Mandy Dealey and Tina Cannon are the first two residents to step into the race for the District 10 seat on Austin City Council.

District 10 encompasses the area west of MoPac, north of the river and south of Spicewood Spring Road. On Nov. 4, voters will elect a new council and mayor under the 10-1 plan to elect representatives based on their districts instead of citywide, or at-large.

Dealey, a 33-year Austin resident, said her decision to run is based on this being a critical year for the city's governance and people with varying degrees of experience will be running. She has served on six city of Austin boards, including the Planning Commission, and on several nonprofit boards. Dealey is a graduate of the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas.

She announced her campaign March 30 and said she wants to represent her district and help solve important issues such as water, transportation and affordability in the city as well as the threat of wildfires in District 10 because the area has a lot of trees and brush.

"If we don't take care of those issues, the smaller issues won't matter," she said.

Cannon, who officially announced her candidacy April 4 at Hula Hut, said she has been campaigning since losing to Councilman Bill Spelman in 2012. Cannon said she is advocating for issues such as health care, transportation and affordable housing.

"Over the years I've been an EMT, a businesswoman, a business leader, a civic advocate, a volunteer, a mentor, across the gamut," she said, adding that she has also started several businesses. "I've done it all by my bootstraps."

Cannon said it is an important time for leadership on City Council because nine out of 10 councilmembers will be rookies. She said the new representatives will need to work together, including with officials in the county and at the state level to solve issues such as the property tax appraisal system.

"There are absolutely workable solutions to all of the issues in front of Austin, from transportation to affordability issues," Cannon said. "I look to be a consensus builder to work with everybody from the environmental groups to the business community."

Cannon said District 10 will be an interesting race because of its mix of Democratic and Republican candidates who will be running in the race. Because the election will now be in November instead of May, Cannon said many voters will need to recognize the importance of the local election.

"It's really important that we get out the message that City Council will be on that ballot. Don't just vote straight ticket and walk out," she said. "Pay attention to who's going to represent you at the City Council level."

For more information on Dealey's campaign, visit www.mandydealey.com or her Facebook page.

Cannon's website is at www.tinacannon.org or on Facebook.