Candidate forum for crowded D7 race Thursday

The city’s Ethics Commission and the League of Women Voters Austin Area will be hosting a forum for the seven candidates vying for the City Council seat currently held by Leslie Pool. Pool, who was initially elected in 2014, could run for reelection by gathering a sufficient number of signatures to place her name on the ballot. But Pool, who currently serves as mayor pro tem, made it clear early on that she did not wish to do that. Three contenders seem most likely to win or advance to a runoff based on how much money they have raised and/or how well known they are to the public. Attorney Mike Siegel had raised the most money as of June 30, reporting $102,000 in contributions. His name may be familiar to Democratic voters because he ran twice against Republican U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul. Gary Bledsoe, whose name is familiar to many Texans because of his work as a civil rights attorney and president of the Texas NAACP, did not file soon enough to require the June 30 report. However, the District 7 candidate who reported the second-highest amount of contributions on that report was Adam Powell. Powell, 30, was described by The Austin Chronicle as an “energetic campaigner with serious policy chops.” He reported raising more than $44,000 on the June 30 report. Todd Shaw, former chair of the city’s Planning Commission, is an engineer whose name may be familiar to people interested in zoning, and had raised about $15,000, according to his June 30 report. Pierre Nguyen is a reservist with the U.S. Coast Guard. He has served on the Public Safety Commission, the Asian American Quality of Life Commission, and ACC’s Emergency Management Advisory Board. He reported raising more than $7,200 through June 30.  The Austin Bulldog reported that Edwin Bautista, 26, is a planner with GrantWorks. He reported raising $560 through June 30. Finally, Daniel Dominguez, 64, filed for the office on Aug. 19. He told the Bulldog he is retired, an Army veteran and is classified at 100 percent disabled. He said he formerly worked as director of diversity of the Texas Comptroller’s office. The candidate forum will be at the Northwest Recreation Center, 2913 Northland Drive, 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday.