DSOC Broadcast Network

10/14/2026

09/28/2026

OP-ED | By Keith Dorsey

Ward I Deserves Leadership — The House Is on Fire

There comes a point when residents have to stop asking what is going to happen and start asking who is accountable for what is happening right now.

We have reached that point in Ward I.

Fletcher Plaza and the Martin Luther King Jr. Library area should be among the cultural and community anchors of northwest Aurora. Instead, residents and businesses continue raising serious concerns about safety, disorder and the overall condition of an area that should represent opportunity, culture and community.

The house is on fire.

And the community wants to know: Where is the urgency from our leadership?

Councilwoman Horton: Where Is the Ward I Response?

Councilwoman Gianina Horton, Ward I needs to hear from you.

What is your plan for Fletcher Plaza and the MLK Library area?

What specific actions have you requested from the city?

What resources have been committed?

What is the timeline?

And when will residents and businesses see measurable results?

It is not enough to tell the community that conversations are happening. Ward I needs visible leadership, accessibility and accountability.

Residents should not have to wonder who gets a meeting and who doesn't. Representation cannot be based on who is politically convenient, who agrees with you or who happens to have access.

You represent the entire ward.

Ginger White Brunetti: The Community Needs Answers From You Too

And this responsibility doesn't stop with City Council.

Ginger White Brunetti, as the city's Library and Cultural Services director, the community needs to hear from you.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Library and Fletcher Plaza are important public and cultural assets.

So what is the strategy?

What are you working on that is more urgent than protecting the accessibility, usefulness and future of one of our community's most important public spaces?

What is your department doing with other city departments to address conditions surrounding MLK Library and Fletcher Plaza?

Where is the coordinated plan?

Where are the measurable goals?

Where is the public progress report?

This isn't personal. This is accountability.

When the house is on fire, leadership cannot remain inside an office working on business as usual.

Leadership has to come to the fire.

Bring Everybody to the Table

I am calling for an immediate Fletcher Plaza/MLK Community Safety and Recovery meeting involving Ward I leadership, Library and Cultural Services, Aurora Police, homelessness and behavioral-health teams, city management, businesses, property owners, residents and community organizations.

Put the problems on the table.

Put the resources on the table.

Put the responsible departments on the record.

And put deadlines next to the commitments.

Within 30 days, the community should receive a written action plan identifying the problems being addressed, responsible departments, available resources, immediate interventions, 90-day objectives and measurable outcomes.

If additional money is required, tell us how much.

If additional personnel are required, tell us how many.

If another city department is responsible, bring them into the room.

If City Council action is required, introduce it.

But stop asking this community to accept process as a substitute for progress.

Ward I has waited long enough.

The businesses along East Colfax deserve better. Families using MLK Library deserve better. Our seniors deserve better. Our young people deserve better. And the people who have spent decades building northwest Aurora deserve better.

The house is on fire.

We don't need another explanation about who is holding the hose.

We need somebody to turn on the water.

Keith Dorsey
Community Advocate

09/10/2026

Reaching Audience 30-40k

09/10/2026

MDG Services — IDENTIFY — Properties, development sites, investment opportunities, businesses, corridors and underutilized assets. ANALYZE — Market conditions, demographics, economic data, feasibility, development potential and investment returns. ACQUIRE — Help identify and structure the acquisition of land, commercial property and redevelopment opportunities. DEVELOP — Coordinate commercial, mixed-use, housing, infrastructure and community-development projects. REVITALIZE — Transform distressed commercial properties, corridors and neighborhood assets into productive economic uses. ATTRACT — Recruit businesses, developers, employers, retailers and investors to targeted development areas. CAPITALIZE — Build capital stacks connecting projects with banks, CDFIs, government programs, investors, philanthropy and private capital. FINANCE — Identify grants, loans, tax incentives, public financing and other development funding mechanisms. PACKAGE — Turn development opportunities into investment-ready projects with budgets, financial models, site information and implementation plans. REPRESENT — Serve as owner's representative and coordinate developers, contractors, architects, government agencies and community stakeholders. MANAGE — Provide project management, program administration, timelines, budgets, procurement coordination and performance tracking. CONNECT — Build partnerships among government, business, community organizations, developers, investors and financial institutions. NEGOTIATE — Assist with development agreements, partnerships, community-benefit frameworks and project terms. IMPLEMENT — Move strategies from planning and studies into actual projects, contracts and development. MEASURE — Track investment, jobs, businesses, properties, economic impact and community outcomes. The MDG Formula IDENTIFY → ANALYZE → CAPITALIZE → ACQUIRE → DEVELOP → MANAGE → MEASURE Moore Development Group Follow the Data. Follow the Money. Measure the Outcomes.

