Voters in Austin will head to the polls Nov. 5 to elect a mayor and five City Council members.
The council, which is led by a mayor who is elected at large, is divided into single member districts and approves the annual city budget, sets property taxes and determines local ordinances.
The last day to register to vote in Texas is Oct. 7. Voters can also check their registration status on the Secretary of State’s website.
Early voting begins Oct. 21. Election Day is Nov. 5.
Here’s who is running for Austin City Council.
Who is running for Austin mayor
Incumbent Mayor Kirk Watson has drawn four challengers in his bid for reelection. Watson, who served as mayor from 1997 to 2001 before again running and winning the city’s highest elected office in 2022 will face former City Council member Kathie Tovo; Carmen Llanes Pulido, executive director of GAVA (Go Austin/Vamos Austin); Doug Greco, the former executive director of Central Texas Interfaith; and Jeffery Bowen, a retired U.S. Air Force veteran who owns a small construction services company.
Austin voters in 2021 opted to move the city’s mayoral election on the calendar to be in line with presidential elections, so the seat is up for grabs this November.
Kirk Watson
Watson, who took office in early 2023 told the American-Statesman that “A little over a year is not enough time. What I want to do is focus on continuing the job we’re doing but also focus on issues that the future is going to require us to focus on, and that just takes a full term.”
In his 2022 campaign, Watson positioned himself as a dealmaker, and he said he has done well on that front, pointing to the resumption of contract negotiations with the Austin Police Association and the City Council’s amendment of the land development code. He also touted the $65 million he secured from the state for homelessness that he says will go toward providing more noncongregate shelter.
Watson has drawn criticism over the controversial partnership with the Texas Department of Public Safety that he secured in spring 2023, working with Republican state leaders Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick without input from the City Council.
Though some praised the short-lived collaboration, which was intended to ease the staffing shortages at the Austin Police Department, activists and community members opposed what they said was heavy policing of communities of color. Data showed nearly 9 of 10 people arrested on misdemeanor charges through the partnership were Black or Hispanic.
Kathie Tovo
Tovo previously served for more than a decade on the Austin City Council, initially at-large, then as District 9 City Council member. In 2022, she teased a run for Mayor, but ultimately decided against it. ee
“I love the city of Austin and I believe we have a lot of opportunities ahead to really move Austin into the future,” Tovo told the American-Statesman, adding there are “many opportunities to do a better job of making sure that Austin is a place where all Austinites can really thrive and prosper.”
She said she’s running to focus on “strong efforts on building a resilient city,” including by doing more on environmental sustainability.
Tovo was the chair of the Public Health, Audit and Finance and the Austin Energy Utility Oversight Committees, according to a news release. She worked on the creation of the sobering center and negotiations to bring professional soccer to the city.
In a news release announcing her candidacy, she said would fight against “bad plans like the I-35 expansion and the State’s attacks on our local freedoms.”
Carmen Llanes Pulido
Llanes Pulido, who has served on several city commissions — including the independent citizens redistricting commission, the Latino quality of life commission and the city’s planning commission — said she’s running for mayor because the city is at “an incredibly important crossroads” and she’s the leader needed to locally tackle “global challenges like climate change, like growing wealth inequality, income inequality and a housing crisis that is stuck in the middle of that as well as much growth and a need to equitably invest in our critical infrastructure.”
Llanes Pulido’s organization took a stance against the HOME initiative — phase one of which passed in December and allows for up to three units to be built on many single family lots — over concerns of displacement.
Overall, said she feels changes to the land development code can potentially help with affordability.
On homelessness, Llanes Pulido said she had serious concerns about the money being spent to address the issue.
“That’s not to dismiss some of the great work that has been done, especially by community partners who are working on the homelessness issue, but there’s frustration, a lot of frustration with, basically, the inability for people to get the support that they need before they’re on the streets,” she said.
Doug Greco
Greco said if he’s elected mayor he would prioritize addressing income disparities and trying to rebuild the middle class in Austin. He said he is willing to take a stand against the state of Texas to protect civil rights and local decision-making that happens in Austin.
