Monday was the deadline to file campaign finance reports for members of City Council and other candidates in the November election. No one was surprised last week when the Austin Monitor reported that Mayor Kirk Watson had raised more than $710,000 between mid-April and June 30, probably more than his opponents are likely to raise […]
Elections
Posted inElections
Mayor reports big campaign fundraising numbers, but his challengers push on
Monday is the deadline for all City Council candidates to turn in their campaign finance reports for the period that ended on June 30. Politics watchers expect Mayor Kirk Watson to raise far more than his opponents as he has in the past. So it was not surprising when he announced Tuesday that his reelection […]
Posted inEnvironment
Mayor Kirk Watson slows timing for climate bond election
City Council members have been taking sides on the City Council Message Board over competing timelines for a climate bond election, and on Wednesday the proposal for a longer lead-up was left standing. The back-and-forth on the message board – the city platform Council members use to communicate with one another without violating open meetings […]
Posted inElections
Kathie Tovo kicks off mayoral campaign criticizing Kirk Watson
Kathie Tovo, who served on City Council from 2012 to 2023, including four years as mayor pro tem, is running for mayor – and she’s not shy about explaining why she wants to replace Mayor Kirk Watson. At her campaign kickoff party Wednesday night at a crowded El Mercado Restaurant in South Austin, Tovo told […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Watson eyes city grants for child care providers in tandem with proposed county tax vote
Mayor Kirk Watson voiced support Thursday for a proposed grant program for home-based child care providers throughout the city, as one piece of a countywide effort to address one of the most persistent affordability issues in Austin. Speaking at a summit examining the causes and possible solution for the city’s affordability problem, Watson said child […]
Posted inElections
Lost Creek, two other areas of Austin vote to remove themselves from city limits
Three of six neighborhoods near the outskirts of Austin will be removed, or “disannexed,” from the city limits following voter approval in Saturday’s election. That includes Lost Creek in West Austin, the largest of the three; land near Blue Goose Road in Northeast Austin; and a portion of land in River Place in West Austin. “Disannexing” from […]
Posted inElections
Democrat-backed candidates sweep first Travis County appraisal election
Three candidates backed by the local Democratic Party won seats to the Travis Central Appraisal District’s board of directors, who help manage property appraisals. Jett Hanna, Shenghao “Daniel” Wang and Dick Lavine soundly defeated three others backed by the local Republican Party on Saturday, including Matt Mackowiak, chair of the party in Travis County, and Don […]
Posted inElections
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson declares his plans to run for reelection
To the surprise of practically no one in Austin, Mayor Kirk Watson announced on Wednesday that he will run for reelection this November. In an email to supporters, he outlined victories so far in his current two-year term. “For example, we’ve adopted the most ambitious housing reforms in decades to create more affordability; we’ve made […]
Posted inElections
Democrats vs. Republicans: First election coming for Travis Central Appraisal District board
Even though their party affiliations will not be on the ballot, three Democrats, three Republicans and a Libertarian are running for three seats on the Travis Central Appraisal District Board of Directors. That election on May 4 will be the first such election since passage of a law requiring that three of those directors be […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Charter Review Commission sends its recommendations to Council
The Charter Review Commission has wrapped up its evaluation of possible charter revisions relating to petition requirements, among other items, and has submitted its final report to City Council with nine recommendations. Council will ultimately decide which items will be placed on the November ballot. In its 2023 resolution creating the commission, one of Council’s […]
Posted inElections
José Garza pushes aside Jeremy Sylestine in Democratic primary for Travis County district attorney
Incumbent District Attorney José Garza claimed victory Tuesday in the race to keep his job as Travis County district attorney. As of 10 p.m., Garza had a more than 30-point lead over Jeremy Sylestine, picking up 38,379 votes to Sylestine’s 19,767, according to the Travis County Clerk. The race between Garza and Sylestine got messy ahead […]
Posted inElections
Interfaith organizer, LGBTQ advocate Doug Greco running for mayor
A third official candidate jumped in to the race for mayor of Austin on Monday. Doug Greco, who announced last week that he was stepping down from his post as executive director and lead organizer of Central Texas Interfaith, announced his candidacy, declaring that he wants to address “inequality, unaffordability, (and) the increasingly difficult path […]