AURORA | Empty chairs at the city council dais have been a common sight at meetings in recent months as some council members have elected with increasing frequency to attend virtually.

Two council members, Curtis Gardner and Françoise Bergan, have not attended council meetings in person since April, only participating virtually. Gardner’s last in-person meeting was April 6, although he also attended a May 9 workshop in person, while Bergan was last in person at the April 20 meeting, which she left early from due to unspecified health reasons.

Other council members have appeared virtually occasionally in recent months, but not for extended periods of time. Council members are not required to attend meetings in person and can participate and vote virtually.

However, virtual attendance has not gone unnoticed by residents, with several public commenters pointing it out in recent meetings.

“Some of them I’ve never seen in the last couple of months, so I wonder why that is,” Aurora resident Gary Beasley asked during the public comment period at the July 13 city council meeting.

In an email, Bergan said her virtual attendance does not impact her ability to fulfill her role. While she did not say why she has been attending only virtually, Bergan said she plans to return in person to meetings soon.

“I am able to complete all my council duties, including constituent work in my ward, which includes interaction on social media, answering emails and phone calls,” Bergan said. “Also attending and participating in all my outside board obligations, which I believe exceeds any or most other council members’ boards.”

Bergan pointed to her roles on the E-470 Public Highway Authority, the Arapahoe County Opioid Abatement Council and the Aurora Economic Development Council, among other community contributions, like taking part in the city’s retail strategy stakeholder forums.

Gardner told the Sentinel that his virtual attendance has been due to a combination of factors that have kept him from being able to attend in person, including knee surgery, work obligations and travel, both for council trips and family trips. 

“For me, it’s not related to content or anything like that, it’s just been a variety of different conflicts that have come up,” Gardner said. “In 2026, there’s the ability to do the job virtually, which is why we have that in our rules. … I’ve still been present and voting according to the rules.”

Gardner said the role is “more than just Monday nights” and he has participated in person at other events. He also highlighted recently passed resolutions he sponsored, including one creating a bond oversight committee and another exploring the city’s landscaping requirements for industrial lots. 

“I think pretty much every profession there’s opportunities to do jobs virtually and, to me, it doesn’t hinder our ability to accomplish our job,” he said.

He added that he attends meetings in person whenever he can.

In addition to some commenters taking issue with council members participating online, a proposed change to the council rules would state that council members should “endeavor to appear in person at all council meetings,” while still allowing virtual attendance. 

Comments on the topic of virtual attendance have come up consistently at council meetings since June. 

Former council member Juan Marcano called out Bergan and Gardner by addressing some of his June 8 remarks to “the two who don’t show up anymore.” 

Other commenters have been more direct.

“I want to ask them in their absence, what do you think your job is,” Aurora resident Joel Benjamin said at the June 22 meeting. “Do you think your constituents don’t deserve representation?”

“At this point, I’ve attended more council meetings than Curtis Gardner,” Denver activist Auon’tai Anderson said on June 22. “So, whenever you’d like for me to just go ahead and take his seat, I’m happy to go up there and vote for him since he can’t be here in person.”

Council members avoiding the dais was an issue last year when the previous city council separated the part of the meeting set aside for public comment and changed rules allowing city lawmakers to avoid sitting in the chambers during that part of the meeting.

Only a few Democratic members of the council and Mayor Mike Coffman would attend the sessions, and the new city council, elected last November, immediately reversed the rules when they took control of the meetings.

Bergan was among city lawmakers accused of boycotting a meeting in January. The accusations were linked to political disputes among lawmakers centering on Aurora police Chief Todd Chamberlain.

Four conservative Aurora City Council members offered no explanation for all missing the previous regular meeting after Mayor Mike Coffman asked them to give him notice of their future absences. 

“I just want to state how important I think it is for members to make the regular meetings,” Coffman said. “Virtual or in person is the same. If you cannot make it, I want you to contact me in advance and let me know why.”

During the Jan. 26 city council meeting, four right-leaning council members, Françoise Bergan, Angela Lawson, Stephanie Hancock, and Curtis Gardner, attended an executive session of the city council meeting but did not attend the regular meeting after. 

Hancock attended the study session before the regular meeting, while the rest did not attend either. The only council person to respond to the Sentinel’s requests asking why they were all absent was Gardner, who said he was recovering from a scheduled knee surgery and had planned to miss the meeting. 

“After the role is called during the regular meeting, if a member is not present in person or virtually, I will state whether I was contacted by that member and whether or not they gave me an excuse,” Coffman said during a following study session. “I don’t need to know in general, I don’t need to know specifics.”

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