Reflections and celebrations with outgoing City Council members

The city honored outgoing City Council members Mackenzie Kelly, Leslie Pool and Alison Alter with a special event in advance of their final Council meeting this Thursday. City staff, former Council members, local elected officials, plus family and friends gathered in Council chambers on Tuesday after the work session to celebrate and share remarks.

Kelly, who was elected in 2020, is transitioning out of office after a close race for reelection against Krista Laine. To date, no Council member has been able to secure a second term in far North/Northwest Austin’s politically divided District 6.

Mayor Pro Tem Pool, the longest-serving member of the current dais, has been on Council since 2014. Because her first term was a two-year term as Austin was transitioning to its current district representation system in 2014, Pool was eligible to serve for two subsequent four-year terms. Candidates Gary Bledsoe and Mike Siegel will face off this week in a runoff to serve as the district’s next representative.

Alison Alter, who was elected in 2016 and served as mayor pro tem in 2022, is completing her second term representing Central Northwest Austin’s District 10. Council Member-elect Marc Duchen will be sworn in as the next District 10 representative in January.

To start off the event, each Council member had an opportunity to share brief reflections about their outgoing colleagues. Several members highlighted the unprecedented challenges the dais has faced in recent years and the challenges of a career in public service.

“This job is not for the faint of heart or the weak of will,” said Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison.

In her remarks, Council Member Paige Ellis acknowledged Kelly’s unique role as the lone conservative on the dais, and her commitment to building consensus on citywide issues: “I know as someone who was born and raised (in District 6), you deeply cared about that community. … You always found a way to be humble and … to use your sense of humor on the dais. … I appreciate all the fight that you’ve had.”

Pool’s colleagues highlighted her role in initiating the recent HOME code amendments and her work on environmental and energy-related issues like the Austin Energy Generation Plan (which comes to Austin this Thursday). “You have out-served everyone here,” Council Member Ryan Alter said, referencing Pool’s decade on Council. “I think you have shown us how, when we want to go about big things … how you do that, from a process perspective.”

Colleagues commended Alison Alter’s attention to detail and level of care.

“Our districts are on the opposite ends of the city,” Council Member Vanessa Fuentes told her. “I didn’t realize how much we would have in common and how much we would get to work together.”

Council Member Zo Qadri described Alter as the “moral compass of the dais at times,” adding “I sometimes disagree with her, but I always respect her.”

The outgoing members also had an opportunity to speak about their time in office. Kelly, Pool and Alter each thanked their Council colleagues, city staff, their district office staff, their families and their constituents. All three received a standing ovation after their remarks.

Kelly said she was leaving the dais filled with “gratitude, hope and a deep sense of purpose,” adding that her time on Council had reinforced her belief in the strength of her community. “Growing up in District 6, my family struggled to make ends meet, and … public service felt like a far-off dream. … You trusted me – a mom, a volunteer firefighter and a neighbor who grew up here – to be your voice.”

Kelly highlighted some of her initiatives, including the EMS whole blood program and the city’s automated license plate reader program. She said she felt “a sense of pride for my roots, for our shared struggles and for overcoming them,” adding that she intends to stay in Austin and to stay involved: “I’m not going anywhere.”

Pool said she learned to focus on core issues while in office. She cited the economy, energy and the environment as her top priorities.

“We are leading, as Austin often does, on the big issues that many cities face,” Pool said. “The imperative we face is how to accommodate the swift pace of growth.”

Pool added that she was proud of the collaboration on Council, even when navigating contentious issues: “We disagreed at times on tactics or outcomes, but … most often, we … shared a common understanding and vision and purpose. …We accomplished a lot together, a lot of good. I’ll miss that – doing good work with all of you.”

Alter described her eight years on Council as the hardest and most rewarding job of her life so far. She discussed some of her work on wildfire preparedness, response to sexual assault, access to health care and child care, plus climate resilience. Alter added that many of the initiatives she was proudest of were not on her radar when she ran for office.

“Over the years, I learned to pay attention to that random text with a critical concern. … I learned that asking questions could be a superpower. I also learned to leverage the momentum and attention created by a crisis to make some good trouble.”

Alter said she was looking forward to a “long, creative pause and time to reflect” before deciding how she would continue serving and shared her gratitude: “Governing is a team sport, and I am so fortunate to have been in the arena … with all of you.”

Mayor Kirk Watson and City Manager T.C. Broadnax shared some brief reflections as well. Kelly, Pool and Alter were presented with the traditional gifts for outgoing Council members: street signs showing their names and tenure, crystals to place on their home desks and framed photos of Council.

“It’s been great public service worthy of all the pride that you can muster,” Watson told his outgoing colleagues.

The event was followed by a reception in the atrium of City Hall.

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