Issue(s): Affordability

Affordability is discussed a lot in our community. How do you define affordability?

Issue(s): Affordability, Housing

Where should we be allowed to build multifamily apartment buildings? Should we allow it in more places in central Austin?

Issue(s): Mobility

Will you consult with us on appointments to the Planning Commission and Cap Metro Board of Directors?

Issue(s): Land Use

Do you support more by-right zoning entitlements?

Issue(s): Affordability, Housing

How would you maximize the efficacy of the $250M affordable housing bond (assume that it passes)?

Issue(s): Affordability, Housing

What is your position on homestead exemptions?

Issue(s): Affordability, Housing

What can the city do to lower average rents or at least decrease the rate of growth of average rents?

Issue(s): Mobility

How can we maximize transit ridership and decrease reliance on cars?

Issue(s): Land Use

What three items would you most like reform in our current zoning code?

Issue(s): Affordability

How will you help address the affordability problems in Austin?

Issue(s): Economic Opportunity, Innovation

How can the City support the continued growth and success of Austin’s tech sector?

Issue(s): Innovation

What steps will you take to support modernization and digitization of operations within the City of Austin?

Issue(s): Affordability, Land Use

With Council’s decision to end CodeNEXT, how do you envision moving forward to update Austin’s land development code?

Issue(s): Economic Opportunity, Social Equity

What do you see as the City’s responsibility toward addressing the digital divide in Austin, and what steps would you take to bridge that divide?

Issue(s): Mobility, Public Safety

Moving forward, what role should dockless mobility play in Austin?

Issue(s): Mobility

What is your vision for the future of high capacity transit in Austin?

Issue(s): Affordability, Housing

How will you address Austin’s housing shortage? What regulations will you change to allow more housing where people want to live?

Issue(s): Economic Opportunity, Innovation

How can the City better work with Austin’s tech community to bring innovative approaches to civic challenges?

Issue(s): Land Use

As you know, the City unsuccessfully tried to change the code, what do you believe needs to be done differently to achieve a better code? Will you support working to revise the land development code to provide and allow for predictability and deep affordability? (Y/N; Explain)

Issue(s): Land Use, Open Government

Would you support a policy requiring the City’s Development Services department to achieve its goal of 90% permit review completion within 15 business days across all departments/disciplines by April 2019? (Y/N/Explain)

Issue(s): Affordability, Housing

Council adopted the Strategic Housing Blueprint last year, calling for 13,500 new units annually over 10 years. This gets us to break-even in terms of need. Would you support amending the City’s proposed Strategic Housing Plan to increase the number to at least 15,000 housing units per year for 10 years, keeping the breakout across income levels and including permanent supportive housing for those chronically experiencing homelessness? (Y/N; Explain)

Issue(s): Open Government

When the Council considers an agenda item that includes granting fee waivers or waivers of environmental standards, a.​ will you pledge to push for public agenda notices that clearly set out proposed fee waivers whether or not it is required by the Texas Open Meetings Act? And, b.​ , will you pledge to help ensure that staff- granted waivers are reported to Council? (Note: District Judges said that the postings for Pilot Knob – which did not mention over $100 million in fee waivers, and the Champion tract agenda item – which did not mention waivers from the Hill Country Roadway Ordinance and Lake Austin Watershed Ordinance – should have included public notice of those waivers.) Rate your support on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most support and 1 being the least.

Issue(s): Land Use

Do you agree that the ballot language proposed for two ballot petitions – the CodeNEXT petition and the Austin Efficiency Audit – was misleading to the voters of Austin and if so, will you help clarify to voters what these measures really mean – regardless of how you might vote on them? (Note: This article in the Austin Bullldog is a helpful review. Also note: the Texas Supreme Court ruled on August 27 th , in favor of the city of Austin – see KUT report here.) Rate your support on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most support and 1 being the least.

Issue(s): Land Use

Will you pledge to immediately reconvene the Charter Revision Commission to revisit its recommendations and to discuss how to ensure its most important recommendations are placed on the next available city ballot? (Note: This helpful article in the Austin Bullldog explains how Council inaction put the kibosh on major reforms that should have been on the November ballot. The most egregious omission to us at IndyAustin was Recommendation 4 – which would close a loophole currently preventing petitions to repeal controversial Council decisions like the Precourt Soccer Stadium or the 2008 $2.3B biomass boondoggle – aka Voter Referendum. Read our Referendum page here.) Rate your support on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most support and 1 being the least.

