Alter announces for reelection

It should come as no surprise to City Council watchers that District 10 Council Member Alison Alter announced this weekend that she would be seeking a second term. Alter, who is not a frequent tweeter, confirmed her announcement via Twitter and sent emails to supporters seeking contributions and directing anyone interested to read all about her on her website. Alter trounced the first representative of District 10, the considerably more conservative Sheri Gallo, in a runoff election three years ago. According to her most recent campaign finance filing, Alter’s campaign still owes her $2,500 from the race against Gallo. Candidates for City Council are now free to collect campaign funds for the November 2020 election. However, many people will be focused on raising money for candidates in the March primary, so it may be somewhat difficult to get the public’s attention for Council races during the next few months. The only other announcements, so far, have been from Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza, who said last week that she would not be running for reelection. She is widely expected to announce her candidacy for Travis County Attorney in the very near future. Following Garza’s announcement, David Chincanchan, chief of staff for Council Member Pio Renteria, told the Austin Monitor that he would be running for the District 2 seat. Chincanchan has designated Laura Hernandez as his campaign treasurer, allowing him to collect donations for that race.