Whispers Roundup is a weekly column of items from our reporters’ notebooks. ANC plans mega-forum next week … The Austin Neighborhoods Council will hold its candidate forum next week. Following the forum, ANC will vote on its endorsements, which will be announced Sept. 29. Those of you with some (or a lot) of time on […]
Local Politics
Posted inLocal Politics
City Hall remodeling 80 percent complete
Officials with the city’s Public Works Department said Thursday that renovations to the first and second floors of City Hall are between 70 and 80 percent complete, and should be usable by late October. Construction began in July on the Council Chambers and the Executive Conference Room to accommodate the new 11-member City Council that […]
Posted inLocal Politics
District 4 candidates talk public safety, affordability
Council candidates vying for the District 4 seat listed safety, sidewalks and affordability as top priorities facing Austin’s densest district in a forum Wednesday, co-hosted by the Austin Monitor and our partners at KUT, KXAN, the Austin Chronicle and Univision. Candidates at the forum pointed out that the north central district consists of approximately 70 percent […]
Posted inElections, Local Politics, Public Safety
Austin Interfaith grills mayoral candidates on affordability
Only three of the eight candidates in the running for mayor participated in a question-and-answer session hosted by Austin Interfaith on Tuesday. And rather than give candidates a forum to lay out their individual platforms, Austin Interfaith directed four specific questions to them about the group’s priorities, touching on education, immigration, affordable homes and employment. […]
Posted inLocal Politics, Resources
Social service contract process causes ruckus
Once again, the awarding of social service contracts by the city is shaping up to be a contentious issue. Though the scoring of contracts has been modified, the changes have not kept some big names from being left out. “We realize that there are serious issues that we are going to have to sort through […]
Posted inDevelopment, Elections, Environment, Local Politics, Transportation
East Austin candidates pack stage at North Door
Candidates went head-to-head in the race to represent East Austin voters in District 3 at the latest in a series of community forums hosted by the Austin Monitor and KUT News. All of the district’s 12 candidates attended Monday’s question and answer session at the North Door on Brushy Street to talk about affordability and […]
Posted inPremium Types
TipSheet: Travis County Commissioners
The Travis County Commissioners Court meets at 9 a.m. Tuesday. In the interest of space, we’ve decided not to post the entire agenda here. The County Clerk’s office hosts a copy at its website. Items of interest for Commissioners Court include: 23. CONSIDER AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION ON ORDER AMENDING AND CORRECTING ORDER SETTING SALARIES […]
Posted inLocal Politics
Search our advisory boards appointee database
The City of Austin has a plethora of advisory groups that each inform some aspect of how city government operates and regulates the services it provides for the community. There are more than 60 advisory boards, committees and commissions, including some that regulate water and wastewater, determine historical landmarks, monitor and support equality and quality […]
Posted inDevelopment, Elections, Local Government, Local Politics, Resources
Whisper Roundup: Accuracy a casualty in mayor’s race
Longtime readers of the Austin Monitor and its predecessor will remember Whispers as a column of information about what is really going on at City Hall, Travis County and the myriad other entities we cover. With our recent changeover to a new publishing format, Whispers became more difficult for our readers to find, so we […]
Posted inElections, Local Politics
Ballot Boxing: The District 2 Forum Full Video
Complete video of the District 2 Candidate Forum is below, courtesy of our partners at KXAN:
Posted inElections, Local Politics, Transportation
District 2 candidates battle to champion Southeast
Three candidates vying to represent Southeast Austin agree — the district has long been ignored and needs a voice on City Council. District 2 covers much of Southeast Austin, including the Dove Springs and Onion Creek neighborhoods and the area surrounding Austin Bergstrom International Airport. The district is unique in that more than 60 percent […]
Posted inLocal Politics
Martinez tries to paint Adler as rich, out of touch
Mayoral candidate Mike Martinez’s campaign continued its attacks on opponent Steve Adler on Wednesday, alleging that he “owns a villa at Esperanza in Cabo San Lucas, one of the most exclusive resorts in Mexico.” That proved to be an exaggeration. Bo Delp, Martinez’s deputy campaign manager, said they got the information from Adler’s recently filed […]