Dustin Zvonek is a real class act and his absence from the Aurora City Council will be a momentous loss for the residents he served.
Zvonek waited until the end of yet another raucous council meeting on Monday before announcing his decision to resign from his post as councilman and mayor pro tem at the end of this month.
“I know that for many of you who’ve tuned into our meetings, it sometimes feels like you’re watching a reality show where nobody’s going to get voted off the island,” he said. “We may not always agree, and some of us less than others, but I can promise you this: every single one of my colleagues genuinely cares about the city and its people.”
That’s the nicest, and most gentlemanly description as can be said about the council, which has been thrust into the national limelight as of late because of. Just. Everything.
Zvonek continued:
“Serving on this council has been a wild ride, to say the least, and yet it’s something I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world,” Zvonek said. “Sometimes in life you get thrown a curveball, or in my case, it was several all at once. After much reflection and a few tough conversations, I’ve made a decision that’s in the best interest of my family.”
PeakNation will recall with a heartfelt fondness his tenacity to take on car thieves and shoplifters and his success in pushing through mandatory jail sentences for offenders.
Proving it can be done and politicians please take note: Zvonek played a major role in getting roads paved without raising taxes.
Zvonek said at the time: “Raising taxes should never be a prerequisite to repairing our roads. In Aurora, we prioritized transportation funding and passed a plan to repair roads without digging deeper into taxpayers’ pockets.”
Now that’s a talking point that should be tattooed on the hand of every politician running for office.
We miss him already.
Zvonek just took on a new job at the 76 Group, one of the largest public affairs firms in the West. He still had one year left in his four-year term, which will be filled through a vote of the Aurora City Council.
We wish him good luck and thank him for his conservative public service.