To an ever-increasing degree, the challenges for the City of Austin are regional in nature and real solutions will require regional responses. I’ve worked hard to build new regional coalitions, collaborations, and relationships. Some examples include convening almost fifty regional participants, from dozens of different governmental and quasi-governmental entities, to agree on a jointly proposed hill country environmental rule change to propose to the State agency (which is now moving forward through the administrative process); working with State Senate and House leadership to resolve issues concerning Austin Energy by joining with my council colleagues and staff to initiate a rate making process; building personal and professional relationships with other regional leadership to help fashion new consensus on CAMPO (where I was recently elected to the Vice Chair position); and, initiating regular group meetings with regional mayors and developing a much closer relationship with the mayor of San Antonio.