Bobby Levinski, an environmental and neighborhood organization attorney who has been vocal in the CodeNEXT debates, officially filed for candidacy in Austin’s District 8 City Council seat race this week. In an email announcing his candidacy, Levinski said he wants to bring “strong, progressive, pro-Austin leadership,” to District 8. Levinski said local control—the right of a city to govern itself—would be central to his campaign platform. He criticized Council Member Ellen Troxclair, who has represented the southwestern district since 2015, for trying to upend local control. “Troxclair was a strong ally in [Gov.] Greg Abbott and [Lt. Gov.] Dan Patrick’s efforts to hijack local control and take away Austin’s right to govern itself and protect its residents,” Levinski said in a press release. “We need City Council members who’ll defend the progress we’ve made in Austin.” Garry Brown, former assistant director of the Travis County Democratic Party, called Levinski the “clear choice for progressives.” According to the press release, Levinski is no stranger to dais politics. His resume includes employment as a policy advisor for Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo and former council member Laura Morrison, for whom he worked on the expansion of affordable housing parks and open space creation, as well as environmental and neighborhood protections. Levinski currently works as a staff attorney for the environmental nonprofit organization Save our Springs Alliance, where he has been vocal on issues such as CodeNEXT—the rewrite of the city’s land development code—and the possibility of Dripping Springs effluent discharge into Onion Creek. Levinski joins Paige Ellis and Christopher Sexton as filed challengers for the District 8 City Council seat. ______________________________________________________________________________ Editors note: A previous version of this story listed only Paige Ellis as the other challenger for the District 8 City Council seat.