June 16, 2026 11:19 AM UTC

What Are We Doing Here, Aurora?

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• by: Colorado Pols

Back in November, Aurora voters finally decided they were sick of a hyper-combative Republican city council and tossed the bums out, handing Republican Mayor Mike Coffman a huge loss that he commemorated with one of our favorite “No shit, Sherlock” quotes in Colorado political history.

Also on the ballot in November was a question about eliminating a residency requirement for the Aurora City Manager. The results of Aurora Question 3D were unambigious:

All of this makes for a peculiar situation regarding Aurora City Manager Jason Batchelor, who was appointed to the top unelected job in Aurora by the previous Republican-controlled city council in 2023.

As McKenna Harford of The Aurora Sentinel explains today, there is a growing controversy surrounding Batchelor’s residency. Batchelor owns a home outside of Aurora but rents a one-bedroom apartment within the city limits in order to technically meet a residency requirement in the city charter:

While the city attorney says the charter residency mandate is being adhered to, residents and city staff who spoke to the Sentinel said it’s a loophole being exploited, especially in light of a recent election.

Jeff McFarland, a resident of northeast Aurora, said he thinks the city is operating in bad faith.

“If your answer includes, ‘Well, technically,’ then whatever perceived moral high ground you had in the situation disappears,” McFarland said…

…A current veteran employee of the police department, who spoke to the Sentinel on the condition of anonymity, fearing retribution for his comments, called Batchelor’s living situation “the worst-kept secret at city hall.” [Pols emphasis]

He said it’s hypocritical of the city to not apply clear standards for Batchelor when other employees are expected to comply with their own job requirements. Only the city manager is required to live inside city limits as a condition of employment, according to the city charter.

“It sends a really poor message to city employees that we all must abide by the rules and not just find a way around them, unless we’re at the top of the payroll.”

Batchelor changed his voter registration to his one-bedroom apartment in April 2024, several months after being appointed as City Manager. He was previously registered to vote at his home outside the city, which he purchased in 2009.

This is yet another black mark on Mayor Coffman and the previous Republican city council, which apparently completely ignored the city’s residency requirement when it appointed Batchelor as City Manager. That decisions looks even worse in the wake of the November vote on Aurora Question 3D, in which 82% of voters opposed the idea of eliminating the residency requirement.

When it comes to issues of public service and city politics, perception is more important than technicalities. If Batchelor is at all concerned that he is clearly violating the spirit of the residency law, the solution is pretty simple: give up the charade of the one-bedroom apartment and buy a house within the city limits. Given that Batchelor earns a handsome $358,644 yearly salary, this really isn’t too much to ask.