“I’m running for Mayor because Austin needs a leader who will stand up for working people and against big money at City Hall and unchecked corporate power in politics overall,” he said. “As mayor I will address this by supporting unions, living wage jobs, public schools, and effective workforce development. This agenda includes ending homelessness, building affordable housing, investing in rental assistance, and ensuring any land-use code changes benefit working people and not private equity firms.”
Greco, who is gay, said in a news release announcing his candidacy that he has advocated for LGBTQ+ rights and other marginalized communities in different capacities, including when he was chief of staff for state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, D-Austin, and while working as director of programs for Equality California, a large LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. He was also an Austin school district teacher, according to his campaign website.
Jeffery Bowen
Bowen said he had been weighing a run for a city office for some time, but after the City Council passed land development code HOME phase 1 initiative in December and approved the most recent annual budget, which included financial decisions he felt demonstrated a lack of fiscal restraint, he felt compelled to throw his hat in the ring.
“The mayor allowed to continue to add more and more to the budget that was already near $6 billion,” Bowen said. “There was no thought process in that from my perspective.”
Bowen said he was frustrated with the way a majority of the City Council handled the HOME initiative voting process, saying it appeared most of the members of governing body had already made up their minds on how they would vote before listening to hundreds of constituents.
If elected, Bowen said he would call for an audit of all city spending as well as aim to address issues within the city’s Parks and Recreation Department, which he said include a lack of maintenance of city parks and inadequate responsiveness from the department.
Incumbent City Council member José “Chito” Vela is facing four challengers in his reelection bid for a second term to represent District 4 in North Central Austin.
José “Chito” Vela
Vela, 49, was first elected to the City Council in the January 2022 special election to replace Greg Casar, who stepped down to run for Congress. Vela told the Statesman in an interview that he’s running for reelection because “there is still so much more to do, and I want to come back and really finish the job.”
“I would see the second term as really kind of making sure that the broad themes that we’ve pushed in the first term get executed in the second term,” Vela said.
Some of those themes include housing policy and homelessness prevention, Vela said.
Vela has been supportive of the HOME initiative and said that if he’s reelected, one of his priorities will be “making sure that Project Connect is successfully moved from the kind of planning and design and the financing phase into the construction phase in my next term.”
Project Connect has been the subject of legal and legislative challenges.
Vela said he would advocate for having a northern branch of the animal shelter, and he wants to address “micro-mobility challenges” in District 4 by adding bridges over creeks and connecting streets.
Vela said he would advocate for having a northern branch of the animal shelter, and he wants to address “micro-mobility challenges” in District 4 by adding bridges over creeks and connecting streets.
Monica Guzmán
Guzmán, 58, is a community organizer and policy director for nonprofit GAVA (Go Austin/Vamos Austin). She has previously run unsuccessfully for the District 4 seat, including in a special election in 2022.
Guzmán, who has lived in Austin most of her life, said she is running because “the district needs representation that is in tune with their needs,” saying her connection and ties to the community separates her from the other candidates.
One of her top priorities if elected would be to put “guardrails” on the city’s land development code, like the recently passed HOME initiative, she said. The HOME initiative was a sweeping two-part change to the city’s land development code that, among other things, reduced the amount of land needed to build a single housing unit. The policy change drew strong support and opposition.
Guzmán said she would be supportive of an “equity overlay” for HOME which was proposed by some community groups during the voting process. The overlay would make the ordinance inapplicable in certain areas identified as vulnerable to gentrification.
In District 4, Guzmán said she would look to address the lack of urban canopy and parkland.
Louis Herrin
Herrin, 68, is a long-time environmental engineer with the state of Texas. He unsuccessfully run for the District 4 seat in 2014, 2016 and 2020.
Herrin, who said he is conservative, told the Statesman he feels the city is “going in the wrong direction.” If elected, Herrin said he wants to get the city back to its “core functions,” like aiding police and first responders.
“I want to get back to the basics,” Herrin said.
He is frustrated with the implementation of the HOME initiative as well as Project Connect, the city’s multi-billion dollar mass transit plan, the centerpiece of which includes plans for miles of light-rail. Herrin cited his frustration with Project Connect over the higher price tag it now carries and the scaled down plans for light-rail, saying he feels it will only serve a small portion of the city.
