Third-generation Austinite Reedy Spigner will be officially declaring his candidacy for the City Council District 1 seat today at the School House Pub on Manor Road. According to a press release from the candidate, Spigner’s party will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Kay Gourley, who answered the campaign’s phone on Wednesday, said that those […]
Jo Clifton
Jo Clifton is the Politics Editor for the Austin Monitor.
Posted inWhispers
With valid petition, Tovo set to run for third term
Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo, District 9’s representative on City Council, on Tuesday turned in 4,752 signatures from voters in her district in order to run for a third Council term. By the end of the day, Tovo told the Austin Monitor, City Clerk Jannette Goodall had validated the signatures, assuring Tovo a spot on […]
Posted inWhispers
Aquifer district board members seek re-election
Both the president and the vice president of the Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District Board of Directors have filed the necessary documents to run for re-election in November. Blayne Stansberry, who is president, represents Precinct 2 and was first elected in 2014. On the district’ s website, Stansberry notes, “As a civil engineer, like my […]
Posted inElections
Fourth candidate enters race for District 8
Frank Ward, 36, threw his hat in the ring for the District 8 City Council seat on Monday with the endorsement of the current occupant of that seat, Council Member Ellen Troxclair. Troxclair, the only Republican on the dais, recently announced that she would not run for a second term. Ward joins three other candidates, […]
Posted inLand Development Code
CodeNEXT testing: What to look for
Depending on who you ask, the testing of CodeNEXT, the rewrite of the city’s Land Development Code, is either an important exercise in moving the city toward more efficient construction or just an obscure game being played at City Hall. Members of the development community, represented by the Real Estate Council of Austin, and members […]
Posted inCity Hall
Nuckols takes parting shot
Assistant County Attorney Tom Nuckols has stepped down from the Planning Commission, but in a statement provided to the Austin Monitor, he made it clear that he was not leaving the commission because Attorney General Ken Paxton sued him. A staunch Democrat, Nuckols wrote, “I’m glad I stayed long enough to be sued by Paxton. […]
Posted inWhispers
Tovo ready to turn in signatures
Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo, who represents City Council District 9, has been working for several months to gather signatures so that she can run for a third term. She told the Austin Monitor that she intends to file those signatures with the city clerk around noon on Tuesday. Council members are allowed to run […]
Posted inZoning
CM Houston helps neighbors of Ferguson Crossing
City Council gave final approval to a zoning change that will allow a new warehouse complex in far-Northeast Austin and approved a conditional overlay to accommodate neighbors who live just across the street from the property but outside the city. Council Member Ora Houston made a motion to require the developer to build a 50-foot […]
Posted inElections
Mayor’s race outraises all others
Mayor Steve Adler and his chief opponent, former Council Member Laura Morrison, by far outraised the candidates in all the other races, as shown by the campaign finance reports filed on Monday. Of course, the mayor’s race is traditionally the most expensive, and this year will be no exception. Adler, who started his re-election effort […]
Posted inWhispers
Adler responds to border accusation
Mayor Steve Adler and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio are among those who have been accused of illegally crossing the Mexican border near Tornillo on June 21 when they went to try to inspect a holding facility federal immigration officials have been using to detain immigrant children. Various news organizations, including the Associated […]
Posted inCity Council
Troxclair decides not to seek re-election
Council Member Ellen Troxclair, the lone conservative on City Council, announced Wednesday that she would not be seeking re-election to her District 8 seat. Troxclair was elected as part of the first group of Council members elected from districts, and she represents the southwest part of the city. In a press statement, Troxclair characterized her […]
Posted inWhispers
Planning Commission resignations expected
The Austin Monitor heard rumors Monday that at least two members of the Planning Commission named as defendants in a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Ken Paxton are planning to resign this month. Architect Trinity White, who was appointed by Council Member Ora Houston to represent District 1, confirmed that the July 24 commission meeting […]