Last week, the Austin city clerk’s office received paperwork establishing a political action committee supporting the mayoral candidacy of Celia Israel. It’s a development Israel supporters have been looking for over the past several months. The campaign treasurer, based in Washington, D.C., is Turcan Hockaday, described online as a veteran of political campaigns. The person appointing Hockaday is listed as Austinite Elizabeth Bray. Bray was quoted in an Austin American-Statesman story last month saying that putting together a PAC is no simple task. Although candidates are not allowed to accept donations greater than $450 from individual donors, political action committees have no such restrictions. The candidate and her campaign must maintain a hands-off approach toward such PACs. As of their most recent reporting, Kirk Watson had raised close to $1 million, four times as much as Israel. (New campaign finance reports are due in the city clerk’s office today.) So, although Watson has had a PAC, called Stand Together Austin, since June, he has not needed it. None of the other mayoral candidates have PACs at this point.
This whisper has been corrected. A previous version stated Watson had donated $15,000 from his mayoral campaign. In fact, the donation came from state senate campaign funds that remain from a previous election.