18 Dec Introducing … Austin’s New City Council

 

In Austin’s historic first 10-1 election a distinctly new Austin city council has been created. The composition is unlike any previous council in terms of number and gender as well as racial and political diversity. 

For starters there will only be one familiar face among the now 11 people (instead of 7) on the dais starting in January. That’s Kathie Tovo, who will likely be looked to for the all-important “context” that outgoing council member Laura Morrison said is the most challenging part of making decisions on council, especially as a newbie. And she will be just one of SEVEN women (more than a majority) on the new council!

The “gentleman’s agreement” that for years allocated a spot on council for one Hispanic and one black representative was thrown out in favor of the new 10-1 system, based on geographic representation. The result? The first ever Latina on council, Delia Garza (District 2), plus Gregorio Casar (District 4) and Sabino “Pio” Renteria (District 3), means that there are more Hispanics on council than ever before, and more closely represents Austin's population.. In addition, the “opportunity district” aimed at providing a voice for black Austinites yielded Ora Houston as the representative of District 1.. 

Perhaps the biggest shift for Austin politics is the fact that three new council members regularly vote as Republicans. Their election to council is proof that under the old system, members of different political ideologies also felt frustrated and unrepresented by city council. It is also proof that average Austinites are struggling under rising property taxes and living expenses and are ready for those concerns to be taken seriously. The candidates who promised to take fiscal conservatism seriously obviously resonated with a lot of people.

So what does that mean for the environment? On its face, it shouldn't mean very much. A person's political ideology does not preclude them from caring about clean air and water. As humans, we all need these things and it isn't fair (or particularly helpful) to attack someone on the onset, simply for saying that they care about taxes.

The fact that three fiscal conservatives were elected to council also means that Austinites are concerned about government spending, and that the environmental community needs to learn how to connect things like energy efficiency to decreased costs in peoples' minds. If Austin truly wants to be a leader in advancing sustainability and combating climate change, it will need to convince more than just bleeding heart liberals that these initiatives have long term value. The environmental community has already started to do this, and it will only need to continue to strengthen these efforts under the new council.

The good news is that a majority (6 out of 11) of the new council members have received the endorsements of at least 2 environmental groups. The bad news is, the most anti-environmental candidate out of the original 78 slate, Don Zimmerman, has been elected to represent District 6 in Northwest Austin. The biggest question mark is District 8’s Ellen Troxclair who avoided answering even one of the environmental questionnaires. 

 

District 1 – Ora Houston

• longtime community activist and organizer
• Retired from the Texas Department of Mental Health and Retardation and the State Senate
• Endorsed by Clean Water Action and the Sierra Club
• Main Eco Focus – environmental justice

Houston beat out her opponent, DeWayne Lofton (a senior deputy with the Travis County Sheriffs Office), by 48 points in an unusually cordial campaign. She has made community engagement a cornerstone of her campaign, stressing the importance of connecting to different groups of people and getting them involved in local government. In an interview with AEN, she said that as a city council member, she would help facilitate conversations between groups of people who don’t normally talk to each other and “create a safe space” for open dialogue. 

This push for inclusion closely ties to her focus on environmental justice. In forums and interviews, she has said that the environmental community has not been active enough in District 1 and that she would like to see them do more to help the people living near environmentally degraded sites, like landfills. 

As a home composter herself, Houston said that her neighbors might be particularly willing to engage in waste diversion initiatives since they can so clearly see the effects of landfills. But, she added, that will not happen without proper community engagement. Not everyone has a computer or reads the electricity bill insert, Houston said in an AEN interview. “So we’ve got to figure out other ways to engage people and that’s my job.” 

Houston has also identified water conservation as a personal environmental priority, although she has also admitted that she is far from a subject matter expert. “I would work to convene a facilitated conversation between environmentalists, developers, and other shareholders in the district – neighbors in the district, to begin working together regarding education opportunities and developing creative solutions,” Houston said.

