If Paige Ellis had to sum up City Council’s work this year in one word, she said she would choose “momentum.” Ellis, who represents Southwest Austin’s District 8, has served on Council through a series of challenges that were truly unprecedented – a pandemic, severe winter storms accompanied by sweeping power outages and contentious, generational […]
Council Member Paige Ellis
Posted inCity Hall
In 2024, Paige Ellis will focus on her two main loves: mobility improvements and parks
The past year has been a busy one for City Council Member Paige Ellis, who served as mayor pro tem throughout 2023. She described the extra duties of the position as “a great experience.” Noting that Mayor Kirk Watson is very detail-oriented, Ellis said she never had any question about what needed to be done. […]
Posted inCity Council
Mayor expresses opposition to amphitheater, parking garages in Zilker Park Vision Plan
Mayor Kirk Watson on Tuesday expressed strong opinions about the Zilker Park Vision Plan, particularly areas of the plan that have already caused controversy. Watson wrote in his “Watson Wire” email that he was opposed to putting a proposed 5,000-seat amphitheater on the Great Lawn, which would replace the aging Hillside Theater. The mayor wrote, […]
Posted inCity Council
Ellis to push for more progress on housing in 2023
Fresh off the heels of a decisive reelection win, City Council Member Paige Ellis is ready to hit the ground running in 2023 with initiatives related to housing, transportation and workforce retention. Ellis won reelection with 58 percent of the vote in November, avoiding a runoff. She told the Austin Monitor that the margin of […]
Posted inElections
Ethics commission sends Ellis letter on campaign finance violations
The city’s Ethics Review Commission has issued a letter of notification to City Council Member Paige Ellis, documenting a handful of campaign contributions that exceeded campaign finance rules and were not returned to donors in a timely fashion. Last week the commission held its initial hearing on a complaint brought by Doug Keenan, a resident […]
Posted inCity Council
Ellis sees opportunity for growth amidst 2021’s challenges
Despite a year that brought both public health and environmental disasters, District 8 City Council Member Paige Ellis has pushed forward in her efforts to rethink transportation, parks and affordability solutions in our rapidly growing city. While the Covid-19 pandemic has been a historic challenge, Ellis says it has opened up unexpected opportunities to rethink […]
Posted inCity Council
Paige Ellis: Preparing for climate change resilience
Despite enduring a year of trials, Austin City Council Member Paige Ellis is determined to continue getting work done for her constituents and for the city. Two of Ellis’ most significant accomplishments this year with Council include the Healthy Streets initiative and the success of Proposition B, a voter-approved active mobility bond. “These two initiatives […]
Posted inTransportation
Ellis attempts to get scooters and other contaminants out of city waterways
When Council Member Paige Ellis was crafting the concept for a clean creeks initiative, she and her staff saw an opportunity to address one of the city’s more visible sources of creek and river pollution. When electric scooters end up in creeks, whether intentionally or unintentionally, it presents a problem not only for the health […]
Posted inCity Council
Ellis looks at District 8’s place in transit, homelessness issues in reviewing 2019
Ask Paige Ellis about one of the first lessons she learned as a new City Council member and her answer is immediate: patience. The old adage that the wheels of government turn slowly takes on a whole new meaning for someone stepping into public service for the first time. Budgets, workload and the priorities of […]
Posted inUncategorized
Austin Monitor Radio: Council Member Paige Ellis
This week, Council Member Paige Ellis joins Austin Monitor reporter Jack Craver to talk about serving District 8, transportation, land use, the convention center and more. The full show is embedded below, for your listening pleasure. Austin Monitor Radio is produced in partnership with KOOP 91.7 FM. The Austin Monitor’s work is made possible by […]
Posted inCity Charter
Paige Ellis represents sharp political shift for Southwest Austin’s District 8
Paige Ellis, the incoming City Council member for District 8, has very different political views from her predecessor, Ellen Troxclair, who spent the last two years as the only Republican on Council. Ellis, who made her affiliation with the Democratic Party central to her campaign, triumphed over Republican Frank Ward in the Dec. 11 runoff […]