Issue(s): Open Government

Will you refrain from voting to allow the City Manager to execute contracts for controversial projects like the Soccer Stadium on public land and demand a final review and vote of the Council? (Note: This letter from open government attorney, Bill Aleshire, to the City Attorney, warns about the legal problems that are likely ensue after a final lease or contract is signed with Precourt Sports Ventures.) Rate your support on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most support and 1 being the least.

Issue(s): Economic Opportunity

Do you agree that Austin desperately needs a united front of officeholders, local businesses and voters to “make growth pay for itself?” (Note: An example is the passage of full water impact fees implemented on new developments in 2013. See the huge benefits below. Mind you, these benefits would have disappeared had the “Pilot Knob fiasco” been allowed to stand.) $300 million collections years 1-10 (already raised $150M in first 5 years) $45 million less debt service Fiscal Year 2018 15% lower customer bills Rate your support on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most support and 1 being the least.

Issue(s): Affordability, Housing, Land Use

Do you agree that increasing housing supply is only one side of the supply-demand equation for beating back Austin’s affordability crisis, and that Austin should refrain from subsidizing growth during times of rapid growth so as to reduce demand growth to levels that can be met with new supply? If so, in the Candidate Response section below, please tell us your ideas for ways to make Austin’s growth pay for itself. (Hint: You can refer to any of the materials parked on this page from the years of work conducted by local developers, Brian Rodgers and Ed Wendler, Jr., especially the power point at the bottom of the page Total Accounting and Impact Fees.) Rate your support on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most support and 1 being the least.

Issue(s): Affordability, Economic Opportunity

Will you refrain from supporting any economic development projects that do not adhere to a 90% local hiring requirement​, unless they are related to addressing a security threat to the Austin area? (Note: 2014 Candidates Steve Adler and Greg Casar approved this idea in ChangeAustin.org’s candidate questionnaire. To our knowledge, neither have attempted to fulfill this promise.) Rate your support on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most support and 1 being the least.

Issue(s): Open Government

Will you pledge to propose an ordinance or charter amendment to end the practice of the Chamber of Commerce or any other private trade association from negotiating public subsidy deals for the City of Austin without a super-majority vote of the City Council? — like the one going on right now for bringing the Amazon H2Q to the Austin area? (Note: This IndyAustin blog linking to the Austin Bulldog on the secretive Amazon negotiations by the Greater Austin Area Chamber of Commerce and Amazon for the City of Austin.) Rate your support on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most support and 1 being the least.

Issue(s): Land Use

Will you defend the right to petition for a public vote on publicly owned property outside the facilities so long as petitioners are conducting themselves in an orderly, legal, and peaceful manner to secure signatures? (Note: In 2017-2018, the Austin Public Libraries and the Palmer Events Center began barring petitioners from petitioning on city property outside the facilities. Petitioners were forced to threaten suit. The issue pending. The San Antonio Firefighters recently filed a federal lawsuit for similar practices by the San Antonio Public Library.) Rate your support on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most support and 1 being the least.

Issue(s): Land Use

Do you support Austin voters securing their right to vote on CodeNEXT or any comprehensive​ development code overhaul — Proposition J on the November ballot? (Note: Passage of Proposition J does not mean that all code changes come to a public vote – only a comprehensive code overhaul, whether it’s called CodeNEXT or something else.) Rate your support on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most support and 1 being the least.

Issue(s): Environment

As climate change and fast-paced growth proceeds in Austin, there is growing concern to both secure water supply for the future while conserving a finite resource for our region. Will you pledge to support an Austin future that prioritizes conservation, reuse, and local water supplies, and to oppose actions that would require pumping of groundwater in either the Edwards Aquifer or the Carrizo/Simsboro aquifers east of Austin beyond a sustainable level that matches rates of recharge? Rate your support on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most support and 1 being the least.

Issue(s): Land Use

Do you support the right of Austin voters to vote on the sale, lease, or conveyance of any City-owned land that will be used as a sports and/or entertainment stadium? (Note: We recommend this Statesman commentary by UT Professor, Nathen Jenson, for context to this question.) Rate your support on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most support and 1 being the least.

