Austin City Council races set with more than 30 candidates on November ballot

More than 30 people have filed for candidacy in Austin's several City Council races ahead of this November's general election.

Positions on the ballot include mayor and representatives for council districts 1, 3, 5, 8 and 9. The election will feature two incumbents vying for re-election, District 1's Natasha Harper-Madison and District 8's Paige Ellis, while the remainder of the seats on the ballot will be filled by newcomers to Austin's geographic 10-1 council system. As of mid-July, several candidates had raised and spent millions of dollars on their campaigns so far.

All candidates who filed to appear on the ballot after 5 p.m. on the Aug. 22 filing deadline are listed below. Community Impact Newspaper will continue to cover the November election, including interviews with all candidates, through the coming months.

*indicates incumbent

Mayor

• Anthony Bradshaw: a security guard who has resided in the city for more than 38 years and lives in South Austin
• Phil Campero Brual: a student, legislative intern and Southwest Austin resident who has lived in the city for nearly 22 years
• Celia Israel: a Realtor and state representative for House District 50 now living in North Austin with one year of residency in the city
• Erica Nix: a body-positive ambassador with 23 years of residency who currently lives on the city's east side
• Gary S. Spellman: a Northwest Austin salesman and co-founder of the Ultimate Face Cosmetics beauty brand with 25 years of residency in the city
• Jennifer Virden: a real estate broker from Austin's northwest side who has lived in the city for 55 years
• Kirk Watson: an attorney and former Austin mayor and state senator who lives in Central Austin and with 26 years of residency in the city

District 1

• Natasha Harper-Madison*: the district's current City Council member has lived there for six years
• Melonie House-Dixon: a retired East Austinite and chair of the Martin Luther King Neighborhood Association who has lived in the district for 12 years
• Misael D. Ramos: a business analyst with eight years of District 1 residency
• Clinton Rarey: a veteran and self-employed Northeast Austin resident who has lived in District 1 for more than four years

District 3

• José Noé Elías: a second-grade teacher with 31 years of residency in District 3.
• Gavino Fernandez Jr.: a retired East Austin resident who has lived in the district for 57 years
• Daniela Silva: a Big Brothers Big Sisters mentor and appointee on the city's Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission with more than three years of district residency
• José Velásquez: a marketing strategist who has lived in District 3 for 42 years
• Yvonne Weldon: a self-employed South Central Austin resident who has lived in District 3 for more than three years
• Esala Wueschner: a salesperson with four years of residency in District 3

District 5

• Ryan Alter: an attorney and legislative staffer with 6 months of residency in District 5
• Brian Anderson II: a consulting and management worker who has lived in District 5 for six months
• Stephanie Bazan: a communications worker with 15 years of district residency
• Ken Craig: a policy adviser in District 5 Council Member Ann Kitchen's office who has lived in the district for more than seven years
• Aaron Velazquez Webman: an immigration attorney and filmmaker with eight months of district residency
• Bill Welch: a retired District 5 resident of nearly 33 years with a background in the military and business

District 8

• Paige Ellis*: current council member for District 8 who has lived there for more than 11 years
• Kimberly P. Hawkins: a driver and caregiver with 18 years of residency in the district
• Antonio D. Ross: a five-year resident of District 8 who works in management
• Richard Smith: an attorney and Austin Board of Adjustment appointee with more than six years of district residency

District 9

• Linda Guerrero: an Austin ISD teacher and city commission representative who has lived in District 9 for 60 years
• Ben Leffler: a design director and former city auditor and council staff member who has lived in District 9 for nearly 10 years
• Zena Mitchell: a legal assistant with three years of district residency
• Kym Olson: a policy consultant who has three years of residency in District 9
• Zohaib "Zo" Qadri: a candidate with experience in activism and political campaigns who is unemployed and has resided in District 9 for 2.5 years
• Greg Smith: a business development vice president at a commercial risk management firm with eight years of residency in the district
• Joah Spearman: an entrepreneur and startup founder who has lived in District 9 for almost three years
• Tom Wald: a mobility advocate and nonprofit director who has nearly 18 years of district residency