With City Council Member Leslie Pool retiring, five candidates are lined up for the District 7 seat. However, a sixth candidate may be jumping into the race very soon. Attorney Gary Bledsoe, aptly described by The Austin Bulldog as “a towering figure in civil rights,” confirmed Thursday that he is strongly considering the race. If Bledsoe does decide to run, he will be joining Mike Siegel, Todd Shaw, Adam Powell, Pierre Nguyen and Edwin Bautista, who have already declared their candidacies. Bledsoe has served as president of the Texas NAACP since 1991 and has worked as an attorney on a number of important cases. The Texas Rangers appointed their first Black Ranger in 1988 after Bledsoe threatened to sue the agency for discrimination. If Bledsoe were elected to the District 7 seat, Council would have two Black members for the first time in its history. Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison, the only Black member of Council, represents District 1.
Jo Clifton is the Politics Editor for the Austin Monitor. More by Jo Clifton