08/28/2026

A MESSAGE TO THE CITY OF AURORA: BACK ALL THE WAY UP.

By: Keith Dorsey

Far Northwest Aurora is capable of handling our own community business.

Council Members Alli Jackson and Gianina Horton: we welcome your support, advocacy and partnership. But elected officials and City Hall should not be driving the formation, leadership, board composition or organizational direction of an independent community CDC.

We are creating a NEW, independent Far Northwest Aurora CDC.

And to organizations coming into our community from Denver and elsewhere: slow down.

We respect your experience and welcome partnership, but Original Aurorans come first.

We've been here.

We've done the work.

We know these blocks, businesses and families.

We lived through the disinvestment.

We know our community, and we know Community. Business. and Policy very well.

Outside expertise should complement Original Aurora leadership—not replace it.

The City should also be extremely careful about blurring the lines between government support and government influence over an independent community organization. If necessary, we will use CORA to establish the factual record regarding communications about CDC leadership, board members, outside organizations, funding, office space, the DDA and who has been attempting to shape this process.

This is pro-Original Aurora.

Support us.
Resource us.
Partner with us.

But back up and let the community lead.

07/28/2026

Applications are now officially open for the city of Aurora's Adult Civic Engagement Academy!
The Academy is a free eight- week program designed to help Aurora residents better understand how local government works, connect with city leaders, and develop the knowledge and skills to become more engaged in their community.
https://www.auroragov.org/cms/one.aspx?pageId=16608335

06/26/2026

Opinion | The Blueprint Already Exists. The Question Is: Will Aurora Apply It Equally?

By DSOC Broadcasting Network Editorial Board

Good public policy begins with a simple principle: identify a need, develop a strategy, invest resources, measure outcomes, and report results.

Aurora's recently released Midpoint Community Report demonstrates exactly what that process can accomplish. Over the first five years of the City's Immigrant Integration Plan, Aurora documented measurable progress in citizenship assistance, English-language education, workforce development, entrepreneurship, cultural engagement, and community leadership. The report also identifies areas for improvement and establishes priorities for the next five years. It is a strong example of strategic planning supported by measurable outcomes.

There is much to commend.

The report reflects years of intentional collaboration between city leadership, community organizations, educators, businesses, and residents. It acknowledges both successes and remaining challenges while providing the public with transparency about how progress is being measured.

But it also invites a broader conversation.

If strategic planning has helped organize investment and accountability for one major community initiative, could similar planning frameworks benefit other communities facing persistent disparities?

That question deserves thoughtful discussion.

Across Aurora, Black residents have contributed to the city's growth for generations—as entrepreneurs, educators, veterans, faith leaders, public servants, artists, healthcare professionals, and neighborhood advocates. Like every community, they experience unique opportunities and challenges.

Rather than asking whether one community has received "more" than another, a more constructive question is whether every major community has access to the same tools for long-term planning, public accountability, and measurable progress.

The value of the Midpoint Community Report is not simply the programs it describes.

Its greatest contribution may be the model itself.

The report demonstrates the benefits of:

Establishing a long-term strategic vision.
Building partnerships with community organizations.
Collecting meaningful data.
Listening through surveys and focus groups.
Measuring progress with clear benchmarks.
Reporting publicly on successes and remaining challenges.
These are governance practices that can strengthen policymaking across many issue areas.

Imagine similar public dashboards documenting progress in Black entrepreneurship, workforce development, homeownership, youth opportunity, health equity, civic participation, or neighborhood investment. Such efforts could help policymakers identify what is working, where gaps remain, and how resources might be allocated more effectively.

Equally important, they would provide residents with greater transparency and create opportunities for ongoing collaboration between government and the communities it serves.

Aurora has often described itself as one of America's most diverse cities. Diversity, however, is not measured only by demographics. It is also reflected in how institutions engage communities, evaluate outcomes, and build trust over time.

The Midpoint Community Report illustrates what intentional governance can accomplish.

Now the opportunity is to ask how that same disciplined approach might be applied across other areas of public policy where measurable outcomes could benefit the entire city.

This conversation should not divide Aurora.

It should strengthen it.

Because when government measures outcomes, reports progress honestly, and invites communities to help shape solutions, everyone benefits.

The blueprint already exists.

The next step is deciding where else it can lead.

DSOC Broadcasting Network

"Informing the Community. Advancing Transparency. Elevating Public Dialogue."