Two of the least-competitive City Council races played out exactly as most people anticipated they would, with Council members Vanessa Fuentes and Chito Vela easily holding on to their City Council seats Tuesday.
Vela, who squared off against four challengers, won 58.5 percent of the vote in District 4, avoiding a runoff. His campaign centered on housing, transit and public safety. Specifically, Vela touted recent changes to the Land Development Code intended to make development easier, his support of Project Connect and new transportation infrastructure and increased police transparency. Both Vela and Fuentes voted in favor of the new police contract.
Local organizer and Go Austin/Vamos Austin policy director Monica Guzmán lost to Vela for a second time with just under 28 percent of the vote. It was her second time running against Vela, and this time her campaign focused on anti-displacement and anti-gentrification and moving more cautiously in regard to changes to the city’s development policy. She also advocated for more parks and climate resilience measures.
Louis Herrin, who works for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, advocated for a stronger police force and an audit of city operations, among other things. After running a low-key, low-expense campaign, he took home 6 percent.
Jim Rabuck and Eduardo Romero, who were hard to track down on the campaign trail, won 4.4 and 3.4 percent of the vote, respectively.
This will be Vela’s second term on City Council, though his first term was an abbreviated two years after a special election was held to fill U.S. Rep. Greg Casar’s seat in 2022.
In District 2, Fuentes faced a single opponent who was largely absent after filing his initial paperwork. That was reflected in the Election Day totals, which saw Fuentes take about 86 percent of early votes cast. That margin held steady through the night.
“This victory belongs to every person who believes in our shared vision for our community and our city,” Fuentes said on election night. “Our community faces real challenges, but I’ve never been more hopeful about what we can accomplish together. Together, we will keep fighting for good-paying jobs, complete and connected neighborhoods, and high-quality city services that make a difference in people’s lives.”
“The next four years are about what we can achieve together, building a city that works for everyone. My door will always be open, and my commitment to serving every member of our community will remain unwavering,” she continued.
Since a July interview with The Austin Bulldog early in the process, Robert Earl Reynolds stayed out of the press and away from candidate forums.
Despite the lack of active participation by her opponent, Fuentes ran a campaign with a platform that focused on community, support of working families, housing issues and climate resilience. In particular, she touted her work on affordable child care, living wages, housing equity and the development of the Trauma Recovery Center.
This will be her second term on City Council.
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District 2: District 2 is primarily south and east of Ben White Boulevard and east of Interstate 35. Its two major landmarks are Austin Bergstrom International Airport and the Circuit of the America’s Formula 1 race track. Its eastern edge blends into the southeast portions of Travis County.
District 4: District 4 is bordered by Lamar Boulevard and US 183 on the west, by Cameron Road on the east, 51st Street on the south and Braker Lane on the north.
