The past year was definitely a banner one for Mayor Steve Adler, who started 2016 by calling for it to be “the year of mobility.” He was probably not thinking about transportation network companies Uber and Lyft leaving town in a snit after losing the May referendum on whether they should be required to follow […]
Mayor Steve Adler
Mayor of the city of Austin, elected in November 2014
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Kerfuffles big and small
Behold the future… Rejoice, for this Tuesday will at last bring to a close 2016’s relentlessly sadistic cycle of political campaigning. Despair, however, for the events leading up to it may also presage a ghoulish spectacle of local tactics to come. In other words, the marquee runoff race – the battle between District 10 City […]
Posted inCity Council
Adler, Renteria in Mexico on trade, climate mission
Mayor Steve Adler and City Council Member Pio Renteria are on a two-pronged mission to Mexico this week – strengthening Austin’s economic ties with Mexico and championing efforts to combat climate change. In a prepared statement, Adler said, “Economic growth and environmental stewardship enhance one another in Austin. We thrive because we prioritize both.” Renteria […]
Posted inCourts
CLEAT subpoenas Adler in officer’s hearing
The Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, or CLEAT, has subpoenaed Mayor Steve Adler to give testimony at an upcoming arbitration hearing in the firing of Officer Geoffrey Freeman. Freeman lost his job after shooting an unarmed, naked teenager in February when the teenager charged at him on his bicycle. Charley Wilkison, executive director of […]
Posted inCity Hall
Mayor announces task force to dismantle institutional racism
Flanked by city colleagues and leaders in both academia and the nonprofit world Wednesday, Mayor Steve Adler introduced the city of Austin to its newest task force: a group that will combat “institutional racism.” The group will be made up of local community leaders in education, immigration and housing. Adler said the point is not […]
Posted inPreservation
Proposal would revamp historic commission rules
Recent events at the Historic Landmark Commission – which resulted in the panel’s failure to act either to begin the historic zoning process for a property or to allow a demolition permit to move forward – have highlighted a need for change, according to Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo. Mayor Steve Adler agrees, but he […]
Posted inAustin
Onion Creek residents voice desperation over flooding
Flood-battered residents voiced despair over the future and frustration with City Hall at a Tuesday night forum at the Onion Creek Club featuring Mayor Steve Adler and City Council members Ann Kitchen and Delia Garza. “We feel like we’re trapped here,” said one man in the crowd of over 100, explaining that he and his […]
Posted inAustin
ANC takes no position on Proposition 1
Mayor Steve Adler has written to the executive committee of the Austin Neighborhoods Council to reassure those neighborhood representatives that he will do his part to protect neighborhoods “in conjunction with the proposed transportation bonds” and the rewrite of the Land Development Code, known as CodeNEXT. His letter was in response to resolutions approved by […]
Posted inDevelopment
Pilot Knob ruling seems to have little effect on city development deal
In a late Friday ruling, a district judge sided with a local activist against the city of Austin, voiding a December vote taken by City Council members on the housing development Pilot Knob. Called Easton Park, the development plans to offer 1,500 apartments and 6,500 single-family homes in Southeast Travis County. The lawsuit, brought by […]
Posted inElections
The leap of faith inherent in voting for the $720 million bond
Traversing parts of North Lamar Boulevard as a bicyclist or pedestrian – or, even as a driver – can be alarming. The speed limit is high, and substantial barriers exist neither between pedestrians and cars nor between cars going north and those headed south. Changes proposed as part of the North Lamar Corridor Development Program […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Campaigns, opinions, etc.
Locals vs. State Legislators… In case you missed it, The Texas Tribune has posted audio from most of its 2016 Texas Tribune Festival panels. Mayor Steve Adler managed to score a seat on one of the panels, “Rideshare’s Road Forward,” talking about Austin’s now infamous ordinance governing ride-hailing companies. For those out of the know, Austin’s […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Vote in the Republican primary? Here’s what’s for you in the mayor’s transportation bond
In East Austin, a case of poorly delivered mail has led to a political strategy revelation, of sorts. It involves Mayor Steve Adler’s $720 million transportation bond and one-half of a local political action committee that attempted to recall City Council Member Ann Kitchen earlier this year – a recipe for greatness. “I tend to […]