 

District 2 – Delia Garza 

• Attorney
• first latina ever elected to Austin’s city council
• Endorsed by Clean Water Action, Sierra Club, Austin Environmental Democrats

Garza easily won her city council seat in the general election on Nov. 4th. She is a strong public speaker and quickly set herself apart from the small field of candidates running against her. On the environment, Garza demonstrates a reverent respectfulness and like Houston, approaches the issue from an environmental justice perspective.  

“Environmental issues are very, very important to me because health and wellness issues are very important to me and they directly affect each other,” Garza said in an AEN interview, “and I firmly believe that environmental issues are also social justice issues which are very important to me.” 

In particular, she talked about food security issues in District 2 and increasing access to fresh and healthy produce. In her AEN interview, Garza also talked a lot about the city’s zero waste initiatives, which she supports, and stressed the importance of public education in ensuring that they succeed. She said that the city is currently not doing a good enough job educating the people in her district (who are busy just trying to get by) about its many environmental initiatives and rebate programs. As a city council member, she wants to improve this line of communication. 

Garza has also come out as a strong renewable energy advocate, supporting increases in Austin Energy’s renewable goals. “Austin Energy is the city’s greatest asset, and provides the city the ability to be a national leader in energy policy,” Garza wrote in response to an environmental questionnaire. “Given the reduction of cost for renewable energy sources, there’s no reason that Austin can’t continue to lead the charge in this arena while still providing affordable and reliable services to ratepayers.” 

 

District 3 – Sabino “Pio” Renteria

• Retired from IBM
• longtime community activist
• No environmental endorsements
• Supported by former District 3 candidates Jose Valera, Mario Cantu, Ricardo Trullolos-Bonilla

In one of the most aggressive and personal campaigns of this election cycle, the District 3 race left Renteria defeating his sister, Susana Almanza, by 20 points. An advocate against gentrification and rising property taxes, Renteria has not made the environment a key part of his campaign. His main point of disagreement with Almanza (director of PODER) was urban farms, like Springdale, that hold lots of big public events in the residential neighborhoods of east Austin. Almanza and PODER have lead the charge against these events (not the farm itself), saying that they are disruptive to the surrounding neighborhood. Renteria has taken a more moderate and conciliatory tone.

On the environmental front, Renteria has expressed support for distributed solar, but when pressed for more details during an AEN interview about utility-scale electricity, Renteria didn’t have a lot to say. 

In responding to environmental questionnaires, Renteria did say that he has always been a strong supporter of recycling and composting and mentioned that he would like to see more construction and demolition (C&D) recycling.

Renteria is also a strong supporter of density and public transportation (he supported Prop 1).

“A lot of people are afraid to have density. I’m not afraid to see density,” Renteria said in an AEN interview. “I think that if we’re going to survive in this world we need to have density, so that you can walk to the store, ride to the park, ride to school on a bicycle or walk, instead of having to jump in the car.”

 

District 4 – Greg Casar

• Former policy director at the Workers Defense Project (quit to run for office)
• At 25 years old, he is council's youngest member
• Endorsed by Clean Water Action, the Sierra Club, and Clean Water Action

District 4 wins the prize for the fiercest and most contentious city council race of this election cycle. In the end, Casar beat opponent Laura Pressley by 30 points. Casar has made environmental justice a cornerstone of his campaign and displays a strong mastery of environmental policies ranging from energy to water. 

In an environmental questionnaire, he said that he is excited about the prospect of 10-1 bringing a new group of people into the city’s political conversation, but warned that, “environmental policies will fall in priority if we do not ensure our environmental policies are paired with economic justice issues.” He continued on to say that that the decision between good jobs and clean air/water is a “false choice” and promised to work to create good green jobs for the people of District 4 if elected. 

Green jobs can be tied to Austin Energy, Casar said, through its solar installation and weatherization programs. These can then be used to draw more people into the city’s efforts to combat climate change. Casar also said that he supports increasing Austin Energy’s renewable goals to 50 percent by 2020 and 65 percent by 2025. 

