Even though Council colleagues Pio Renteria and Mayor Steve Adler faced a number of opponents in their respective campaigns for re-election, and there was a spirited fight in Districts 1 and 8, where the incumbents are retiring, District 5 Council Member Ann Kitchen ran unopposed in Tuesday’s election. She told the Austin Monitor she was […]
Jo Clifton
Jo Clifton is the Politics Editor for the Austin Monitor.
Posted inWhispers
Election Day is finally here!
For football fanatics, the Super Bowl is the best day of the year; for political junkies, it’s election day. According to Travis County Clerk Dana De Beauvoir, more than 47 percent of the county’s registered voters cast ballots during the early voting period. So one of the big questions to be answered tonight is, how […]
Posted inZoning
Despite road plans, Council OKs zoning
Council rejected recommendations of the city’s zoning and transportation staff and the Zoning and Platting Commission at Thursday’s meeting, granting on first reading a request for commercial and mixed-use zoning on a northeast Austin property at 9100 Brown Lane. The vote was 10-0, with Council Member Leslie Pool off the dais. The property owner, Justin […]
Posted inWhispers
Camelback PUD back on Council agenda
The second and third readings for the Camelback Planned Unit Development is on today’s Council agenda and seems likely to gain final approval. Council approved the PUD on first reading in a vote of 10-0 on Oct. 18, with Council Member Leslie Pool absent. Entrepreneur Jonathan Coon’s ambitious project on Lake Austin has gained support […]
Posted inCity Council
Council seems ready to OK biosolids contract
The latest chapter in the city’s quest to sign a new contract for handling biosolids at the Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management Plant appears to be nearing its end after two and half years of struggle. With Council Member Alison Alter leading the charge at Tuesday’s work session, Council appeared ready to finally approve a new […]
Posted inElections
City ethics rule may be unconstitutional
Mayor Steve Adler’s campaign manager filed an ethics complaint Tuesday against Megaphone GPAC, a general purpose political action committee opposing the mayor’s re-election. But it seems likely that the complaint will be dismissed, according to attorneys familiar with election law. Adler’s campaign manager, Jim Wick, noted that the committee’s treasurer, Luke McAlpin, filed Megaphone’s appointment […]
Posted inElections
Complaints filed against District 1 candidates
Complaints filed with the Texas Ethics Commission charge City Council District 1 candidates Natasha Harper-Madison and Vincent Harding with filing erroneous campaign finance reports in violation of the Texas Election Code. Both campaigns denied any violations when contacted Monday, but the campaigns acknowledged receiving copies of the complaints. The commission is prohibited from releasing copies […]
Posted inWhispers
Early voting still popular
Travis County voters continued to rack up impressive numbers in early vote totals this weekend, even though Sunday’s hours were abbreviated. On Saturday, 23,725 voters cast ballots and on Sunday another 12,530 voters expressed their preferences at early voting locations. In fact, the numbers are slightly higher than the number of ballots cast over the […]
Posted inWater
Boil water order may be lifted Sunday
Austin Water Director Greg Meszaros said Thursday he expects a boil water notice for water utility customers to remain in effect until Sunday evening. In the meantime, the utility is working to satisfy all of its internal requirements as well as Texas Commission on Environmental Quality regulations. Although the city issued the boil water notice […]
Posted inCity Hall
Report highlights flaws in city contracting
City auditors found major flaws in how the city manages its contracts, with many of those weaknesses persisting citywide for several years, according to a special report issued this week. Audit Manager Katie Houston told the City Council Audit and Finance Committee Wednesday that the contracting weaknesses negatively impact the city’s ability to safeguard city […]
Posted inWhispers
Water quality improving
Austin Water spokesperson Emlea Chanslor said Wednesday that turbidity levels at the city’s three water treatment plants had dropped significantly. Turbidity refers to cloudiness and is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency. Just before the boil water notice was issued, the turbidity level at the city’s three plants was around 400. On Wednesday night, at […]
Posted inWhispers
Voting enthusiasm continues
Monday saw a groundswell of voting for the Nov. 6 election, with about 6 percent of Travis County’s registered voters casting early ballots. But former political consultant Peck Young, who serves as director of the Center for Public Policy and Political Studies at Austin Community College, said we should wait until we saw the vote […]