José “Chito” Vela, who will be sworn in as City Council member for District 4 at 9 a.m. on Monday at City Hall, has hired Timothy Bray as his policy aide. Bray, who is president of the Austin Environmental Democrats, served as Vela’s campaign manager. Vela has also hired Jenna Hanes, who was in charge […]
Jo Clifton
Jo Clifton is the Politics Editor for the Austin Monitor.
Posted inPlanning
Council still has many questions about waterfront tax zone
Anyone expecting definitive answers about how the city will pay for improvements for the South Central Waterfront zone after a lengthy discussion at Tuesday’s City Council work session was likely disappointed. At the end of reports from the city’s financial and housing staff, Council still had numerous questions. Mayor Steve Adler, who has been a […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Loop 360/Davenport fire station lease raises questions
After serious questions about whether staff members had provided City Council with sufficient information before moving forward on construction of a new Loop 360/Davenport fire/EMS station, Council on Thursday approved a 40-year lease for the property at 4601 Westlake Drive. The $9 million lease agreement with the Episcopal Diocese of Texas includes an option for […]
Posted inWhispers
Pool hires new policy adviser
Cynthia Miller, longtime partner at Rindy Miller Media, is joining the staff of District 7 Council Member Leslie Pool. Today is her first day as senior policy adviser for Pool and Miller will be working from City Hall. Pool represents the city as a member of the Capital Metro Board of Directors, where Miller just […]
Posted inCity Council
Council moves to put a stop to wage theft
Austin is taking a step toward joining El Paso and Houston in punishing employers that engage in wage theft, with a resolution City Council approved unanimously on Thursday. A dozen people signed up to tell Council members to approve the resolution, which was sponsored by Council Member Ann Kitchen. The resolution directs City Manager Spencer […]
Posted inElections
Vela easily wins District 4 race
A look at the election results Tuesday night showed that José “Chito” Vela would handily defeat his six opponents in the special election to replace outgoing Council Member Greg Casar. Vela won 2,137 votes for 59.23 percent. His closest rival, Monica Guzmán, received just 495 votes for 13.72 percent of the vote. Coming in third […]
Posted inWhispers
Election day arrives in District 4
Voters in Austin’s District 4 have their final chance today to select a new City Council member. With Greg Casar stepping down to run for Congress, voters in this district have the opportunity to select a new representative at City Hall. As of the close of the early voting period on Friday, just 1,874 voters, […]
Posted inWhispers
DAA wants to postpone vote on downtown court
The Downtown Austin Alliance has written to City Council asking it to postpone consideration of three items on Thursday’s agenda that are necessary for renovating the old Municipal Building on Eighth Street so it can serve as the new Downtown Community Court. Council members have been talking about doing this for some time, but the […]
Posted inWater
Austin Water outlines actions for dealing with the next crisis
Since last February’s winter storm, Austin Water has taken numerous steps, both big and small, to prepare for the impact of another such emergency. Director Greg Meszaros told City Council’s Austin Water Oversight Committee last week that, with the help of a working group from the Water and Wastewater Commission, the water utility has prioritized […]
Posted inWhispers
Early voting ends today in District 4 race
As of Wednesday night, 1,199 voters had cast ballots in the City Council District 4 race – that’s less than 3.5 percent of those registered in the district. Voters who do not make it to the polls before 7 p.m. tonight (here are the early voting locations) can vote on election day, Tuesday, Jan. 25. […]
Posted inPublic Safety
City races to prepare for the next emergency
City Council’s Audit & Finance Committee received an updated report Wednesday on the city’s efforts to prepare for what Assistant City Manager Rey Arellano has described as “complex, cascading disasters,” like the city faced last February during Winter Storm Uri. The committee heard a scathing report from the Office of the City Auditor in November, […]
Posted inCity Hall
New job for Briseño as city announces promotions
City Manager Spencer Cronk has announced the appointment of Veronica Briseño as assistant city manager for the “Government That Works for All” strategic area, starting this week. Briseño has worked for the city for more than 20 years, including an early stint as an aide to Council Member Raul Alvarez. She began her employment with […]