The City Council seat for Southwest Austin is headed for another runoff to determine new representation for District 8, with incomplete results Wednesday morning pointing to newcomers Paige Ellis, who won 30.5 percent of the vote, and Frank Ward. who won 24.7 percent, set for a Dec. 11 race. Ellis and Ward won the top […]
November 2018 elections
Posted inElections
Another brother-sister runoff in East Austin’s District 3
Council Member Pio Renteria finished way ahead of multiple opponents in his bid for re-election in East Austin’s District 3. Renteria won 47.71 percent of the vote, while his sister, Susana Almanza, came in a distant second place, with 21.32 percent. “I think we did pretty good,” Renteria said at his election party Tuesday night. […]
Posted inElections
Adler cruises to second term as Austin mayor
In a landslide victory, Steve Adler won his re-election as mayor of Austin on Tuesday and will serve another four years in office. With voters coming out in record numbers in Travis County, Adler earned 61 percent of the vote, overpowering his biggest challenger, former Council Member Laura Morrison, along with five other candidates. Voters […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
2018 election results: Austin bonds and propositions
Austin voters gave the OK to seven bond propositions totaling more than $925 million this election, but things aren’t looking good for two propositions fueled by citizen petitions – Propositions J and K – that could fail. Proposition A Results: After early voting numbers and a third of election day votes counted, 73 percent of […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: More tales of the city
The tale of the errant Prop K sign… Mayor Steve Adler’s former law partner, Mike Barron, found it hard to believe when a reporter from the Austin Monitor informed him last Thursday that there was a sign promoting Proposition K in the right-of-way next to his driveway, next to a sign supporting Adler. “We did […]
Posted inRadio
Austin Monitor Radio: D1 candidates
In this, the most recent installment of our radio show, Austin Monitor freelancer Caleb Pritchard sits down with District 1 candidates Mitrah Elizabeth Avini and (write-in candidate) Misael D. Ramos. Why do they want to be on Austin’s City Council? Listen in to find out: Austin Monitor Radio is produced in partnership with KOOP 91.7 […]
Posted inElections
City ethics rule may be unconstitutional
Mayor Steve Adler’s campaign manager filed an ethics complaint Tuesday against Megaphone GPAC, a general purpose political action committee opposing the mayor’s re-election. But it seems likely that the complaint will be dismissed, according to attorneys familiar with election law. Adler’s campaign manager, Jim Wick, noted that the committee’s treasurer, Luke McAlpin, filed Megaphone’s appointment […]
Posted inLocal Politics
PAC takes heat after using racist symbol Pepe the Frog in anti-Adler ad
One of Austin’s more prolific political action committees has apologized after releasing a video ad featuring Pepe the Frog, a cartoon frog used by anti-Semitic and alt-right groups. IndyAustin has collected thousands of dollars for several political goals, including opposing Mayor Steve Adler’s re-election and getting Proposition J on the ballot. An ad it released […]
Posted inElections
Complaints filed against District 1 candidates
Complaints filed with the Texas Ethics Commission charge City Council District 1 candidates Natasha Harper-Madison and Vincent Harding with filing erroneous campaign finance reports in violation of the Texas Election Code. Both campaigns denied any violations when contacted Monday, but the campaigns acknowledged receiving copies of the complaints. The commission is prohibited from releasing copies […]
Posted inBonds & Propositions
Who funded the PACs that got two propositions on Austin’s ballot this November?
A Californian who attempted a 2016 presidential run. A reported real estate investor in Arizona. These are some of the people who have given to political action committees behind two local ballot initiatives – propositions J and K. Political action committees are not subject to the same campaign finance requirements as candidates. There are fewer restrictions […]
Posted inReporters' Notebook
Reporter’s Notebook: The more you know
Today in unsurprising news… The Circuit of the Americas has issued a statement on its position and involvement in the ongoing petition drive that could impact the city’s ability to complete a deal to build a soccer stadium on a piece of city-owned land. On Friday the blog on the COTA website published “A Statement […]
Posted inElections
Mayoral candidates stress leadership on familiar Austin concerns
While common topics such as Austin’s transportation issues and the fate of the city’s CodeNEXT rewrite have been talking points at all recent forums for the four contested City Council seats, at Monday’s forum for the two most prominent candidates for mayor the question of leadership and setting a vision for the city was threaded […]