In the least crowded field of the five Council elections this fall, Leslie Pool, the incumbent, is facing only one challenger, newcomer Morgan Witt, to represent North Austin’s District 7 on Austin City Council. Pool is one of the original members of the city’s first 10-1 Council and has won elections in 2014 and 2016. […]
District 7
District 7 encompasses the Crestview, Allandale and Brentwood neighborhoods on the south, bounded by MoPac Boulevard and U.S. 183, and the Gracywoods, Milwood and Preston Oaks neighborhoods, sitting between Braker Lane on the south and Wells Branch Parkway on the north. Connecting the two is the Kramer Lane industrial area, including the Domain and Gateway commercial developments.
Posted inCity Council
Leslie Pool remembers high, low points of 2019
District 7 Council Member Leslie Pool is proud of the contributions she and her colleagues made toward helping the homeless in 2019, calling it “a pretty amazing year.” Still, she thinks some things could have been done better. For example, the city wasn’t really ready to deal with the consequences of Council’s vote repealing the […]
Posted inCity Council
Pool proud of progress at all levels in 2018
Leslie Pool doesn’t restate Tip O’Neill’s legendary adage “All politics is local” when looking back at 2018 and ahead to 2019. Still, when reviewing the policy and on-the-ground actions that have mattered to her the most, the small neighborhood moves get as much time as the larger issues that have grabbed headlines. The District 7 […]
Posted inCity Council
Pool proud of 2017 budget actions
Some of District 7 Council Member Leslie Pool’s biggest accomplishments for 2017 show up on a list of budget riders. That’s not the stuff of big headlines, but the kind of nitty-gritty details that make up the life of a government advocate. For example, Pool worked to make sure that the city budget included $175,000 […]
Posted inCity Council
Pool looks at a good past year in the “last bastion”
City Council Member Leslie Pool is happy with her sophomore year. “We did some important, amazing stuff,” said Pool. “It’s really been a good two years.” Pool, who easily retained her District 7 seat this past November – winning nearly 72 percent of the vote – has lots of praise for the past year. She […]
Posted inCity Council, Elections, Uncategorized
Pool wins District 7
Tuesday night, incumbent Leslie Pool easily won her District 7 seat for City Council against challenger and political newcomer Natalie Gauldin. Early voting results Tuesday evening solidly placed her in the lead by 40 percent, giving rise to dinnertime cheers from her supporters. “Leslie has been a huge champion of workers,” said Jeremy Hendricks, business […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Upscale dogs, other complaints
You’re never too old to throw shade… Last Monday, the Austin Independent School District’s workshop meeting was full of lively discussion, including more pondering of academic programming and how to correctly catalog it for parents and district members. Often, special programs like AISD’s Liberal Arts and Science Magnet school or McCallum High School’s Fine Arts […]
Posted inElections
More than a yard sign: Differing ideas about how District 7 should grow
You could classify Austin’s District 7 as the “middle district” – it falls smack dab between the city’s lowest- and highest-income districts, with an annual median family income around $74,000. Half (around 56 percent) of district residents rent their homes. It’s also geographically central and narrow, stretching from the city’s North Loop area to the […]
Posted inHousing
Elysium Park angst: From City Hall to Israel
Last Thursday, many of those watching the City Council meeting were left befuddled by an exchange that took place late in the meeting over a proposed affordable housing project at 3300 Oak Creek Drive. Both the developer and the neighborhood supported the indefinite postponement ultimately approved by City Council. Such agreement is a rarity for […]
Posted inHousing
Affordable housing development facing delays at City Hall
The Elysium Park apartment complex, a new affordable housing development planned for North Austin, is facing delays at City Hall. City Council has decided to postpone a zoning decision for the project. The proposed development would include about 90 units, a majority of which would be priced at below-market rates – in other words, affordable […]
Posted inCity Council
Pool looks back at past year, outlines future plans
City Council Member Leslie Pool made the environment, city services and transparency major issues in her 2014 campaign, and based on her look back at the freshman year of Austin’s first 10-1 Council, she remains concerned about those issues. The District 7 representative talked with the Austin Monitor on Dec. 15 about the new Council’s […]
Posted inAustin, Development, Elections, Local Politics, Transportation
Candidates debate development in District 7
Two North Austin City Council candidates, who will face off in a Dec. 16 runoff election, say the city is growing rapidly and that the District 7 Council member must make sure the area stays affordable. District 7 candidate Leslie Pool, 59, is an executive assistant for Travis County Constable Carlos Lopez. She sailed ahead […]