Casar has also spoken out about the need to conserve water, supporting the recommendations of the Austin Water Resource Planning Task Force and advocating for a new council committee dedicated to monitoring Austin Water. “We need a change in accountability and standards for conservation within the utility to make sure our utility works toward the long term goals of the people of Austin,” Casar wrote in response to an environmental questionnaire. 

 

District 5 – Ann Kitchen 

• Healthcare advocate and attorney
• Former representative to the Texas House of Representative
• Former Texas Assistant Attorney General
• Endorsed by Clean Water Action, the Sierra Club, Austin Environmental Democrats

A former politician, Kitchen easily won the District 5 city council seat during the general election on Nov. 4th. Throughout her campaign, she emphasized her years of experience working in the public sector and on environmental issues to set herself apart from the other candidates. She was a founding member of the Save Our Springs Coalition Steering Committee, which helped to pass landmark water protection measures in the city, and promises to pay special attention to water as a city council member as well. “You guys can trust me to protect the environment,” Kitchen said in an AEN interview.

On water, she is strongly against the construction of SH 45SW out of concerns that it will harm the aquifer. She has also expressed a desire to focus on water conservation and the development of a new business model for Austin Water. “If people conserve, they need to see a financial benefit,” Kitchen said in an AEN interview. That means that Austin Water needs to come up with new ways to make money, she added. 

Kitchen has also raised concerns about flooding along Onion and Williamson creeks, explaining that city council needs to pay closer attention to the potential impacts that development can have on flooding. 

Transportation is also an important issue to Kitchen and the people of South Austin. In an AEN interview, Kitchen said that the city needs to start focusing on lower cost solutions that can be implemented now, like increased bus lines, to help people who desperately need public transportation.

Displaying her knowledge of city issues across a wide swath of subject matters, Kitchen also talked about her support for renewable energy throughout her campaign. In particular, she said that Austin Energy needs to build a, “broader base of support among the public and key stakeholders to support the transition from fossil fuels to renewables while retaining the 2 percent affordability goals.” There also needs to be a better working relationship between city council and Austin Energy, Kitchen said in response to an environmental questionnaire.

 

District 6 – Don Zimmerman

• Software systems engineer
• Founder of the Travis County Taxpayers Union
• Did not receive an endorsement from any major environmental organization, civic group, or media outlet

Zimmerman is a climate change denier. He is against the recommendations of the Water Resource Planning Task Force, public purchases of watershed protection lands, energy efficiency targets, zero waste goals, the city’s plastic bag ban, and public investment in the city’s urban tree cover. He wants to break up Austin Energy and replace it with a free marketplace of competitive energy providers. He thinks that Austin Energy wastes money on “unsustainable green energy” and has called the utility a “cartel.” 

And he does all this in an incredibly caustic, inflammatory, and condescending manner. 

When asked in an environmental questionnaire about his “strategy for addressing impending climate-related disasters, such as drought, extreme storm events, wildfires, and extreme heat,” Zimmerman shot back at the question itself, writing that it’s, “typical of the idiotic statement of extremists who promote a political agenda with junk science.” He continued on to attack the very idea that governments could play a role in combating climate change, saying that, “God’s natural power over the universe is immeasurably greater than the power of corrupt governments and industries combined.” To add insult to injury, he then questioned the very existence of climate change, writing that, “global warming has been debunked,” and claiming that because of that, activists now use the phrase climate change to promote their political agenda. Almost unbelievably, he found a way to take it one step further, saying that, “now that it’s well known the climate has dramatically changed for millions of years prior to mankind – or the Republican Party – kooks now resort to ‘climate justice’”.

At the core of Zimmerman’s campaign are his conservative, limited government principles and rebellious attitude. He has been a delegate or alternate to every state GOP Convention since 1996, ran as a Republican for State Representative and County Tax Assessor-Collector (where he made this campaign ad mocking green energy), and was elected to the State Republican Executive Committee in 2010. He also is the founder of the Texas Taxpayers Union, a local organization that has fought against government spending initiatives, including affordable housing and Austin ISD bonds. 