Issue(s): Affordability, Land Use

In a recent poll, residents of Austin cited rising property taxes as a major issue they face, iconic business are having to close their doors and longtime residents are moving out citing rising property taxes. Some have also cited homelessness as an impediment to business. How would you slow or stop the increase in City property taxes, encourage other taxing entities to do the same, and balance the requests for more funding coming from the City Departments and the public? One example of the request of more funding is to expand social service contracts to meet needs, including to provide more supportive housing programs. How do you balance less taxes and increased demand for social services? Please explain.

Issue(s): Economic Opportunity

Do you support a budget at the effective tax rate so home and business owners continue to benefit from the “growth dividend” and pay the same amount in property taxes as in the previous fiscal year? How do we balance this strategy with meeting the needs of people struggling to access services due to a lack of service capacity? How do you prioritize additional funding? Where would you look for efficiencies? (Y/N; Explain)

Issue(s): Affordability

Do you support maintaining affordable utility costs across Austin Energy and Austin Water that adheres strictly to the City’s affordability goals for Austin Energy, which require AustinEnergy rates to be in the bottom half of Texas ratepayers and minimizes increases to two percent per year for each rate class? (Y/N Explain)

Issue(s): Open Government

What is your collaborative vision when working with other governmental entities (Travis County, State of Texas, Central Health, etc.)?

Issue(s): Affordability

Solutions to homelessness exist – they require scaling up social services and housing programs, including the pathways from shelter to housing. To date, Austin has not identified adequate funding to address this challenge. How would you work to identify the funding needed?

Issue(s): Diversity & Inclusion

Austin has experienced growth but some constituencies have been left behind. What is your vision for the City’s role in funding/supporting the nonprofit network that provide much needed social services? What is your plan for addressing disparities and inequities in our community?

Issue(s): Economic Opportunity, Open Government

Council has passed 2 resolutions supporting an annual increase of about 2-3% for social service contracts in order to ensure that service agencies can keep up with rising costs of doing business and maintain service capacity. Would you direct the City Manager to include this annual increase in the budget for contracts meeting their performance targets? (Y/N/Explain)

Issue(s): Diversity & Inclusion, Economic Opportunity

One of the best ways to make Austin more affordable is to ensure we have a diverse set of industries which provide local, skilled and the hard-to-employ talent the opportunity to compete for jobs that have a career ladder. The Austin City Council is considering adopting a revised economic incentive policy, expanding the previous one-size-fits-all policy. If the Austin Chamber of Commerce presents a company that meets the criteria for an incentive as set by City Council policy, will you vote to support incentivizing jobs for both small operators and large in our city? How will you monitor success with the provision requiring employment of the hard-to-employ?

Issue(s): Mobility

How will you coordinate with regional partners to meaningfully address our increasing traffic level? What is your long-term vision for addressing traffic in Austin, and what would be the immediate first actions you would champion as a City Council Member to address the crisis?

Issue(s): Mobility

Transportation is the second highest family cost. When it is difficult to move freely around Austin, access to services and economic opportunities are limited; time spent commuting leaves less room for family obligations and socializing; and Austin becomes a more frustrating place. Do you support the items below? (Please mark each one you agree with)

Issue(s): Affordability

Many low-income families and persons experiencing homelessness have debt to the utility companies, which are now barriers to their ability to securing housing. Would you support increasing debt forgiveness programs for 3-4 years to help more people access housing? (Y/N/Explain)

Issue(s): Diversity & Inclusion, Open Government

Many Austin residents experience barriers to access to city services offered over the Internet. What do you see as the city’s responsibility regarding digital inclusion, and what steps would you take to address that concern?

Issue(s): Open Government

How should we measure the success of the city’s Open Government policy?

Issue(s): Land Use, Open Government

How do you think the city should use technology to engage the public and share information about complex policy proposals such as Imagine Austin and CodeNext?

Issue(s): Open Government

Are you in favor of publishing lists of City Council members’ votes on actions taken by the council?

Issue(s): Diversity & Inclusion, Social Equity

A respected University of Texas study has found that Austin is the only high-growth city that is losing African Americans, both in terms of numbers and percentage of the total population. Do you consider this a problem? If so, what would you do to reverse or stabilize the decline?

Issue(s): Housing

Affordable housing is a major problem in Austin. Large numbers of people who work in Austin cannot afford to live in Austin. Many families are moving outside the city to find affordable housing. Do you have any ideas to help create more affordable housing or to make existing housing more affordable?

