One two-term City Council incumbent and two challengers enter November's election with the chance to serve as Austin City Council's District 9 representative hanging in the balance. Incumbent Kathie Tovo, who served one term under Austin's former at-large City Council system and another as District 9's first-ever City Council member under the new—since 2015—by-district representation system known as 10-1, faces local high school teacher Linda O'Neal and transportation expert Danielle Skidmore in her bid for re-election. District 9's issues are Austin's issues—affordability, traffic, land use and homelessness—however, as the only City Council district situated fully in Central Austin, their intensity is exacerbated. The candidates each answered five questions, ranging from how to address homelessness and downtown traffic to priorities on land use and housing. Community Impact Newspaper set a strict 100-word limit and did not edit the answers for grammar or spelling—they are printed verbatim.