A half-hour of Tauer

Aurora Mayor Ed Tauer appeared on the Sunday, Dec. 16, "Your Show" on KTVD My20 here in the metro area.
Having assumed it was on Channel 9 (where I first heard about it), I checked into the webcast from Channel 9 KUSA's website. For those of you who missed the webcast of the show, here are some of the highlights:
• Mayor Tauer says there is a degree of momentum on talks with International Speedway Corp. regarding the possibility of a NASCAR track coming to Aurora, yet tempered the talk by saying it won't get done without a fair deal for the city.
• Addressing the name change at the University of Colorado Denver campus in Aurora, Mayor Tauer called the exclusion of the word 'Aurora' from the new name was "a slap in the face" to the people who helped make it happen.
• Asked about Aurora's status opposite Denver, Tauer said the city "is coming out of the shadow" of our neighbor to the west. "We're really becoming our own city, and that's the first step... in time, you'll create your own community." Tauer also touted the recent Parade of Homes, Southlands and the Fitzsimmons redevelopment as part of Aurora's transformation.
• Asked about water rebates and rate changes, Tauer said the city has "plenty of water in what we call normal years" and that what remains to be done is to "drought-harden" the city.
• Questions about city-county consolidation were deflected to the work of the Blue Ribbon panel convened by city leaders to seek out the best form of government for Aurora.
• Tauer, queried about illegal immigration, said that local law enforcement always contacts federal officials when they suspect they've detained an illegal immigrant, but added that the federal authorities have not always followed through on their end.
• Mayor Tauer said there are no immediate plans for a District 4 police station.
• Many of the questions posed to the mayor concerned Aurora's public image. In specific regard to a perception of the city as a violent place, Tauer said crime statistics tell a story of safety: "Get the facts out there and show people we are safe."