As everyone is keenly aware, there’s an important election coming up next week. Not just the federal contest, but also City Council races. The candidates have now turned in their final campaign finance reports before the Nov. 5 election. These reports indicate not only how successful they have been in raising money but also who […]
Political Action Committees
An organization that raises money privately to influence elections and/or legislation.
Posted inElections
New PAC starts to fight strong-mayor plan
It’s that time of year, Austin voters. The redbud trees have come out, signaling spring. Also coming out in time to remind us that we have choices to make in the May election are people paid to knock on our doors. So don’t be surprised when a block walker from Restore Leadership ATX knocks on […]
Posted inElections
Ethics complaint against Voices of Austin will get final hearing
A complaint that nonprofit Voices of Austin violated city code by campaigning against Proposition A will move to a final hearing, the Ethics Review Commission decided. The preliminary hearing at Wednesday’s meeting was a redo of the first preliminary hearing, which was cut short due to a problem with the city’s virtual meeting software. Political […]
Posted inLocal Politics
Commission reprimands PAC that opposed Prop A
The city’s Ethics Review Commission voted unanimously last week to send a letter of reprimand to one of the political action committees that opposed Proposition A on the Nov. 3 ballot. Local Democratic consultant Mark Littlefield filed 12 separate complaints against Our Mobility Our Future PAC, alleging violations of the city’s campaign finance ordinance. Jo […]
Posted inLocal Politics
Your minute is up, new recall group says
A new political action committee is aimed at recalling Mayor Steve Adler and Council members Pio Renteria, Ann Kitchen and Paige Ellis. Anyone who has participated in or watched City Council meetings will recognize the group’s name: Your Minute Is Up. That’s something Adler frequently tells speakers who go beyond their allotted 60 seconds. The […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
PAC readies to oppose rail bond
The political action committee Our Mobility Our Future, whose backers plan to oppose a proposition on the November ballot to fund the Project Connect transit system, reported this week that they had collected more than $98,000 during the reporting period that started in January. The PAC also reports $75,000 in pledged contributions. City Council has […]
Posted inElections
Unconventional Austin campaign finance violation moves to final hearing but could still be withdrawn
November elections have come and gone, but the Ethics Review Commission is still dealing with the ripple effects caused by a purported violation of campaign finance laws. Political consultant Mark Littlefield filed a complaint in late October alleging that Unconventional Austin, a political action committee that advocated for Proposition B, broke the law when it […]
Posted inCity Council
Blythe starts PAC to unseat City Council
Sharon Blythe, best known around City Hall for her activism related to cemeteries, is hoping to unseat every member of City Council not currently slated to be on the ballot in November 2020. Blythe filed a document appointing herself treasurer of a specific purpose committee called Our Town Austin, which seeks to recall Mayor Steve […]
Posted inLocal Politics
Save Our Springs backers among major supporters of anti-convention center PAC
Campaign finance reports filed Monday showed that longtime members and financial supporters of the Save Our Springs Alliance have pledged the bulk of the funding that is supporting a political action committee attempting to force a public vote on the proposed expansion of the Austin Convention Center. The report for Unconventional Austin, the PAC that […]
Posted inElections
Ethics Commission looks into omission of PAC donation
How does one forget to report $10,000? That was the question of the evening for the Ethics Review Commission at its March 13 convocation. In a complaint filed by Fred Lewis last November, he accused the No on J political action committee of failing to report its largest and most controversial contribution from the Real […]
Posted inAustin
IndyAustin PAC will not be involved in stadium battle
Linda Curtis, the Bastrop-based activist best known for gathering signatures for various citizen initiatives in Austin, has disbanded a political action committee linked to her advocacy group, IndyAustin. The group will continue to engage in advocacy, Curtis said in an interview with the Austin Monitor. “We are not ceasing operations,” she said. “We’re just putting […]
Posted inElections
Tovo campaign complains about PAC spending
District 9 Council Member Kathie Tovo’s re-election campaign filed an ethics complaint Monday against the Center for Austin’s Future Political Action Committee, a group supporting Danielle Skidmore, Tovo’s most significant opponent. The complaint alleges that the committee, which calls itself CAFPAC, violated a section of city code requiring such committees to file their treasurer designation […]