 

District 7 – Leslie Pool

• Executive Assistant to Constable Carlos B Lopez, Travis County Constable Precinct
• Longtime community activist
• Endorsed by Clean Water Action and the Sierra Club 
• Served on the city’s arts, downtown, telecommunications, and water/wastewater commissions

The race for the District 7 city council seat saw two strong candidates, Leslie Pool and Jeb Boyt, go head to head on one main issue – development. In the end, Pool, and her focus on neighborhood protection, won out over Boyt and his focus on density. Although Pool has said that she supports the concept of a compact and connected city (and the density that comes with it), she has devoted her campaign to making sure that old neighborhoods are protected in the process. 

 In an AEN interview, she explained that one of the first things she did after deciding to run was read through all of the neighborhood plans in District 7. “They are very clear on how they view their community, and what we need to be aware of with the writing of CodeNext and the adoption of it,” Pool said, “is those plans deserve respect and they should be reflected in the code, because that will codify those plans.” She continued on to say that she is concerned that all too often neighborhood input is ignored when it actually comes time to finalize new rules and regulations. “I think we need to have a more specific alignment,” Pool said, between what the neighbors are saying and the land development code. 

Concerns have already been raised about the feasibility of honoring the wishes of neighborhoods (which tend to be more suburban), while pushing for the density needed to create a city that is conducive to public transportation and sustainable growth.

Pool doesn’t see this as a zero sum game. When asked in an AEN interview if the neighborhood plans can get us to where we need to go, in terms of sustainable land use, Pool responded with a reassuring, “I do, I do.” 

For Pool, this issue seems to boil down to trust and the rights of individuals to decide the fate of the land around them. “We as a people, we affect the growth patterns,” Pool said. “We stay involved and we’re clearly focused and we speak from our hearts about how we see our neighborhoods developing, and I trust that.” 

On other environmental issues, Pool has proven herself to be a strong advocate. She was part of the landmark Save Our Springs initiative and while serving on the water/wastewater commission, was the only commissioner to oppose Water Treatment Plant 4. She now advocates for increased water conservation and a new business model for Austin Water that allows conservation to continue in a financially sustainable way. She wants to make sure that new development is paying a high enough impact fee to fund additional water conservation measures and would like to see an increased use of greywater and purple pipe. 

A strong advocate of renewable energy, she wants to see the retirement of the Decker natural gas-fired power plant and the Fayette coal-fired power plant. “We must invest in and expand existing renewables like wind, solar and distributed solar, while also aggressively reducing demand,” Pool said in response to an environmental questionnaire.

 

District 8 – Ellen Troxclair

• Chief of Staff for State Rep Jason Isaac (R- Dripping Springs), who was named the Texas Oil and Natural Gas 2013 Legislative Champion
• Realtor
• Did not receive any major environmental endorsements

In District 8, Troxclair beat out clinical researcher Ed Scruggs by less than 100 votes in what turned out to be an extremely tight race. For many in the environmental community, this was the most heart-breaking outcome of this election cycle. Scruggs was a strong environmental candidate with endorsements from Clean Water Action, the Sierra Club, and the Austin Environmental Democrats. Troxclair on the other hand, was the only runoff candidate who did not answer a single environmental questionnaire or appear in an AEN interview to discuss their environmental platform. She ran as a taxpayer advocate, saying that council needs to refocus its priorities and spending on basic city services. 

In waging her crusade against rising taxes, she has taken particular aim at Austin Energy, calling for an end to the utility’s annual $100 million transfer to the city’s general fund, which pays for police, fire, and parks and recreation. At a general election forum, she said that Austin Energy needs to stop transferring money to the city’s general fund and instead, “apply it to cost-savings and efficiencies that would ultimately lower costs to all Austin Energy customers.” 