“I’m for responsible public transportation and reliable public transportation,” Herrin said.
Jim Rabuck
Rabuck, 38, is a U.S. Army veteran and currently works for the U.S. Department of Defense.
He said he is running for the District 4 seat because he sees it as an opportunity “to have an impact locally.”
Rabuck said he believes mobility and transportation are at the core of “what has to change inside of Austin.”
“One of the focus areas where we spend a lot of time is we’re like, ‘Hey, let’s address affordability,”‘ he said. “It turns into a giant transportation issue, and it costs so much money to get things to move in and out of Austin that is increasing the cost of goods anywhere you go.”
He said the city should pursue more public-private partnerships to invest in better infrastructure, and it should also look at how it can better support police and firefighters.
Eduardo “Lalito” Romero
Romero, 26, did not respond to requests for interviews.
In his filing application he listed his occupation as university staff.
Romero unsuccessfully challenged incumbent U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Austin for the House District 37 seat in the Democratic primary in March. He garnered 6% of that vote.
Six candidates, including a former congressional candidate, a high-profile lawyer and civil rights advocate, have thrown their hat in the ring for the open Austin City Council District 7 seat being vacated by Leslie Pool, whose term will expire in January, and has held the seat since 2015. City Council members are term-limited, and Pool said she will not petition to get her name on the 2024 ballot.
District 7 is located in North Austin.
Edwin Bautista
The 26-year-old Texas native graduated from the University of Texas in August with a master’s degree and works at the nonprofit Texas Housers, a low-income housing information policy and advocacy group.
Bautista said, “Although I’m a political newcomer, I’m no political novice.”
He has volunteered for groups such as MoveOutATX and the tenant-focused West Campus Neighborhood Association, according to his campaign website, and he was on the city’s College Student Commission in 2021. He currently lives in the Allandale neighborhood, according to his website.
One of the biggest issues the City Council is currently debating is affordable housing. The policy that has come to the forefront is to amend the city’s land development code to promote density and different kinds of developments, and much of that effort has been spearheaded by Pool.
As far as changes the city is looking to make now, Bautista said, “I think it’s a small step in the right direction.”
Bautista said that though he generally supports the proposed changes, he thinks anti-displacement measures need to be outlined in the policy.
Bautista said he’d like to promote more government transparency and community engagement and would support the creation of an emerging technologies commission.
Gary Bledsoe
Gary Bledsoe is a well-established lawyer, civil rights advocate, member of the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas board of directors and president of the Texas NAACP. The 71-year-old said he is running for the City Council “to be part of the eolution and make our city the best we can make it.” He said he has lived in what is now District 7 in since 1983.
If elected, Bledsoe said some of his main priorities would be promoting government transparency and addressing affordability and displacement. He said he would advocate for a “roundtable” to gather people who may have different interests to discuss city issues and decisions.
Additionally, Bledsoe feels the current City Council has rushed some major policies, like the HOME initiative, to get federal funding. The city’s timeline to pass the HOME initiative and other recently approved land development code changes was largely based on getting federal funding for Project Connect, city Planning Department Director Lauren Middleton-Pratt told the Planning Commission during an April 23 meeting.
He said, on a District 7-specific level, he would like to educate people about the HOME initiative and “how it will impact the neighborhood, how we can use it effectively.”
Other priorities for Bledsoe would be ensuring there is a “workable and effective climate equity plan” and making sure there is “an effective Police Department to address crime.”
Bledsoe, if elected to the District 7 City Council seat, would “be the first African American elected to the Austin City Council who didn’t live east of I-35,” he said in a written statement. “This is a next generation fight to break up what many still point to as a segregated system in which African Americans in Austin are suitable only to represent District 1.”
Pierre Nguyễn
Nguyễn, 35, is a member of the city’s Public Safety Commission andAsian American Quality of Life Commission, a firefighter and an EMT in Travis County, a U.S. Coast Guard reservist and a worker at the nonprofit American YouthWorks, a group that “connects young people with the tools and resources that we all need to reach career goals and achieve academic success,” according to its website.
