Some North Austin residents say politics in Austin will change significantly this November when residents vote for 10 City Council members to represent their neighborhood concerns.
The commission charged with creating Austin's new voting districts—the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission—split the city into 10 City Council districts in which the North Austin area is represented by districts 4, 6, 7 and 10. The ICRC approved the final map Nov. 25 after receiving public feedback at meetings held from August to November.
This November, residents will vote for candidates from the district in which they reside instead of voting for council members to serve everyone, or serve at-large. Voters will also choose a new mayor, who will still be elected at-large.
Some North Austin residents view the change in council representation as a chance to receive attention for issues in their neighborhoods such as transportation, crime, code enforcement and affordability of housing.
"Clearly the fact that we are going to have representation is the big change because the far north central and far northwest basically never have been [represented on council]," said Ed English, a 30-year resident of the Milwood neighborhood. "... We haven't had representation, and as a consequence at times it's been difficult to get attention for projects out here that should have been proposed, promoted, developed over the years."
English is a founding member of the Northwest Austin Coalition and served as the North Austin coordinator for Austinites for Geographic Representation—an organization that was heavily involved in the redistricting process.
North Austin concerns
Residents in neighborhoods such as Milwood, Windsor Hills, Great Hills and Anderson Mill are hoping for several issues to be addressed once council members are elected from their districts.
Northeast Austin resident Laura Pressley is the president of the Windsor Hills Neighborhood Association in District 4, which includes ZIP codes 78753 and 78758. Pressley said she is concerned about the lack of code enforcement for commercial and residential properties in her neighborhood because when properties are unkempt, crime can become more prevalent.
"We've been ignored for decades up here," Pressley said. "Central [Austin] gets a lot of attention. There is so much need up here. This is why the 10-1 is so important."
She said that adding city resources in the area such as increased policing, vocational training, scholarship opportunities for children and more flexible transportation options could reduce crime. She said having a representative to hold accountable for District 4 will help ensure that resident concerns are heard and addressed.
Another neighborhood in North Austin also concerned about crime and code enforcement is Anderson Mill.
Phil Denney, president of the Anderson Mill Neighborhood Association, said a concern in the area is property crime. He said residents want the Austin Police Department to have adequate resources to keep Anderson Mill a safe residential area.
Traffic and affordability are also concerns as Austin continues to grow in the northern areas of the city. English said the future council member for District 7 should be proactive in addressing traffic in areas such as Parmer Lane at Delcour Drive, where Apple Inc.'s Americas Operations Center is located.
Jason Meeker, president of the Great Hills Homeowners Association in District 10, said there needs to be a citywide focus, rather than just on downtown, in solving transportation challenges.
Meeker said solutions to address traffic concerns in Central Austin such as the bicycle-sharing program should extend to other areas of the city, including District 10.
Both Meeker and English said keeping Austin affordable should be another city priority. Meeker said the city needs to be mindful about neighborhood and environmental preservation and maintaining Austin affordability for populations including senior citizens and retired residents.
"Northwest Austin is just an epicenter of economic growth and development here in Austin, Texas, and that needs to be nurtured and continued," Meeker said. "But it cannot come at the expense of neighborhood preservation, and it also has to work in concert with the affordability issue."
'All politics is local'
Groups such as NWAC are already encouraging resident involvement for the 10-1 elections. NWAC hosted its inaugural candidate forum Jan. 27 and included a question-and-answer session with candidates running for Travis County judge—Andy Brown and Sarah Eckhardt—and for Travis County Commissioner Precinct 2—Garry Brown, Richard Jung and Brigid Shea.
English said 10-1 is a good opportunity for people to run for City Council. However, it is important for residents to be wary of candidates moving into districts for personal political agendas, he said.
"They should be honest stewards of their district and also always [consider]—as part of every decision—not only what is good for the district, but what is good for Austin," English said.
Meeker and Denney said it will be crucial for the council members to work together instead of only fighting for individual district concerns.
"All politics is local, and that is going to be the beauty of 10-1," Meeker said. "The problem that needs to be responsibly handled by whomever serves in [District] 10, and all of the other districts, is making sure that their point of view isn't myopic and only concerned with their neighborhood and their district. Because the position that we are going to be asking someone to fill is to serve on the City Council from District 10. It's not to serve on the District 10 council."
