A look at green groups’ endorsements

Texas Clean Water Action has joined the list of groups endorsing Mayor Steve Adler for re-election. In addition, the group has announced its endorsements in the other Council races: Vincent Harding in District 1, Susana Almanza in District 3, Ann Kitchen, who is running unopposed for re-election in District 5, Bobby Levinski in District 8 and Kathie Tovo in District 9. In addition, Clean Water Action has announced that it supports city of Austin bonds on the November 6 ballot and opposes Proposition K, which would require the city to do an audit of all departments. Supporters of Proposition K have not indicated what particular departments they are targeting, but some environmentalists have expressed concern that the audit is simply a mechanism to attempt to get the city to sell it its largest asset, Austin Energy. The Clean Water Action endorsements are similar to those of the Austin regional chapter of the Sierra Club. However, the Sierra Club did not endorse in the mayor’s race and took no position on Proposition K. Austin Environmental Democrats voted to oppose both Propositions J and K. That group also endorsed both Adler and former Council Member Laura Morrison in the mayor’s race. And in the battle between Council Member Pio Renteria and Almanza, that group also endorsed both candidates. The group could not decide between Levinski and Rich DePalma in District 8 and ended up endorsing neither. It seems likely that the District 8 contest will go to a runoff, so groups that failed to endorse this time around will have another chance.