✓ Concrete, verifiable next steps with dates
✓ Direct statement to affected Aurora residents

THE BOTTOM LINE
Either AI-generated with omissions inserted by counsel, or written by a communications professional using AI-optimized frameworks. Either way, it's strategic crisis PR—not authentic accountability.

The omissions are the smoking gun.

Aurora residents expect our elected officials to follow the law, not lean on their titles when they get caught breaking it.

Reports say Councilman Rob Andrews pulled out his Aurora City Council member card while being arrested on suspicion of DUI, with a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit. That is not just poor judgment – it looks like an attempt to use public office for personal benefit.

City Council needs to ask one clear question: did he use his council ID during that stop? If the answer is yes, he should be formally censured for abusing his position and undermining public trust.

Aurora is safer and stronger when the rules apply the same to councilmembers as they do to everyone else.

Aurora council member arrested for DUI was 3 times legal limit, police say Aurora City Councilmember Rob Andrews, who was arrested on suspicion of DUI on Saturday, had a blood alcohol content of more than three times the legal driving limit when he was pulled over, arrest documents show. Andrews, elected to the City Council in November, was pulled over Saturday evening and...

𝗔𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗿𝗮 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗱: 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵-𝗼𝗻-𝗖𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝘄𝘀

Aurora families and business owners: The liberal Colorado legislature and Supreme Court just stripped our city of key tools to fight crime. Yesterday's Supreme Court ruling gutted Aurora's ordinances that added real jail time for shoplifters, car thieves, dine-and-dash crooks, and drivers with unregistered, unlicensed, uninsured vehicles.

Home rule—enshrined in Article XX of our 1902 state constitution to shield local control from state meddling—guaranteed Aurora self-governance on these matters. But with all 7 justices appointed by Democrat governors, they're backing Gov. Polis against cities, calling our sentences "too harsh" for state crimes.

This echoes Gov Polis overruling our housing ordinances—now Aurora and other cities are suing for Article XX violations, yet liberal courts prioritize centralized Democrat power over your voter-approved local laws.

Small businesses reel, auto insurance rates skyrocket, families fear unlicensed drivers on the roads. Shockingly, much of this comes from Aurora's own House and Senate members in the legislature.

The recent election shifted city council left—voters who showed up made it happen. But if you sat out, 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝗸𝗲-𝘂𝗽 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹. Non-voters: Your silence let criminals win.

Register, vote conservative next time, and reclaim Aurora's safety.

While on Aurora Council, I worked with Rep Rod Bokenfeld to eliminate hurdles military spouses encounter in transferring their professional certifications to Colorado.

Gov Polis signed a bill today that expanded that bill by eliminating fees and having the temporary certification last 6 years instead of 2.

Note the rose logo on the Democratic Socialists of America post. Check the lapel pins on the official photos. They wear these pins at nearly all council meetings. Juan Marcano is running for Aurora mayor and Alison Coombs for Aurora city council. Countdown till they try to backtrack from Hamas atrocities: 5-4-3-2…

Congratulations to Col Marcus Jackson on the successful conclusion of his command of Space Base Delta 2. (When Buckley was an Air Force Base, his position would have been Wing Commander.) He was responsible for base operations at Buckley as well as missile early warning sites across the northern hemisphere. In addition to his success as a commander, Marcus was a great partner to the city.
Col Heidi Dexter is the new commander, and I wish her great success.

While many of us work to protect the military installations and the jobs they bring to Colorado, our teacher's union votes to abolish capitalism. Hard to believe.

Colorado teachers union passes resolution declaring capitalism 'inherently exploits children, public schools' The Colorado Education Association seeks to replace capitalism with a new equitable economic system, by allowing CEA members to publicly advocate and lobby for anti-capitalist policies at the CO Capitol.

Ward 6 Oil and Gas Meeting

Council Member Francoise Bergan hosted a Ward 6 meeting on 2/2/2023 to discuss the oil and gas wells proposed east of the Aurora Reservoir. These are my notes.

Key points:
***** The well plan is still draft, and another version is expected in March.

***** Colorado State Land Board owns the well sites. The profits and much of the severance tax will go to Colorado public schools. https://slb.colorado.gov/

***** The wells pose little to no threat to the Aurora Reservoir because they will be located east of a ridge that runs north and south adjacent to and east of the reservoir. If the well develops a leak either on the surface or subsurface, the residue will flow away from the reservoir and not towards it.

***** The wells will be drilled on land controlled by Arapahoe County. The City of Aurora has no control. If residents want to oppose the wells, they need to address both county and state legislators.

***** Both Council Member Bergan and Mayor Pro Tem Gardner pledged to submit a formal letter to Arapahoe County strongly urging they move the wells closest to the reservoir further away.
____________________
The city presenters were Jeffrey Moore, the Director of Oil and Gas; and Marshall Brown, the Director of Aurora Water. In addition, Chris McGowen, a Colorado attorney specializing in oil and gas explained the law.

Mr. Moore gave a slide presentation that showed the location of the well pad sites and where the horizontal wells will be located. He explained wells will be drilled straight down to approximately 7,000 feet. At that point, the well will be turned horizonal and drilled for up to 3 miles. A pipe will be inserted in the vertical hole and then encased in concrete. The horizontal well holes will be about 12 inches in diameter and then a 10-inch pipe will be inserted. There will be approximately one mile of bedrock between the bottom of the water table and the horizontal pipes. Based on the map provided, most of SE Aurora from the Aurora Reservoir south to County Line Road and west to near E-470 will have wells underneath. Mr. Moore said he would provide his slides to the public.

