Although much-maligned in certain circles, political action committees help spread the word in local elections for candidates, bonds and other propositions. Among the PACs filing with the Office of the City Clerk this month was the Our City Our Safety Our Choice PAC, which supported the successful election to pass stringent rules for governing transportation […]
Campaign Finance
Posted inCity Council
Flannigan races ahead in fundraising
Council Member Jimmy Flannigan has raised more than $9,200 so far this year, according to his campaign finance report, which was filed on Monday. Reports show that Council Member Ellen Troxclair was the only other City Council member to solicit and accept campaign contributions since Jan. 1. But she raised only $1,325 during the six-month […]
Posted inCity Hall
Pool proposes campaign finance rule changes
City Council Member Leslie Pool will be bringing forward an amendment to the city’s campaign finance law in June. Pool’s proposal is an attempt to remedy the city’s First Amendment problem with part of the old law, which federal Judge Lee Yeakel ruled was unconstitutional last July. Former Council Member Don Zimmerman sued the city […]
Posted inCity Hall
Ethics Review Commission weighs campaign finance proposal
Members of the city’s Ethics Review Commission are considering a number of potential changes to Austin’s campaign finance rules in the wake of a federal court ruling that blocked enforcement of certain restrictions on candidate fundraising. In a ruling last year prompted by a lawsuit by former City Council Member Don Zimmerman, U.S. District Judge […]
Posted inCity Council
New campaign finance rules in the works
Two City Council members, Ellen Troxclair and Jimmy Flannigan, are collecting campaign funds in anticipation of re-election campaigns that seem far in the future. Troxclair is likely to run for re-election in November 2018 for her District 8 seat, but Flannigan will not be up for re-election until November 2020. Both are taking advantage of […]
Posted inCourts
Zimmerman appeals campaign contribution limits
City Council Member Don Zimmerman has asked the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans to strike down two provisions of Austin’s campaign finance laws: the $350 limit on contributions made by individuals to Council candidates and the aggregate limit on the amount a candidate may accept from outside Austin’s ZIP code area. […]
Posted inCity Hall
Ethics Commission says voters have given Zimmerman a greater sanction than it ever could
Austin’s Ethics Commission dismissed a complaint against City Council Member Don Zimmerman on Nov. 9, saying there was no sanction it could give him greater than being voted out of office. Commissioners voted 5-3 in favor of the complainant. But, in order for the motion to pass, the commission needed six supporting votes, or two-thirds […]
Posted inElections
Prop 1, District 10, 7 races bring in cash
It’s anybody’s guess whether the city’s $720 million transportation bond proposition, known as Proposition 1, will win voter approval next week, but if it does not, it won’t be because of lack of funding. Move Austin Forward, the political action committee supporting the bond, has reported total political expenditures of more than $701,000. The campaign […]
Posted inElections
Campaign finance reports show who’s in the money
With only 28 days left until Election Day, Tuesday’s deadline for campaign finance reports arrived with little fanfare. City Council candidates were required to report all money they raised and spent between July 1 and the end of September, and most of their reports were available to view on the city’s website by the end […]
Posted inElections
Dark money law keeps PACs busy
Move Austin Forward, the political action committee supporting the city’s $720 million bond proposition on the Nov. 8 ballot, has raised about $680,000, according to Jim Wick, manager of the pro-bond campaign. He said the campaign has spent about half of the money it has raised so far. Mike Levy, who opposes Proposition 1, has […]
Posted inElections
PAC it up, PAC it in: PACs in local elections
To understand political action committees, it’s useful to think of them in terms of families. For example, if a candidate for City Council or mayor were the older sibling, a PAC would be the baby – that is, it would generally have fewer rules imposed upon it. This is the third installment in our series […]
Posted inElections
How the city (used to) restrict candidates’ fundraising time
With three months to go before Election Day in November, campaign signs for local, state and presidential candidates have bloomed – despite the incessant heat and current watering restrictions – on Austin lawns. Whether or not you’ve been fixated by the past two weeks of convention speeches, endorsements and nonendorsements, there’s one element underpinning it […]