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Jo Clifton is the Politics Editor for the Austin Monitor.
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Stories by Jo Clifton
Eckhardt cleared of judicial conduct sanction
Austin state Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, a lifelong Democrat, has won her battle with the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct. In December 2020, the commission issued an admonition against Eckhardt for comments she made as Travis County Judge in 2017…
Courts • By Jo Clifton • Jan 13, 2022
Rodriguez pleads guilty to misuse of federal funds, falsifying records
Frank Rodriguez, who served as a senior policy adviser to Mayor Steve Adler beginning in 2015, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to misapply federal funds and falsifying records “with the intent to impede, obstruct, or influence an investigation into a…
City Hall • By Jo Clifton • Jan 12, 2022
Council moves toward creating South Central Waterfront TIRZ
At its final meeting of the year, City Council gave preliminary approval for the South Central Waterfront tax increment reinvestment zone, or TIRZ in city parlance. Council members Leslie Pool and Greg Casar did not participate in the Dec. 20…
Planning • By Jo Clifton • Jan 7, 2022
End of an era: DeBeauvoir ready for new challenges
Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir, who has served as the county’s chief elections officer as well as the overseer of numerous county records, including deeds and marriage licenses, announced in November that she would not seek reelection. After nearly 36…
Travis County • By Jo Clifton • Jan 5, 2022
Former Mayor Bruce Todd leaves a lasting legacy
Bruce Todd, who served his community as mayor of Austin as well as Travis County commissioner, died Christmas Day at the age of 72. He suffered from Lewy body dementia for several years before his death. Todd, who was Precinct…
Austin • By Jo Clifton • Jan 5, 2022
Cronk: Police reform efforts put Austin in national spotlight
Looking back at 2021, City Manager Spencer Cronk feels proud of the way city employees performed in the face of a seemingly never-ending pandemic, an unprecedented ice storm, and state legislation that not only redirected use of city funds, but…
City Hall • By Jo Clifton • Jan 4, 2022
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Mayor emphasizes Austin’s knack for rising to the occasion
The Austin Monitor sat down with Mayor Steve Adler in early December to recall the highlights – and lowlights – of 2021, including Covid-19, homelessness, Winter Storm Uri, police reform, and the rising cost of housing in Austin. At the…
City Council • By Jo Clifton • Jan 3, 2022
Who's running for the District 4 seat?
As of the Thursday afternoon deadline, seven candidates had filed valid ballot applications for the Jan. 25 election to fill the District 4 City Council seat being vacated by Council Member Greg Casar. Casar, who is running for Congress, released…
Elections • By Jo Clifton • Dec 17, 2021
Committee sends 'meeting place question' to full Council
Although they rejected the idea of changing the bylaws of three land use commissions to designate a specific meeting place, members of the City Council Audit & Finance Committee on Wednesday expressed their willingness to consider directing staff to hold…
City Hall • By Jo Clifton • Dec 16, 2021
Council extends masking rules to June
After hearing from Dr. Desmar Walkes, health authority for Austin-Travis County, at a joint meeting with the Travis County Commissioners Court Tuesday, City Council voted to extend the current health authority rules until June 10, 2022. Commissioners also acted to…
Public Health • By Jo Clifton • Dec 15, 2021
After long wait, Toomey Road rezoning wins initial approval
At the urging of Council Member Ann Kitchen, City Council gave first reading approval for rezoning the apartment complex property at the corner of Toomey Road and Sterzing Street close to Zilker Park. Tenants of the complex, which will be…
Zoning • By Jo Clifton • Dec 10, 2021
Exact shape of South Central Waterfront TIRZ in limbo
After a lengthy and complicated discussion at Tuesday’s work session, City Council directed Chief Financial Officer Ed Van Eenoo to advertise a new public hearing about the long-awaited tax increment reinvestment zone for the old Austin American-Statesman site and surrounding…