After a general election that saw two council incumbents win outright, Austin's remaining council races headed to two-person runoffs. The mayor's race and contests for council districts 3, 5 and 9 will all be decided in the runoff. Early voting began Dec. 1 and will end Dec. 9, and election day is Dec. 13.
The public forums held Nov. 30 were sponsored by the city, its ethics review commission and the League of Women Voters Austin Area. Candidates answered questions from LWV representatives covering issues such as I-35, public safety and housing policy during the session.
Recordings of the forum as well as individual candidate statements may be viewed on ATXN and the city's YouTube page.
Mayor
Celia Israel and Kirk Watson began their session debating the merits of one of Watson's housing proposals, a pitch to allow council members to make localized land development decisions for their individual districts. Israel said the proposal would likely slow down any reforms at City Hall and lead to more of the status quo. Watson said he developed the concept after past "all-or-nothing" attempts to revamp Austin's land development code stalled out without major updates in place.
On transportation, both candidates shared their views on the I-35 expansion through Austin as proposed by the Texas Department of Transportation. Both said they would like to see the highway "capped"—or have decks built to cover the roadway—to better connect the city on its east and west sides. And both also said the city should seek out additional funding sources for what would likely be a multi-million dollar addition to the TxDOT-funded plan.
When discussing the relationship between the Austin Police Department and the community, Israel and Watson both said APD needs to be staffed up from its current level. And both said they support granting the Office of Police Oversight additional power related to police discipline—a question that will be put to city voters next spring.
Both candidates also shared some thoughts on the city's approach to homelessness and the need to tackle the issue with both mental health and housing solutions. Watson said he believes Austin must better enforce the public camping ban reinstated by voters in 2021 in a more humane way, while Israel did not state her stance on that issue.
In closing remarks, Watson highlighted his discontent with current city leaders' overall approach to day-to-day operations and said time to address top city problems is dwindling.
“City Hall has just not done a good job of taking care of the basics, and because of that, a lot of things that we love about our city are at risk," he said.
Israel said her approach to leadership would also involve quick action for longtime Austinites.
"I’m running to be the mayor of the 11th-largest city because our people are hurting, and it’s not right, it’s not just. We pretend to be a progressive city, but we’re losing that spirit of Austin that drew me here in 1982," she said.
Read Community Impact's Q&A with both mayoral finalists here.
District 3
Candidates José Velásquez and Daniela Silva shared several sentiments in their comments during the November forum, with slightly different visions for outcomes and various topics.
Both agreed Austin should dive deeper into the business of providing affordable spaces for residents and both said immediate action is needed to cut down on the costs associated with the city's development process.
On public safety, both backed the need for more police oversight and accountability. Silva said key aspects of rebuilding trust in public safety systems include a push for more "restorative justice," and affordable housing options so that all police officers can live in the city limits and within the communities they serve. Velásquez also said police recruitment should center on Austinites and that APD should expand and improve on community policing.
The candidates each gave Austin a "C" rating for its current homeless response efforts and said a housing-first approach should remain at the center of the city's work. They also said the city should work to help existing encampments in public places. Trash pickup and other sanitary measures were also suggested, such as more city cleanups and bringing out portable restrooms while housing connections for residents are in the works.
In closing, Velásquez said another priority of his council office would be finding a way to bring universal pre-K to Austin.
“I think our city could lead on it. It helps with a jump-start on children’s education. If they get into pre-K earlier they’re more likely to have a better quality of life, more likely to go onto college, more likely to earn more money," he said. "It would better help our workforce here in Austin, Texas by ensuring that folks had safe and educational places to drop their kids.”
Silva said an additional focus of her time in office would be food and health vulnerabilities in District 3.
“Austin comes down to housing and that’s what I talk about a lot, but I also really want to address the issue of health inequities in the district that often go without enough attention," she said. "We live in areas of health care deserts and of food deserts where people don’t have enough access to affordable health care or to the type of health care that best serves them. They also don’t have enough access to fresh, healthy affordable food and there's already a 12-year shorter life expectancy between east and west Austin and that is absolutely unacceptable.”
Read Community Impact's Q&A with both District 3 finalists here.
District 5
In South Austin's contest, Ryan Alter and Stephanie Bazan agreed that they would not support district-specific housing policies and that more must be done to hit the city's lagging affordable housing goals. Despite minimal progress in District 5—a recent report found only three affordable units out of a 447-unit goal were built in 2021, and just 588 out of 4,473 since 2018—both said a decade-long affordable housing target is still in reach.
They also shared discontent with TxDOT's current designs for I-35's expansion through the city, particularly the number of new lanes proposed as part of the project. And while they favored highway caps as one—but not the only—potential improvement the city could bring to the plan, they said new green spaces and connectors alone would not address their community's concerns.
In discussing public safety, both said the city should find ways to roll back APD's participation in situations involving mental health—a job that officers did not necessarily sign up for but are often asked to respond to. Alter said more focus should be placed on officer accountability as well as recognition for positive work, and Bazan said de-escalation training should be further emphasized. And both shared support for the Austin Police Oversight Act ballot measure.
In closing, Bazan and Alter both highlighted their past community and government roles as examples of their experience with consensus-building that will help them balance different neighborhood voices from the council dais.
Read Community Impact's Q&A with both District 5 finalists here.
District 9
Leading off the Central Austin candidate forum, Zohaib "Zo" Qadri and Linda Guerrero shared split opinions on the future of Hancock Golf Course. Questioned on his stance on the issue, Qadri said he would be in favor of a different future use for the property.
"If we’re losing our people, if we’re losing the soul of this city, the people who make our neighborhoods what they are ... we’re failing as a city. Anything that equates to more housing is something that I’m behind," he said.
Guerrero said she would push to see the course remain in place.
"Open space is dear to so many people, and there’s no more land in central core Austin," she said.
Moving forward on housing discussions, Qadri and Guerrero also agreed that the city's affordable housing goals for their district are achievable and opposed a district-by-district approach to land use policy. Talking about city development review, Guerrero said council may not be able to significantly adjust the relevant fees but that officials should move to improve the process and timeline. Qadri said Austin's decades-old development code makes it stand out among Texas cities, and that the code would be his main target for development reforms.
Closing remarks from Guerrero centered on her past experiences working in city spaces as a top reason for her qualification.
“I can move this town quickly forward in many directions because of my long and deep experience having served on boards and commissions," Guerrero said.
Qadri pointed to his history in other city governments and as a political organizer.
“When you look like me and you have a funny name, you organize for survival and it’s extremely important to make sure you bring folks together. And I think that speaks to the coalition-building," he said.
Read Community Impact's Q&A with both District 9 finalists here.
