On this week’s radio show, Council Member Greg Casar talks bonds with Austin Monitor freelancer Caleb Pritchard and editor Elizabeth Pagano. To hear all about the city bond package, plus a little news about what’s going on at City Hall, listen in below, where we’ve embedded the entire show for you: Austin Monitor Radio is […]
November 2018 elections
Posted inElections
Housing, CodeNEXT restart and Houston’s positions shape D1 candidate forum
Ora Houston’s decision to exit City Council at the end of the year has ushered in a crowded field of contenders for her District 1 seat, but her presence and influence are still well felt in the positions and talking points taken among the seven candidates headed into the November election. One of the first […]
Posted inElections
Candidates in Districts 1 and 8 working hard
In City Council District 8 and District 1, incumbents Ellen Troxclair and Ora Houston are retiring. In each case, the current council member has announced her endorsement of a candidate to take her seat in January. However, that has not made the endorsement process much easier for those candidates. Houston endorsed Vincent Harding for District […]
Posted inElections
Council candidates offer different ideas on housing policy
The decision by Mayor Steve Adler and City Council last month to abandon CodeNEXT, a proposed rewrite of the Land Development Code, reflected the deep divisions in the community over the prospect of increased residential density in single-family neighborhoods. However, in response to a questionnaire sent out by AURA, an urbanist advocacy group that supports […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Environmental group opposes propositions J, K
Austin Environmental Democrats on Friday voted to oppose two propositions placed on the November ballot by citizen petitions. Like a number of other groups, the environmentalists voted to oppose Proposition K, which seeks to have a comprehensive audit of all city departments and functions and is backed by the right-wing Texas Public Policy Foundation. However, […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: Who stands alone?
You can’t say that… During a discussion at Thursday’s City Council meeting about a city home repair program for low-income households, Mayor Steve Adler took an opportunity to remind those watching about the $250 million affordable housing bond that will be on the ballot this November, stressing that it would provide funds for repairs to […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: The meatloaf index
Don’t tell your constituents… During a Cap Metro board meeting at the Austin Convention Center attended by City Council members, transportation consultant Jeffrey Tumlin bemoaned the current state of transportation planning in most American cities, which prioritizes minimizing “vehicle delay instead of people delay.” The result, he said, is a situation in which the person […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Plenty of PACs for November bond election
District 2 Council Member Delia Garza wants to make sure that when Austin voters go to the polls to vote on the city’s $925 million bond package on Nov. 6, they understand how important it is to support Proposition E, which would provide funding for a new neighborhood and health care facility in Dove Springs. […]
Posted inElections
Music groups take aim at the ballot box with new nonprofit
Two months before the November midterm elections, a consortium of businesses and nonprofits involved in Austin’s music industry have banded together with the goal of having a greater influence at the ballot box. The new Music Moves Austin 501(c)(4) nonprofit has joined together representatives from Austin Music People, the Red River Merchants Association, the Urban […]
Posted inCourts
Texas Supreme Court denies challenges to two ballot items for Austin voters this fall
The Texas Supreme Court has denied petitions from two Austin residents asking that the city rewrite a pair of November ballot measures. Attorney Bill Aleshire filed challenges earlier this month with the court over the wording of a citizen-initiated petition that asked whether the city should hire a third-party auditor to scrutinize the efficiency of […]
Posted inElections
The Austin city clerk is no longer challenging Lewis Conway Jr.’s City Council bid
The Austin city clerk has reversed her decision to challenge Lewis Conway Jr.’s candidacy for Austin City Council. Conway, a candidate for District 1, has a felony record, and City Clerk Jannette Goodall requested clarification on his eligibility to run for public office late last week. Conway has maintained that he is legally allowed to […]
Posted inElections
Austin city clerk challenges convicted felon’s eligibility to run for City Council
Lewis Conway Jr., a candidate for Austin City Council who has a felony record, may not be able to run after all. Austin City Clerk Jannette Goodall sent Conway an email Friday challenging his eligibility and asking for documents showing that he had been pardoned or “otherwise released from the disabilities” resulting from his conviction. […]