Mr. Brown explained the impact of the well on the reservoir. The reservoir was designed to be totally independent of groundwater and runoff water. It is filled exclusively with water pumped from the mountains and rain. He said there are two types of oil wells: extraction and injection. Extraction wells pull oil, gas, and water from 7,000 feet deep. Once the well is drilled, no additional pressure is applied to it. Injection wells are used to push wastewater back into the earth. He said those wells can be dangerous so the city has mandated they can be no closer than one mile from a city reservoir. He said extraction wells pose a much lower threat. After he explained that groundwater typically follows the flow on the surface, he said all of the well pads are on ground that slopes away from the reservoir. The likelihood of any type of fluid contamination flowing from a surface or subsurface accident was low. He said that risk would not be close to the top ten risks faced by the reservoir.

Mr. McGowen explained property rights. Houses, buildings, and mineral rights are “real property.” Automobiles and apartment leases are “personal property.” There are specific laws for each type of property. It’s unusual, but many homes in the area own their mineral rights. Therefore, these residents have been receiving requests to lease their mineral rights to the oil company. The owner can either lease the rights or refuse. If the owner refuses to lease and the oil company controls 65% of the rights needed to extract oil, the oil company can begin a process to have the remaining leases “pooled.” If an owner rejects the pooling, the owner can force a separate contract. Given those choices, Mr. McGowen explained that if an owner leases the rights, the oil company will continuously pay the owner until the wells no longer produce. The leaser has no fiscal responsibility for the operation or liabilities of the well. In the other two cases, the owners will share in the profits of the well but will also incur responsibility for the costs of the well itself. Mr. McGown emphasized repeatedly that he was talking in general terms about Colorado law and recommended anyone with questions obtain legal representation.

Most of the audience was strongly against having any wells in the area. Questions ranged from air quality, to noise, to vibration. The key responses were that Colorado Public Health and Safety is responsible for overseeing the health of the wells. Mr. Moore said that the same company was drilling in other parts of the city, and their air quality met all standards except one. That would have passed if they had taken the sample at the law required distance. Moore said he expects the wells will be serviced pipelines as opposed to truck. Pipelines restrict gas leaks. As to noise, one resident played well noise from her phone. Mr. Moore said well noise occurs from the generators needed for power during the fracking process. He understands that the oil company intends to use commercial power which eliminates the excess noise. Several people told worrisome stories about wells in West Texas and other locations. Both Mr. Moore and Mr. Brown explained the situation was very different in Colorado. For one reason, the land is different and for another, there will be no injection wells used. A person running against Council Member Bergan attempted to have her and Mayor Pro Tem Gardner pledge not to allow the oil companies to pool the oil under city property. Mr. Moore said that would be illegal. As explained above, if a city or homeowner was included in a pooled group, that group would be responsible for unknown future costs. A city council currently in session cannot levy an unknown, must-pay bill upon a future council under Colorado law. Mayor Pro Tem Gardner explained that some sitting council members have made pledges to stop pooling that they are prohibited from executing.

Many questioners stated what they thought the city “should” do. The answers explained what State law and regulations require the city “must” do. Council Member Bergan and Mayor Pro Tem Gardner encouraged all concerned to petition the county and state legislators as well as the Colorado Oil and Gas Commission.

Home | State Land Board Previous Next How can we help you? Leasing with us Find applications, forms, and who to contact. Look up land Locate land, determine access, view leased properties. Pay bills online Access the customer portal. Open Embed About us Watch our 90-second video to see why we're pro...

CM Marcano accused me of lying tonight at the Aurora city council meeting for pointing out that under a previously proposed ordinance, six unrelated families could live in a rental house.

During the debate of an ordinance to allow six unrelated individuals to rent a house, city staff testified they had no way to determine if an individual had moved a partner or children into a rental house with them. Staff also had no way to remove a family illegally living in a rental house. Given no detection nor enforcement, the true effect of this law would have been that six unrelated families could live in a rental house so long as a single name was on each of the six leases.

I pointed out this flaw during debate and in public. As verified by city staff, these were undeniably facts. If anyone was playing fast and loose with how this law would have truly operated, it was CM Marcano.

My advice to the current council: ensure you understand what is hidden between the lines when a radical ordinance is proposed.

Please vote now!

Aurora needs your help. I have fought against the progressive and socialist council members to eliminate homeless camps, reduce crime by supporting a demoralized police force, prevent Aurora homes from turning into boarding houses, and keep our small businesses open by stopping an effort to raise the city's minimum wage to $24. The far-left council members have vowed to bring those issues back next year.

The latest voting reports show that many of you have not yet voted. Please do so this weekend. Your vote matters!

I endorse Dustin Zvonek and Danielle For Aurora for at-large.
For Ward 1, I support Bill Gondrez for Aurora City Council.
For Ward 2, Steve Sundberg for Aurora City Council.
For Ward 3, Jono Scott for Aurora City Council.

Please vote and drop your ballot in a voter box this weekend.