District 10 is Austin’s wealthiest district – it boasts an annual median family income of $131,100. It’s also one of the city’s most sprawling districts, stretching from MoPac Boulevard to Lake Travis. The race for District 10 is the most crowded among the five districts on the ballot. City Council Member Sheri Gallo is the […]
Elections
Posted inTransportation
CAMPO votes to reduce Travis County representation on key panel
Travis County residents will have a smaller voice in regional transportation planning after a vote on Monday that County Judge Sarah Eckhardt said for her was “a dark night of the soul.” The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Transportation Policy Board approved a streamlining of the Technical Advisory Committee, reducing its membership from 33 to […]
Posted inElections
More than a yard sign: Differing ideas about how District 7 should grow
You could classify Austin’s District 7 as the “middle district” – it falls smack dab between the city’s lowest- and highest-income districts, with an annual median family income around $74,000. Half (around 56 percent) of district residents rent their homes. It’s also geographically central and narrow, stretching from the city’s North Loop area to the […]
Posted inElections
More than a yard sign: A runoff rematch in District 6
Austin’s District 6 is one of the city’s wealthiest – the median family income is about $86,000 a year. It also boasts the largest number of Asian residents in the city. Council Member Don Zimmerman represents Austin’s northernmost district. He has served as a resounding voice of fiscal conservatism, often abstaining from votes because of […]
Posted inElections
More than a yard sign: A near repeat of 2014 in District 4 race
Austin’s District 4 is one of its most diverse – more than 65 percent of its residents are Hispanic, and nearly 10 percent of the district is African-American. Currently, City Council Member Greg Casar represents the north central district. Austin’s youngest-ever Council member, Casar faces two opponents this election – one he beat in 2014 […]
Posted inElections
More than a yard sign: An incumbent, a boxer and a tech guy in District 2
Complaints we hear citywide about affordability are magnified in Austin’s District 2. The southeast district has some of the lowest-income residents, with a median family income of $42,650. The district also boasts the largest Hispanic population – a point of pride for City Council Member Delia Garza, Austin’s first Latina local representative. In her 2016 […]
Posted inRadio
Austin Monitor Radio: Jimmy Flannigan
District 6 City Council candidate Jimmy Flannigan joins Austin Monitor publisher Mike Kanin to chat about his candidacy. Audio embedded below. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/282403439″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
Posted inElections
District 2 candidates debate for first time
Beneath a basketball net and a shut-off scoreboard at the Dove Springs Recreation Center, two City Council candidates for Austin’s District 2 squared off against each other and against the incumbent, Council Member Delia Garza. The forum, hosted by KUT, Glasshouse Policy and the Austin Monitor, kicked off with a question about the transportation bond […]
Posted inElections
Candidates fail to file financial information
The Austin Monitor asked the Office of the City Clerk on Tuesday for all of the financial information statements filed by City Council candidates running for election and re-election on the Nov. 8 ballot. Although there are 14 candidates, the clerk’s office was able to produce financial statements for only 12 of those candidates. Candidates […]
Posted inLocal Politics
Democratic DA pick talks cross-party maneuver
The Democratic nominee for Travis County district attorney is vigorously defending her decision to offer a Republican judge potential control of the office’s embattled Public Integrity Unit. Margaret Moore told the Austin Monitor that she is convinced that 450th District Court Judge Don Clemmer, regardless of his party affiliation, “is an outstanding person” and a […]
Posted inElections
New City Council candidates emerge
There were just two surprise City Council candidates when the filing deadline passed at 5 p.m. Monday – one in District 10 and one in District 4 – for the five seats on the November ballot. There are only 14 candidates in all, including the five incumbents elected in 2014, compared to the 78 candidates […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Mobility bond limps out of the gate toward November
Mayor Steve Adler’s gambit to fast-track a $720 million transportation bond proposal onto the November ballot succeeded on Thursday despite some last-minute flak from several City Council members. The final drafts of both the ordinance ordering the election and the resolution outlining Council’s intent passed on a 7-1-3 vote. Council Member Ora Houston stood alone […]