Members of City Council have started to show some of their priorities for the city’s next bond package that would address needs for parkland and cultural centers, among other city departmental resources. Another concern expressed at last week’s Audit and Finance Committee meeting was the likelihood that the city will need to assess where it […]
Elections
Posted inElections
East side activist Llanes Pulido running for mayor
Longtime Austin activist Carmen Llanes Pulido announced Tuesday that she would be running for mayor. Llanes Pulido, 39, is the executive director of GAVA (Go Austin/Vamos Austin) and a former member of a variety of city organizations, including the Planning Commission and the inaugural Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, which created Austin’s first district map. Llanes […]
Posted inElections
Tovo announces run for mayor
Former City Council Member Kathie Tovo announced Thursday that she is running for mayor this year, a move that will inject a little adrenaline into the race featuring incumbent Mayor Kirk Watson. Tovo served as an at-large council member from 2011 to 2015 and as a representative of District 9 from 2015 to 2023. She […]
Posted inElections
Political parties reach joint primary agreement to preserve countywide voting
After weeks of unusual delay, Democrats and Republicans in Travis County entered into a joint agreement on Tuesday that will preserve countywide voting and electronic ballots in the March 2024 primary election. These agreements set the rules by which the Travis County Clerk’s Office administers the primary elections. But the Travis County Republican Party’s push […]
Posted inElections
Travis County Democrats say ‘election denialism’ within Republican Party imperils the 2024 primary election
In a Wednesday press conference, the Travis County Democratic Party and Travis County elected officials called out “election denialism” within the Travis County Republican Party that they say is keeping the two party organizations from agreeing on rules for primary elections. The Austin Monitor previously reported on concerns that the two local party groups had […]
Posted inElections
Republican push for hand counting leads to uncertainty about Travis County’s 2024 primaries
A divide between Travis County’s local political parties on hand counting and paper ballots is leading to uncertainty about how the county will administer the 2024 primaries. In a Tuesday letter to Travis County Clerk Dyana Limon-Mercado, Travis County Democratic Party Chair Katie Naranjo expressed the party’s concern about the Travis County Republican Party’s “questions and […]
Posted inLocal Politics
Candidates signing up for 2024 City Council races
Although City Council elections are nearly a year away, two incumbents and eight contenders have already indicated their intention to run by filing paperwork appointing campaign treasurers. Another has also told the Austin Monitor that he plans to run again. District 2 Council Member Vanessa Fuentes and District 6 Council Member Mackenzie Kelly filed new […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Travis County voters approve bond propositions aimed at roads, parks
On election night, Travis County voters overwhelmingly approved a bond package that will bolster roads and parks. Proposition A includes $233,060,000 in road bonds that will pay for safety projects, acquiring land for right of way, road drainage, bike lanes, side walks, shared use paths and other projects. Proposition B includes $276,440,000 of bonds for […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Travis County voters to consider bond package aimed at road, park improvements
Early voting in the Travis County bond election begins on Monday, Oct. 23, and runs through Nov. 3. Election day is Nov. 7. The Travis County Commissioners Court unanimously approved adding the bond to the November election on Aug. 15. The package includes two propositions that direct more than $500 million to roads and parks. […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
City IDs $65M in creative space needs for possible 2024 bond package
The city has identified $65 million in critical needs for cultural arts infrastructure projects that will be under consideration for a possible bond vote in 2024. A memo released last week spells out the progress being made on a handful of major creative space projects funded by the city. It also offers a glimpse at […]
Posted inElections
Travis County voting advocates fight for more access for students
University voting advocates on Tuesday took to the Travis County Commissioners Court to advocate for equitable voting access on college campuses on and before election day, specifically at St. Edward’s University and Huston-Tillotson University. Advocates – mostly from voting rights group Texas Rising – included students from the University of Texas and Huston-Tillotson. They urged […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Austin passed a sweeping police oversight measure. Here’s what happens next.
Austin resoundingly approved an expansion of police oversight on Saturday. About 80 percent of voters in the city approved Proposition A, while the same percentage of voters shut down the opposing proposition, Prop B. Now comes the hard part. City leaders will have to fold Prop A’s expansion of the city’s Office of Police Oversight into a labor contract […]