Part II: District 7 candidates share views on climate action, housing, public safety

This is Part II of a two-part series profiling the candidates running for Austin City Council’s District 7 seat. Read Part I here. 

Adam Powell

Adam Powell, a former union organizer and state employee, believes that most of the impactful work on Council happens behind the scenes. “My goal is to be a Council member who pulls back the curtain on the work that is done at City Hall, while always seeking input from District 7 residents to inform my policy making and votes,” he told the Monitor.

Powell, who was raised in the Austin area by two teachers, says one of his top priorities is preventing future power outages. “In the 21st century Austinites shouldn’t have to worry about power outages, but we’ve been caught flat-footed by climate change,” he said. If elected, he plans to implement recommendations from an ongoing feasibility study to bury more of Austin’s power lines. He also wants to bolster Austin Energy’s existing vegetation management program and streamline the process for tree-trimming requests from residents.

As part of a Black minority of students in undergrad, Powell organized Texas Christian University students and faculty to create the African American and Africana studies minor and the Comparative Race and Ethnic Studies Department. This experience helped shape his philosophy on bringing new perspectives to policymaking. Powell says he will work to amplify the voices and experiences of BIPOC, LGBTQ+, senior, immigrant, and differently abled constituents.

If Powell joins the dais, his views on housing will likely align with the more urbanist Council majority. He told the Monitor he publicly supported both phases of HOME, describing it as “a common-sense policy to create more ‘missing-middle’ housing for Austinites.”

When it comes to public safety, Powell would adopt an “empathetic, resource-based” approach when dealing with vulnerable populations, while also supporting more competitive compensation and retention efforts for sworn first responders.

He has previously served on the North Shoal Creek Neighborhood Association and on the board of the SAFE Alliance, and has been active with ReThink35, Shoal Creek Conservancy, and the Texas Freedom Network. He creates content about Austin history on his social media platforms in his free time.

Todd Shaw

Todd Shaw believes his decades of experience navigating city structure will empower him to build consensus on contentious issues like land use. Shaw, an environmental engineer who has spent over 30 years working with diverse stakeholders (first during his career at Austin Energy and later as chair of the Planning Commission), says the current Council needs collaborative leadership.

“Austin communities have become highly polarized as we have experienced unprecedented growth over the last 15 years,” Shaw told the Monitor. “I am running to unite Austinites in tackling our immense challenges while maintaining the character and culture that lured me and so many others to this town.”

Shaw represented District 7 on the Planning Commission from 2018-2023, and served as chair for three years during the highly polarized discussions about the future of Austin’s Land Development Code. If elected, he plans to support a rewrite of the code, but in a way that gains the required supermajority of Council votes and garners broader support across the community. “I have a reputation as a bridge-builder, bringing people on both sides together to solve tough, divisive issues,” he said. 

Shaw, who has lived in Austin for 40 years, says his highest priority is bolstering the climate resilience of our infrastructure as our urban centers become more densely populated. At Austin Energy, Shaw managed a team working to reduce the utility’s climate impacts. He also led work on the decontamination of the former Seaholm Power Plant and its transformation into a current mixed-use center. Shaw wants to continue to fortify Austin’s climate resilience by implementing infrastructure improvements recommended in strategies like Water Forward and the Climate Equity Plan, and by supporting a climate bond election in 2026. He’d also like to ensure that the city pursues federal climate resilience grants and allocates the funds equitably.

Shaw told the Monitor he wants to create more parkland as our population grows, especially in the wake of House Bill 1526, which essentially dismantled Austin’s Parkland Dedication Ordinance. “The goal would be to develop a unified plan for securing parkland in park-deficient areas and anticipate where future density is planned to ensure these areas have adequate green space.”

Shaw also believes we can build consensus around public safety. He would support a new police contract that would amplify recruitment efforts while honoring the police oversight provisions voters supported in 2023. Further, he will advocate for the legalization of fentanyl test strips to help address Austin’s ongoing fentanyl crisis.

Mike Siegel

Mike Siegel, the candidate who currently has the most funding and endorsements, is best known for his two attempts to unseat incumbent Michael McCaul to represent Texas’ 10th Congressional District. Siegel, a former public school teacher and assistant city attorney, also brings extensive experience as an organizer and civil rights advocate. He co-founded Ground Game Texas, an organization that has advocated for the decriminalization of marijuana and led the city’s lawsuit against Greg Abbott in response to the Senate bill banning sanctuary cities in 2017. Siegel says these experiences will enable him to work effectively across the dais, particularly when progressive city policies are challenged by the Texas Legislature.

If elected, Siegel’s highest priority will be climate action through accelerated decarbonization and justice for the communities most impacted by the climate crisis. His climate proposals include the rapid closure of the Fayette Power Project and the expansion of Austin’s Civilian Conservation Corps, a green workforce program created by City Council. He would also support efforts to keep local farms in business and form creative partnerships to address food insecurity in Austin.

In tandem with his plans for climate action, Siegel brands himself a pro-labor candidate. While working in the City Attorney’s Office, he co-wrote the city’s paid sick leave ordinance. Siegel said he believes caring for Austin workers is key to implementing transformational change, especially when it comes to climate resilience.

“I’ve heard time and time again that local workers are forced to move into the ‘donut’ of suburban communities around Austin instead of living inside the city itself …. We need to help reverse this exodus – and take positive climate action – by creating more good-paying union jobs, building more infill housing that is affordable for working families, and building a public transit system that can take people off the roads and lower transportation costs for families.”

Siegel told the Monitor he also intends to prioritize public safety.

“From my conversations with voters, I’ve heard three themes on public safety: 1) we want police to come when we call; 2) we want police to respect civil rights; and 3) we want the city to invest in a broad array of programs to promote public safety, not just officers with guns.”

The Austin Monitor’s work is made possible by donations from the community. Though our reporting covers donors from time to time, we are careful to keep business and editorial efforts separate while maintaining transparency. A complete list of donors is available here, and our code of ethics is explained here.

Posted In: Elections, District 7