This 10-1 council has done tremendous work on housing affordability. We have increased contributions to the affordable housing trust fund by 540% since 2015. In the same time span, more than 2,000 affordable units have been put on the ground while there are another 5,000 in the planning process.

I’m proud that our largest investment for affordable housing will be on the ballot this fall–$250 million. That’s more than four times any previous investment.

We have also launched the first regional workforce plan which will train 30,000 Austinites for middle skill jobs (that don’t require a four-year degree) needing to be filled and 10,000 of those people will be lifted out of poverty or near poverty.

I’ll continue to find new and creative ways to fund affordable housing, including bolstering the work of the Austin Housing Conservancy, a group that seeks to purchase and preserve affordable workforce housing throughout our community.

I’ll also continue the fight to reform the educational funding system at the state, which is placing an unfair burden on Austin taxpayers. I’ll do that by bringing together other Mayors and cities of all political persuasions and by fighting to elect candidates that will change the unfair system.