Your Monitor team is catching up on a couple of radio show posts. Here, Austin City Council Member (and Member-elect) Kathie Tovo shares thoughts on the next Austin City Council. Posted below: [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/184439997″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
Austin
Posted inAustin, City Council, Local Politics
Houston plans to be strong advocate for District 1
District 1 Council Member-elect Ora Houston says that while her new office will be downtown at City Hall, she does not plan to become a stranger back in her Northeast Austin district. “One of the things I have found is that while we’re in a district system, the city has not shifted much toward a […]
Posted inAustin, City Council, Local Politics
Garza eager to tackle big issues at City Hall
In November, Delia Garza was one of the few City Council members elected outright. In addition to being the first person to represent District 2, Garza is also the first Latina to be elected to the Austin City Council. Last month, Garza sat down with Austin Monitor publisher Mike Kanin to discuss her hopes and […]
Posted inAustin, Bonds & Propositions, Courts, Development, Elections, Environment, Local Politics, Public Safety, Resources
2014: An Austin Monitor review
This past year was a dynamic one in Austin, and though the future promises to be just as interesting, at the close of 2014 we invite you to take a trip back over the past 12 months. Though a lot went on in the city and this list is far from comprehensive, from our ever-particular […]
Posted inAustin, City Charter, City Council, Local Politics
For Martinez, 10-1 dominated 2014
Council Member Mike Martinez is fresh off a campaign for mayor, one where he did his level best to bring up big-picture issues. Indeed, as many have reported, affordability and transportation became key notes in the campaign. Still, when he sat down to talk with the Monitor about the past year, the very first thing […]
Posted inAustin, City Council, Local Politics
Sheryl Cole talks about life on the Council
When we sat down with Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole, the first African-American woman elected to the Austin City Council, we asked her what advice she would give to the new Council members. She said, “Respect your colleagues. Value their opinions. Try to understand their position before you attack it. Look for compromise and seek […]
Posted inAustin, City Council, Local Politics
Morrison says campaign colored Council in 2014
City Council Member Laura Morrison decided in March that she would not run for mayor. That, of course, did not mean that the decisions by four of her colleagues to seek elected office in 2014 played out far from Morrison’s seat on the dais. Indeed, Morrison told the Monitor that the opposite was true. “For […]
Posted inAustin, Local Politics
Spelman remembers the high points
After three terms on the Austin City Council, first from 1997 to 2000 and then from 2009 to present, Council Member Bill Spelman is retiring from his nonpaying city gig. Professor Spelman, who also teaches courses in applied math and statistics, urban policy and public management at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the […]
Posted inAustin, City Hall, Development
Audit reveals big trouble with PDR fees
A city audit of the Planning and Development Review Department has found that the Office of the City Auditor “cannot provide assurance that development-related fees are charged accurately and consistently.” In one part of the audit, 40 percent of the fee transactions tracked were incorrect. The audit evaluated 30 transactions, and found that 12 were […]
Posted inAustin, City Hall, Development
BOA sides with staff on neighborhood appeal
Plans for a home at 2015 Goodrich Ave. will go on after the Board of Adjustment ruled against a neighborhood appeal earlier this month. Before the appeal reached the earlier hearing, three of the neighborhood’s other complaints had been resolved. The remaining issue of the appeal was whether the home’s attic exemption complied with the requirements […]
Posted inAustin, Development, Resources, Water
Reporter’s Notebook: City cuts ribbon on WTP4
After 30 years, WTP4 finally begins pumping water … Do you remember what you were doing in September 1984? If you lived in Austin and were of voting age, you may have voted “yes” to allow the city to go into debt to build a new water treatment plant to serve the growing northwest part […]
Posted inAustin, City Council, Local Politics
Adler talks about his agenda for new Council
Mayor-elect Steve Adler has proclaimed that his administration will give Austin “a new way forward.” He has talked of the 10-1 system as a restart for city government. Now Adler has to put forth some concrete ideas and get his new City Council colleagues on board with a plan that he believes will be more […]