Jo Clifton

Just back from Silverstone, England where he met with officials and viewed preparations for the Formula 1 grand prix race there, Mayor Lee Leffingwell told In Fact Daily, “ I have to say in all seriousness, when you’re starting up something of this magnitude, I think it would have been irresponsible not to take advantage […]

As if the stress of shepherding new rates through a sometimes truculent City Council were not enough, Austin Energy General Manager Larry Weis must now find a new vice president for Distributed Energy Services. Weis informed employees on Friday that Karl Rábago had resigned.   Rábago, who came to Austin Energy in 2009, is starting […]

Based on early returns, longtime Austin Congressman Lloyd Doggett has good reason to be optimistic as he seeks to return to Washington as a representative of a new district. Doggett has 93 percent of the votes cast early in Travis County’s Democratic primary and 53 percent of early votes in Bexar County in the newly […]

Mayor Lee Leffingwell and three City Council incumbents each seemed to be winning handily as early votes were counted tonight. Mayoral opponent Brigid Shea garnered 34 percent of the early vote and Leffingwell’s third opponent, Clay Dafoe, got 11 percent.   Leffingwell and Bill Spelman each had 55 percent of the approximately 20,000 votes cast by mail and […]

Austin voters evidently looked around and decided that life was still pretty good in their city, giving the Mayor and three incumbent Council members solid victories in Saturday’s election.   Mayor Lee Leffingwell, who had the toughest fight against former Council Member Brigid Shea and Council gadfly Clay Dafoe, had about 52 percent of the […]

Citing a looming deadline for ordering voting equipment for a planned May Council election, Council members Laura Morrison and Bill Spelman have posted the item for action on today’s work session agenda. Council voted 4-3 on Sept. 22 to go forward with the May election.   If they approve the May election on second reading […]

Council Member Mike Martinez, a former firefighter and union leader, joined the chorus of criticism of Fire Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr Wednesday, saying she should have returned early from her vacation to lead her department during the devastating Labor Day weekend fires.   “I don’t think it changed our ability to help citizens but . […]

There was more than enough disorganization to go around for the Local Organizing Committee of the Circuit of the Americas Monday as its first public meeting was cancelled due to lack of public notice.   As attorney David Armbrust explained last night, the events surrounding the failed attempt to post notice of the meeting and […]

A month ago, it was hard to see how incumbent Council Member Randi Shade could overcome her opponent, Kathie Tovo, in the race to be decided finally this Saturday. Although Shade had money, many political pundits were saying privately—and some not so privately—that she should just throw in the towel. But her supporters urged her […]

Council Member Randi Shade has filed an ethics complaint against her Place 3 challenger Kathie Tovo, alleging that Tovo violated the city’s Fair Campaign Ordinance. The city’s Ethics Review Commission has called a special meeting for Friday afternoon to consider the complaint.   Shade also issued a statement Tuesday that she has decided to run […]

On Friday, as he gives his State of the City address, Mayor Lee Leffingwell will formally endorse preparations for what he says “could be the most pivotal election in a generation” in November 2012.   If Leffingwell can convince a majority of his colleagues to vote for the ballot measures he is proposing, city voters […]

City Clerk Shirley Gentry said Thursday the city has 80 boxes of records from the offices of former Mayor Will Wynn and former Council Member Brewster McCracken. Somewhere within those 80 boxes there might be records County Attorney David Escamilla is seeking in his quest to determine whether current Council members have violated the Texas […]