No vote taken on Aurora parental notification plan

After calling a special meeting to approve a parental notification resolution, three Aurora aldermen on Friday held off on a vote.

But Aldermen Chris Beykirch, Rick Lawrence and Richard Irvin still hope to fast-track a resolution urging the state to enforce its own parental notification law.

They'll ask the government operations committee to hold a special meeting next week so the matter can be put before the committee of the whole for a vote Nov. 6.

The resolution first was put on hold for three weeks at Tuesday's government operations committee, a move that ignited a political power struggle between aldermen.

Acting GO Chair Stephanie Kifowit said she wanted time to research the issue and for the city attorney to review it.

Unwilling to wait, Beykirch called a special meeting of his own committee -- building, grounds and infrastructure -- to approve it. Lawrence and Irvin happen to be the only other members of that committee.

But city leaders said they had no authority on the issue, and it also can't be before two committees at the same time.

Beykirch held the Friday meeting anyway.

He, Irvin and Lawrence first discussed approving the resolution and referring it back to GO. They ultimately decided it wasn't proper procedure because it's already before that committee.

Saying "cooler heads prevail," Irvin expressed concern at usurping authority and urged compromise.

The state's parental notification -- passed in 1995 and now tied up in federal court -- has been unresolved for more than a decade, he said.

"I don't know that a couple more weeks is going to make that much of a difference," he said.

Because a resolution is only the first step -- the trio also plans to create a city ordinance requiring parental notification for minors -- Irvin hinted they'll need support.

Mayor Tom Weisner said he's "pleased" the committee respected the GO committee's authority.

For his part, Beykirch said he had no regrets on his handling of the matter.

The resolution didn't need to go through a committee at all, he said. It also didn't need to be researched, he said; the council just needed to vote on it. "Are you for it or against it? It's as simple as that," he said.

He said he didn't mean to offend Alderman Scheketa Hart-Burns, who normally chairs GO. As for Kifowit, he said, "Lead and follow or get out of the way."

Kifowit could not be reached for comment.