If City Council Member Don Zimmerman is unhappy about losing the seat he has held for two years, he’s not showing it. After losing re-election to Jimmy Flannigan – the same candidate he beat to earn his spot on the then-new 10-1 Council in 2014 – Zimmerman said he accepts the will of the voters, […]
District 6
District 6 covers the far northwest parts of the city, including the Anderson Mill, River Place, Avery Ranch, Riata and Robinson Ranch neighborhoods. The area is bisected east to west by SH 45/RM 620 and north-south by US 183 and RM 2222. The southern end of the district hugs neighborhoods along Lake Austin and the south shore of Lake Travis.
Posted inCity Council
Flannigan brings new perspective on behalf of Austin’s northwest suburbs
Two years after losing narrowly in a runoff election to City Council Member Don Zimmerman, Jimmy Flannigan easily prevailed in a rematch with the incumbent. What changed? “Winning elections is luck and timing,” said Flannigan during an interview with the Austin Monitor. However, he added, “There’s a lot of preparation involved in luck.” The strong […]
Posted inElections
Flannigan takes District 6, ousts Zimmerman
Don Zimmerman, one of the city’s most controversial City Council members, conceded to challenger Jimmy Flannigan yesterday after the early voting results were released in the early evening, with 12,542 votes (57.65 percent) for Flannigan and 9,213 (42.35 percent) for Zimmerman. The final count was 56.45 percent for Flannigan and 43.55 percent for Zimmerman. The […]
Posted inElections
Candidates come out swinging in District 6 forum
In a repeat match of their neck-and-neck 2014 race, City Council Member Don Zimmerman and challenger Jimmy Flannigan met Tuesday night beneath a giant screen at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Lakeline. There was no feature on the bill, but that was all right. The two candidates vying for District 6 representative provided ample entertainment. “You […]
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 inZoning
No medical offices for Millwright Parkway property
When does a neighborhood’s valid petition not require the support of a supermajority of City Council for a zoning change? Answer: when the property does not have permanent zoning. Christy Bickel, who lives in the Anderson Mill Limited District, gathered the signatures of a majority of property owners surrounding a property at 11812 Millwright Parkway in hopes […]
Posted inCity Council
After a year at City Hall, Zimmerman reflects
For City Council Member Don Zimmerman, 2015 was a year of some triumph and a great deal of frustration with city staff. During an interview with the Austin Monitor about his first year on Council, it became clear that Zimmerman’s biggest sources of agitation seem to be the way the city is run and the […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: We do declare
Preservation fight perseveres… Delivering complications once again, the ongoing struggle to create a local historic district in the Bluebonnet Hills section of Travis Heights has experienced another unique twist. This past week, opponents delivered to the city a second valid petition against the district and demanded that it be included in the case, despite a […]
Posted inEnvironment
City to purchase preservation land
Austin will move forward with the purchase of slightly more than 10 acres of land in the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve, despite concerns from some City Council members about whether the purchase price could be lower. Council voted 9-2 to move forward with purchasing 10.099 acres at 11101 and 11105 Zimmerman Lane for $400,000, with Council […]
Posted inCity Council, Texas State Legislature
Council debates city’s state legislative policies
With the 84th session of the Texas Legislature set to end June 1, the city’s Government Relations Office has kicked its lobbying efforts into overdrive. At the same time, City Council has opened a discussion about how the city determines its legislative program and makes decisions on which bills to support or oppose. A legislative […]
Posted inAustin, Elections, Local Politics
Explainer: D6 & D10 — elections and the future
Each week, the Explainer offers Monitor readers a closer look at stories we have been following. New City Council Members Sheri Gallo (District 10) and Don Zimmerman (District 6) represent two-thirds of what is perhaps the most interesting twist in the new 10-1 district system: a chance for Republican voters in the western part of […]
Posted inAustin, City Council, Local Politics
Zimmerman seeks to shake things up at City Hall
City Council Member-elect Don Zimmerman will serve as a voice for residents of District 6 when the new 10-1 Council takes office today. In the coming year, Zimmerman said he plans to focus his efforts on relieving traffic congestion and shaking up the status quo at City Hall. Zimmerman said that in his first days […]