The Austin Chamber of Commerce has a new primary pill in its prescription for treating the city’s notorious traffic congestion, but it’s one that’s been known to cause many a case of political hives: density. The group will unveil that recommendation along with several others that make up the meat of its 2016 Mobility Report […]
November 2016 elections
Posted inElections
Candidates square off in District 4 debate
Two of the three candidates vying for the District 4 City Council seat faced off Monday in a packed North Austin coffeehouse and answered questions from those they hope to represent. Incumbent Council Member Greg Casar has represented District 4 since his 2014 win. Candidate Louis Herrin III, who works as a state environmental engineer, […]
Posted inElections
ANC challenges Adler’s mobility bond
The Austin Neighborhoods Council has come out swinging against Mayor Steve Adler’s $720 million transportation bond package. Last Tuesday, the ANC’s executive committee unanimously passed a resolution outlining an extensive list of concerns about the proposal and concluding with two calls for City Council to take action. ANC President Mary Ingle sent the text of […]
Posted inElections
More than a yard sign: Straddling the aisle in District 10
District 10 is Austin’s wealthiest district – it boasts an annual median family income of $131,100. It’s also one of the city’s most sprawling districts, stretching from MoPac Boulevard to Lake Travis. The race for District 10 is the most crowded among the five districts on the ballot. City Council Member Sheri Gallo is the […]
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 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 inElections
More than a yard sign: A near repeat of 2014 in District 4 race
Austin’s District 4 is one of its most diverse – more than 65 percent of its residents are Hispanic, and nearly 10 percent of the district is African-American. Currently, City Council Member Greg Casar represents the north central district. Austin’s youngest-ever Council member, Casar faces two opponents this election – one he beat in 2014 […]
Posted inElections
More than a yard sign: An incumbent, a boxer and a tech guy in District 2
Complaints we hear citywide about affordability are magnified in Austin’s District 2. The southeast district has some of the lowest-income residents, with a median family income of $42,650. The district also boasts the largest Hispanic population – a point of pride for City Council Member Delia Garza, Austin’s first Latina local representative. In her 2016 […]
Posted inRadio
Austin Monitor Radio: Jimmy Flannigan
District 6 City Council candidate Jimmy Flannigan joins Austin Monitor publisher Mike Kanin to chat about his candidacy. Audio embedded below. [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/282403439″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
Posted inElections
District 2 candidates debate for first time
Beneath a basketball net and a shut-off scoreboard at the Dove Springs Recreation Center, two City Council candidates for Austin’s District 2 squared off against each other and against the incumbent, Council Member Delia Garza. The forum, hosted by KUT, Glasshouse Policy and the Austin Monitor, kicked off with a question about the transportation bond […]
Posted inRoads
$720 million mobility bond could feature hidden costs
The price tag of Austin’s second-largest transportation bond proposal ever has been pegged at $720 million, but extra costs could pile as high as $20 million if voters approve the package in November. The central piece of the plan calls for $482 million to be spent on projects along seven major corridors in town. Of […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Same as it ever was
Remember your dais voice… City Council members and city management are increasingly pushing back on Council Member Don Zimmerman’s tirades against city staff. It started at a Council budget work session Wednesday, when the cantankerous conservative expressed outrage that a staff presentation on the city’s future financial situation was based on the assumption that city […]