Paul Tauer, who served the city of Aurora for 24 years, eight as a councilman and 16 years as mayor, has died. He was 86.
Tauer served as mayor from November 1987 to November 2003, his final term ending with a term limit. He was succeeded as mayor by his son, Edward.
Tauer, a Republican, guided Aurora through periods of mass growth and progress. He was the city’s mayor in 1995 when Denver International Airport opened, helping to steer negotiations with Denver on the airport’s creation. Tauer was mayor when the E-470 beltway was built and headed the city when the former Fitzsimons Army Medical Center gave way to the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.
“Paul Tauer was a champion for Aurora and a pillar of our history, serving as mayor for 16 years and overseeing an era of tremendous business, residential and cultural growth,” said current Mayor Mike Coffman in a statement. “He was instrumental in the transformation of the former Fitzsimons Army Medical Center into the Anschutz Medical Campus, establishing Aurora as home to one of the nation’s largest and most respected medical communities. We offer our condolences to the Tauer family and our thanks for his service, leadership and advocacy for Aurora.”
Tauer helped the old Fox Theater in Aurora to survive and become a thriving cultural complex.
