Jo Clifton

Members of the South Lamar Neighborhood Association were seen around City Hall this week as they waited to talk to Council members about how to name a new park at 3000 Del Curto Road. Council voted 4-3 in June to name the park the Thomas Lasseter Neighborhood Park after a man who lived on the property […]

Austin’s Stonewall Democrats met Wednesday night to consider endorsements for six of 11 city races on the November 4 ballot. The group endorsed Ora Houston for District 1; Greg Casar and Katrina Daniel for District 4; and Ann Kitchen for District 5. They also endorsed Jimmy Flannigan in District 6 and Ed Scruggs in District 8. […]

Today’s Council agenda includes two contentious zoning cases that have sparked valid petitions from their respective residents. The developer of the Overlook at Spicewood Springs wants to build an 18,000 square foot building, but neighbors are seeking to cut that down to about 10,000 square feet. There is also a disagreement over how close the […]

Friends of Amy Everhart, who has worked as Mayor Lee Leffingwell’s policy director for the past five years, gathered at the mayor’s office Tuesday night for a farewell celebration. Everhart is starting her new job next week as director of government relations for Hahn Public Communications. “I will probably be working on a lot of […]

Council members have a few items to chew on today during their work session ahead of Thursday’s Council meeting. That includes items from Council Members Kathie Tovo, Laura Morrison and Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole, who are sponsoring a resolution asking city management to bring back an ordinance by Dec. 1 that would establish a […]

AFSCME leader Jack Kirfman said Sunday that the local Central Labor Council had made endorsements in 10 of the 11 Council races on Saturday. Kirfman said the labor council interviewed 36 candidates in a daylong meeting. Like AFSCME, the larger group endorsed Ora Houston in District 1, Delia Garza in District 2, Sabino “Pio” Renteria […]

Thursday’s City Council agenda currently contains 150 items, including the frequently amusing Citizens Communications. We can expect to see candidates making an effort to present their issues on Channel 6 through this method for the next couple of months. This week, Council will hear from Susana Almanza, running for District 3, whose topic is “make […]

As different political clubs around town become engaged in planning for the November election, there’s bound to be a lot of heat and light. Glen Coleman, president of Central Austin Democrats, notes that his club endorsed the $600 million rail bond proposal Wednesday night after considerable discussion. Coleman said, “We had a spirited discussion which […]

At Tuesday’s budget work session, Assistant City Manager Sue Edwards said Austin Bergstrom International Airport is the third-fastest growing airport in the country and has surpassed 10 million passengers. Airport Executive Director Jim Smith laid out more good news for the city, with ABIA revenues climbing to a projected $122.8 million for 2015. Budget writers […]

The department that receives and responds to complaints about nuisances and dangerous structures shall henceforth be known simply as the Austin Code Department. Department Director Carl Smart unveiled the new name at Tuesday’s budget briefing. The department is expecting to investigate 19,000 complaints this coming year. In 2013, the department investigated 17,779 complaints, and the […]