Longtime county and city lawyer Laurie Eiserloh will face Council Member Delia Garza in a runoff in May to determine who will become Travis County Attorney when David Escamilla retires from the job next January. In the end, Eiserloh had 43.63 percent of the vote compared to Garza’s 38.15 percent. The other candidates in the […]
Elections
Posted inElections
District Attorney race heads to runoff election
José Garza celebrated his early lead against incumbent Margaret Moore at a campaign watch party at Mi Madre’s Restaurant in East Austin. With his early voting numbers showing a slight lead over Moore, he said he anticipated the race going to a runoff. Tuesday’s final numbers confirmed that suspicion. In the end, José Garza won […]
Posted inElections
City pays MPT Garza’s bar dues
The city of Austin paid Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza’s bar dues in 2018 and 2019, according to information the city provided to attorney and activist Bill Aleshire through a public information request. Garza, who announced that she would not run for reelection and is seeking the Democratic nomination for Travis County attorney, deactivated her […]
Posted inElections
City Council candidates tally their six-week fundraising totals
This November, candidates will compete for City Council seats in Districts 2, 4, 6, 7, and 10. Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza has already announced that she will not be seeking reelection in District 2; instead she is running for Travis County attorney in an already heated race. As for the City Council races, they […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Activist-led transportation bond vision adjusted and finalized
The team behind the Wheel Deal, a community-led concept for a 2020 transportation-focused bond, released its final plan Wednesday after making several adjustments to its initial plan based on public input. While the group sharply cut proposed funding in a number of areas, including the active transportation and improved local bus service components, new estimates […]
Posted inLocal Politics
Lawyer says Garza should follow city finance rules
Within hours of signing up to run in the March Democratic primary for Travis County Attorney, Delia Garza had an opponent whose name will not be appearing on the 2020 ballot. Bill Aleshire, who retired from his job as county judge at the end of 1998, sent a letter via email to Garza urging her […]
Posted inLocal Politics
Daugherty will not seek reelection
Travis County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty announced his retirement Thursday. “It has been a privilege and honor to serve my neighbors as their commissioner,” said Daugherty. “I’ve done my very best to deliver on the promises that I’ve made over time. I’ve fought for honest, cost-effective transportation solutions, for a comprehensive road system, and for a […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Arts, music groups target underserved communities with $12M for creative spaces
The first draft of guidelines for how the city will allocate $12 million in bond money for creative spaces shows that priority will be given to historically underserved communities and groups that have a track record of working with marginalized people. The public got a look at the long-expected recommendations Saturday at a joint meeting […]
Posted inElections
Eckhardt hopes city will pare down convention center plans for sake of Expo Center
Travis County voters gave county government the go-ahead last week to rebuild the aging exposition center on Decker Lane, but it could be a decade before the project breaks ground. County Proposition A, which passed with 63 percent of the vote, authorized the county to levy up to a 2 percent hotel tax to fund […]
Posted inElections
Unconventional Austin campaign finance violation moves to final hearing but could still be withdrawn
November elections have come and gone, but the Ethics Review Commission is still dealing with the ripple effects caused by a purported violation of campaign finance laws. Political consultant Mark Littlefield filed a complaint in late October alleging that Unconventional Austin, a political action committee that advocated for Proposition B, broke the law when it […]
Posted inElections
Garza not running for reelection, others eye seat
Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza, who represents District 2 on City Council, announced Tuesday that she would not be seeking reelection in 2020. The announcement is Garza’s next step in her likely run for Travis County Attorney. As the deadline for filing for office on the March primary ballot is Dec. 9, that is Garza’s […]
Posted inElections
Campaign contribution limits going up
While candidates for state and federal offices have been gearing up to run in the March 2020 primary, likely City Council candidates have also been considering whether to run in next November’s election. In fact, candidates for Council have been able to start collecting campaign donations since Nov. 4. Austin voters approved new campaign finance […]