In D5, Ryan Alter hopes to bring momentum to city operations

Ryan Alter will bring a state-level perspective to City Hall next year when he takes over representing District 5 from Ann Kitchen, the two-term City Council member who was term-limited and unable to run in November.

As a policy analyst and legal staffer for a number of state senators in recent years, Alter said he heard frequently about the frustrations and confusion over the way Austin city government operates and how long it often takes for basic work to get done in many departments. Trying to change that culture is one of his priorities once he’s sworn in next month.

“There is a perception from the Capitol, because you deal with people who also deal with the city, that the city just makes everything overly difficult,” he said.

“It feels like we make it harder than it needs to be.”

Alter said he hopes the two other first-time Council members – Zo Qadri in D9 and José Velásquez in D3 – and new Mayor Kirk Watson will help to change the attitude and expectation for how the city operates in the years to come.

“I am just optimistic about the ability to try to do big things and I really do think we are at a point in time where people are yearning for real substantive changes on a lot of issues,” he said. “Housing gets the bulk of the attention, as it should, but there are a lot of things that people have grown frustrated with and see a lack of urgency. With the new Council members elected, and with many of the Council members still there, there is a deep desire to act big.”

Alter made housing policy one of his chief election issues in his primary race and runoff win over Stephanie Bazan, pushing for changes that allow for a substantial increase in housing units to keep pace with the city’s population growth. He said he would like to serve on Council’s Audit & Finance Committee or Austin Water Oversight Committee in addition to groups involved in housing policy.

Adjacent to housing, Alter said homelessness is a concern that impacts D5 residents via the homelessness services offered by Sunrise Community Church and the tent encampments under the Ben White overpass at Menchaca Road. He said any disturbances or crimes caused by the homeless should be more quickly addressed by the city, since homelessness service workers tend to be familiar with the likely perpetrators.

“District 5 really does experience a disproportionate share of the consequences of our decisions on what we have and haven’t done in terms of addressing homelessness,” he said. “We might not solve it overnight, but people just want meaningful action and we’re not doing a good enough job at addressing the problem. That’s the challenge and the issue of homelessness because it’s such a multifaceted issue.”

Leaning on his state-level experience, Alter said the coming legislative session doesn’t cause him much concern when he hears reports of proposed laws that seem to target Austin yet amount to little more than political saber-rattling. He does note that areas to watch are changes to laws regarding management of utilities, and regulations involving rules for how property tax assessments are conducted.

Looking ahead to when the new Council convenes, Alter said he’s hopeful that Watson, his onetime employer, will vote in favor of housing policy that’s more progressive than the moves he supported while running for office.

“He obviously proposed some things that I don’t fully agree with. I understand where he’s coming from, but everybody has different ideas. That’s great. Let’s all bring our ideas to the table because I do think that we are going to see real forward progress and real momentum.”

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Posted In: City Council, District 5