New year, new places

Though just underway, the new year is already bringing change to some City Council offices. For one, policy aide Ashley Fisher, who has been working in Council Member Pio Renteria’s District 3 office since his election, is making the shift to city staff. Fisher previously worked in former Council Member Bill Spelman’s office, and she is now heading off to be a senior planner at Austin Resource Recovery in its Strategic Initiatives Division. In addition, over the break, Community Impact Newspaper‘s Jennifer Burkhardt (formerly Jennifer Curington) made the switch to the other side. She will no longer be covering City Hall, but she will probably still be sitting through some long meetings in her new position as a member of District 10 Council Member Sheri Gallo’s office. And, in staff news, Samantha Alexander, public information and marketing manager for the Austin Transportation Department, is making a move to the Austin Independent School District, where she will be the assistant director of public affairs and operation. She will also be reunited with Reyne Telles, AISD executive director of communications and community engagement, whom she worked with in the city’s Public Information Office prior. This whisper has been corrected to reflect the fact that Jennifer Burkhardt is now going by her married name.