Nguyễn, who lives in the Walnut Creek neighborhood, said he is running for the council because he wants “to be able to listen to people and be able to have their voices heard, especially those that are in underserved, underrepresented communities.”
As the city continues growing, Nguyễn said, one of the most important things is “building infrastructure that is going to provide growth.”
He said he believes there is a reason Pool is heading up the initiative to promote housing density.
District 7 is experiencing “the challenges that downtown is having and the challenges that Rosedale and Hyde Park is having, but we’re not experiencing the same level of support from city services,” Nguyễn said.
Nguyễn said he would like to address the city’s public transportation system.
“I’m a huge advocate for public transit,” he said. “Our public transit system is not working.”
Adam Powell
Powell, a 29-year-old Austin-area native who launched his campaign in late November, said he previously worked as a teacher recruiter, a union organizer and is a currently a SAFE Alliance board member and works with the North Shoal Creek Neighborhood Association, where he lives.
Powell said he is running for office to give back to the community.
According to his campaign website, Powell has also worked with groups like ReThink35 and the Shoal Creek Conservancy and uses social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram to talk about Austin’s history.
On housing affordability, Powell said he wants to address the issue on all levels — including “subsidized affordable housing all the way through permanent supportive housing to make sure that we’re reaching the most vulnerable population and ensuring everyone can exist and live in this community.”
Additionally, Powell wants to address concerns about displacement and implement “robust anti-displacement policies.”
Powell said on his campaign website that he supports public transit including the construction of Project Connect. He also seeks to address areas that are not accessible to bikers and pedestrians in District 7.
On the environment, Powell said, “Every policy that I pursue needs to be environmentally sound the same way that it needs to be equitable.”
Todd Shaw
Shaw, 60, has served for six years on the city’s Planning Commission, three of which he was the chair, he said. He worked as an environmental engineer for Austin Energy for more than 30 years and currently works for the University of Texas as an environmental engineer overseeing several utility projects.
On land development code, Shaw said he supported phase one of the HOME initiative as it was making its way through the Planning Commission and on to the City Council.
On his campaign website, Shaw said he would support a complete overhaul of the land development code. “But this time,” he wrote, “it must be done in a way that gains a supermajority of council votes and broad community support.”
He also spoke to the incremental changes Austin is making to its land development code after failed attempts at a total overhaul, saying on his website the individual changes aren’t sustainable.
“It exhausts our city’s staff, boards and commissions, and the public,” Shaw said. “The new code should prioritize density, particularly missing middle housing, which aligns with our Strategic Mobility Plan and Project Connect.”
Some of his other priorities include addressing the climate, homelessness, housing affordability and parkland, according to his website.
“I think I bring that talent and skill as an engineer, environmental engineer, and having knowledge of construction and infrastructure, and that’s what kind of sets me apart from the other candidates,” Shaw said.
Mike Siegel
After two campaigns for Congress, Siegel, 45, is making a bid for the City Council. Siegel, who has worked as an attorney for the city and co-founded the nonprofit Ground Game Texas, was the Democratic nominee for Texas’ 10th Congressional District in 2018 and 2020 and was edged out both times by incumbent Republican Michael McCaul.
Turning his sights toward being a local policymaker, Siegel said, “The City Council is a really important position that has a great ability to impact our lives in a positive way at the local level.”
Some of the most pressing issues the city is facing are affordability and climate change, he said.e
On housing affordability, Siegel said, “This is something that we waited too long to address but we have to address now.” He said he is generally in favor of Pool’s HOME Initiative, which would allow for smaller single-family homes and more options for intergenerational living, but he’s concerned about displacement.
Siegel said local governments need to push for more federal and state money to address housing affordability and homelessness, which is affecting more than 5,000 people in Austin.
On the climate, Siegel said the city has the opportunity to become a leader in Texas and the South by taking advantage of federal spending programs such as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. “We are a city of innovation,” he said. “We lead in the technology sector, and I think we could really lead in the environmental sector.”
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Publish date : 2024-09-23 02:40:00
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