Marc Duchen is leading in the initial vote count in West Austin's District 10 City Council race, according to early voting results.
Duchen leads with 18,321 votes to Ganguly's 17,798, based only on early voting results released Nov. 5.
All results are unofficial until canvassed. Visit communityimpact.com/voter-guide/election-results to see results from all local elections in your community.
The context
The District 10 race is one of two this election cycle that will see a new representative elected in Austin, with incumbent council member Alison Alter set to leave office next year. Business owner and consultant Duchen squared off against legislative director and former teacher Ganguly in the race to succeed Alter this year.
Duchen said he'd approach issues like budgeting and land-use through a lens of accountability and affordability, and prioritize his district constituents at City Hall. He's shared skepticism over the two-phase "HOME" initiative approved by the current council, the revised scope of the Project Connect transit system, and accountability related to Austin's work with homelessness. On city spending, he said he'd aim to launch audits, run through unspent bond dollars and closely track program metrics to keep costs down.
Ganguly pointed to the rapidly rising costs of homeownership in Austin as a priority to address amid the city's growth, with attention to affordability for senior and disabled residents. She supports citywide transit investments like Project Connect, and said the city should allow for more types of housing in varied locations including on transit corridors.
She's also said the city should prioritize hiring to fill its hundreds of vacancies—including at the police department through improvements to its cadet academy—work to expand its parkland and preserve the district's historic Lions Municipal Golf Course, and coordinate with local emergency service agencies and utilities on disaster response plans.
