Addressing a standing-room-only crowd at City Hall Friday night, newly installed Mayor Kirk Watson pledged to pursue unity, in contrast to the national picture depicted by the Trump insurrection of Jan. 6. Even as Watson was speaking, members of the U.S. House of Representatives were trying, and failing, to decide on the most basic of […]
City Council
Posted inCity Council
Who’s working at City Hall these days?
With today’s swearing in, Austin have a new mayor and three new City Council members, and those city leaders will have staff members helping them to steer the often turbulent waters of city policy. And active citizens will have new staff to get to know. Council Member José Velásquez, who is taking over the District […]
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Kelly, Guerrero allege Adler broke law in endorsements
Council Member Mackenzie Kelly and former City Council candidate Linda Guerrero have filed complaints with the Texas Ethics Commission and Travis County Attorney Delia Garza alleging that Mayor Steve Adler broke the law when he endorsed Zo Qadri and José Velásquez at a news conference carried on the city’s TV channel, ATXN, on Dec. 1. […]
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In final year as mayor, Adler reviews highlights of eight years in office
The city of Austin has faced big challenges in the past eight years, weathered mighty storms – both literal and metaphorical – and continued to grow, even as some longtime residents lamented the many changes taking place across the city. As Mayor Steve Adler wraps up his final year in office, he shared some recollections […]
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Watson reflects on his mayoral campaign: ‘A new beginning’
As Mayor-elect Kirk Watson prepares to assume his third term, he’s chosen to stick to his campaign messaging: He wants to cut down on the red tape involved in the development process, work across the ideological spectrum and play the role of elder statesman for the city. “I want to start this term governing from […]
Posted inCity Council
In D9, Qadri wants to ensure ‘an abundance of affordable housing’
Just past 10 p.m. on Dec. 13, after a night frantically pacing around the Whip In shaking hands, posing for pictures and checking on election updates, Zohaib Qadri – more commonly known as Zo – felt comfortable declaring victory in the District 9 race for City Council. His win, by just 343 votes, was the […]
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Alter highlights efforts to make Austin more resilient
After a tumultuous few years, Mayor Pro Tem Alison Alter has focused this year on making sure the city is able to weather whatever future shocks may lie ahead, be they public health emergencies, natural disasters or economic distress. “I’ve been really focused on advancing resilience and the long-term health of our city through good […]
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Tovo considers changes and challenges after 11 years on Council
After more than a decade on Austin City Council, Kathie Tovo’s view on the nature of elected life is that plenty of day-one priorities and worries for new Council members are likely to remain top concerns for years to come. Take housing availability and homelessness, for example. Tovo thinks back to when these two hot-button […]
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Ellis to push for more progress on housing in 2023
Fresh off the heels of a decisive reelection win, City Council Member Paige Ellis is ready to hit the ground running in 2023 with initiatives related to housing, transportation and workforce retention. Ellis won reelection with 58 percent of the vote in November, avoiding a runoff. She told the Austin Monitor that the margin of […]
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Leslie Pool is ready to take on more duties in 2023
December was a busy month in the busy year of 2022 for District 7 City Council Member Leslie Pool. As chair of the Council Austin Energy Utility Oversight Committee, her most important duty was shepherding through the utility’s rate change, which will bring Austin Energy much-needed revenue but was not popular with some advocates for […]
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Before passing baton, Kitchen reflects on eight years in the housing trenches
In her eight years on Austin City Council, Ann Kitchen has navigated both the thrills and the growing pains of the second-fastest-growing city in the country. Kitchen has spent 2022 refining policies she hopes will continue to address Austin’s housing crisis well after her departure, when she’ll hand over the reins of District 5 to incoming […]
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In D5, Ryan Alter hopes to bring momentum to city operations
Ryan Alter will bring a state-level perspective to City Hall next year when he takes over representing District 5 from Ann Kitchen, the two-term City Council member who was term-limited and unable to run in November. As a policy analyst and legal staffer for a number of state senators in recent years, Alter said he […]