Issue(s):

Why do you identify as a Democrat?

Issue(s):

Please share your experience and involvement in the Democratic Party in Travis County.

Issue(s):

Which Democratic value speaks to you most?

Issue(s): Criminal Justice

Although Austin has remained a relatively safe city, there have been far too many shootings of African American men. What kind of changes would you institute at APD to reduce the number of officer-involved shootings and reduce the degree of mistrust that exists between the African American community and the police?

Issue(s): Health & Human Services

Rising property taxes are a growing concern. There are a number of people who believe taxes are high because the city provides not only essential city services (police, fire, etc.) but non-essential services (social service contracts, education funding, etc.) If elected, how would you prioritize what is or is not an essential city service?

Issue(s): Environment

What is your top environmental concern and how would you address it?

Issue(s): Land Use

Explain what important aspects of the land development code revision you support.

Issue(s): Affordability

What policies do you support to make Austin a more affordable place to live for all residents?

Issue(s): Economic Opportunity, Public Safety

What is your vision for the future of Austin, and how would you achieve it?

Issue(s): Economic Opportunity, Open Government

What do you believe the role of private partners should be in maintaining and improving public parks? What actions would you take to strengthen and improve public-private partnerships?

Issue(s): Arts & Culture, Environment, Public Safety

The City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department faces $125 million in deferred maintenance each year, ranging from playground maintenance and aquatics needs to mowing and servicing trash and recycling receptacles. What would be your strategy for addressing this need?

Issue(s): Arts & Culture, Environment

Do you consider parks an important community asset? Why?

Issue(s): Arts & Culture, Diversity & Inclusion, Environment

Austin Parks Foundation is continuously involved in community engagement to ensure that our projects and work align with community values and needs. What is your philosophy on community engagement, and how would you engage with the community to ensure that their needs around parks and open space are appropriately addressed?

Issue(s): Arts & Culture, Diversity & Inclusion, Environment

Ensuring equitable access to quality parks for all Austinites is a key priority for Austin Parks Foundation. How might you work as a decision-maker for both your district and the city as a whole to move the needle on equitable access to quality parks?

Issue(s): Arts & Culture, Environment, Land Use

What’s your favorite park in Austin? Why?

Issue(s): Environment, Land Use

Parkland dedication fees are one mechanism by which the city funds park acquisition and improvements. What is your stance on parkland dedication fees, and are you in favor of maintaining them during the Land Development Code updating process?

Issue(s): Affordability, Diversity & Inclusion, Economic Opportunity, Housing, Mobility, Social Equity

What policies will you advocate to address the increasingly unaffordable housing, transportation, and utility costs that are economically segregating our neighborhoods?

Issue(s): Diversity & Inclusion

What policies will you advocate to accommodate and welcome the full abundance and diversity of people who aspire to live in Austin’s neighborhoods?

Issue(s): Diversity & Inclusion, Social Equity

How will you resolve policy issues and cases that come before you when the wishes of some incumbent residents in a neighborhood conflict with the interests of other residents and the larger, city-wide community?

Issue(s): Diversity & Inclusion, Social Equity

What policies and approaches will you advocate to promote neighborhood improvement, and avoid neighborhood protectionism, as Austin changes and grows?

Issue(s): Affordability, Land Use

How can legislation improve access to affordable housing?

Issue(s): Diversity & Inclusion, Education

How would you address the issue of declining enrollment in Austin’s schools and bridge the achievement gap across AISD?

Issue(s): Affordability, Diversity & Inclusion, Health & Human Services

What role can Austin play to improve access to affordable healthcare?

Issue(s): Affordability, Diversity & Inclusion, Mobility

How do you plan to accommodate low-income neighborhoods who need alternative transportation methods?

Issue(s): Affordability, Land Use

How would you improve access to affordable housing for both renters and owners in Austin?

Issue(s): Affordability, Mobility

How do you plan to to improve access to public transportation and ensure its affordability?

Issue(s): Affordability, Health & Human Services, Innovation

How can you make healthcare more accessible and affordable to the large population of small business owners and entrepreneurs in Austin?

Issue(s): Criminal Justice, Diversity & Inclusion, Immigration

How would you counteract anti-immigrant sentiment to make our local communities welcoming to all?

Issue(s): Criminal Justice, Immigration

As a majority-minority state, what role do you see Austin playing in the long-term conversation around immigration and migrant rights?