District 8 is also home to Barton Springs, which made water an issue in the District 8 city council race. Troxclair however, had surprisingly little to say about Barton Springs or water quality during the campaign season. She is for the construction of SH 45SW and has made some rather dubious statements about the future of the city’s S.O.S. ordinance. During a KUT Ballot Boxing Forum, she said that the city needs to reevaluate aspects of the S.O.S. ordinance in light of recent strides in technology that can provide for the protection of the Edward Aquifer in new ways. “The strict, confusing, complicated development codes that we have in the city make it almost impossible to do business….,” Troxclair said. 

 

District 9 – Kathie Tovo

• Current Austin City Council member
• Endorsed by Clean Water Action, the Sierra Club, and the Austin Environmental Democrats
• Won the District 9 city council seat after fellow council member, Chris Riley, conceded in November

As the only returning city council member, Tovo seems destined for leadership when a new cast of characters take the stage in January. Luckily, she has a strong environmental record that includes:

sponsoring a resolution to create the Austin Generation Resource Planning Task Force to get community input on the utility’s new 10-year generation plan

sponsoring a resolution in August directed at creating policies that will increase energy efficiency program offering to low- to moderate- income customers and creating a Low Income Consumer Advisory Task Force

On other environmental issues, Tovo displays a complex and full understanding of the problems and proposed solutions and is supportive of a wide swath of environmental programs and initiatives. She supports the recommendations of the Austin Water Resource Planning Task Force, opposes the construction of SH 45SW, and supports increased renewable energy goals for Austin Energy. She wants to see an increased investment in water conservation, including the expanded use of reclaimed water (and the infrastructure to support it.)

The main thing that set her apart from opponent Chris Riley is her approach to land use and development. In the press, she has often been compared to Leslie Pool in her desire to maintain neighborhood character alongside increased density. 

“We have choices everyday about how we should manage that [growth], and that’s what I think we should do,” Tovo said in an AEN interview. “I think we should manage it, not rubber stamp it. We need to direct increased density to the areas we have identified as appropriate, which are typically along our transit corridors…”

She also called attention to the responsibility developers have in ensuring that increased growth doesn’t overwhelm the city’s stormwater infrastructure or reduce access to public parks and open space. 

She said that city council needs to evaluate the potential impacts of development upfront, before any decisions are reached and that, “if there are impacts that are going to be created by a particular development, that development needs to bear the cost of mitigating them, to the extent possible.” 

 

District 10 – Sheri Gallo 

• Realtor
• Was not endorsed by any major environmental organization

A moderate who ran a very cordial campaign against opponent Mandy Dealey, Gallo has declined to reveal her party affiliation, although she ran as a Republican in 2002 in the Precinct 2 County Commissioners race. And, while she has not made the environment a cornerstone of her campaign, in responding to several environmental questionnaires, she expressed an openness to working with the environmental community on a variety of issues. 

She wants to improve Austin’s public transportation infrastructure to try and get people out of their cars and improve air quality. She wants to focus on water conservation, xeriscaping, and rainwater collection. She wants to ensure that the city is increasing its recycling rate and reducing the amount of waste that it sends to the landfill.

In responding to the environmental questionnaires, Gallo also said that she supports the goals of the Austin Water Resource Planning Task Force, but she expressed fear that the city does not have the money to implement many of the recommendations right now. 

On energy, Gallo said that she supports, “the draft report of the Austin Generation Resource Planning Task Force which recommends that Austin Energy create energy efficiency programs that are geographically targeted to underserved neighborhoods, with the goal of lowering electric bills of low-income households while helping meet overall energy efficiency goals.” 

“In addition we could continue the energy efficiency programs that are working, that save money, promote conservation and are environmentally sound,” Gallo added. “But we should also review the programs that have been less effective to determine why the results have been less satisfactory.”

While admitting that she is not an expert on energy issues, Gallo said that she also generally supports local solar, but needs to see the financial implications of any official city policy. This is one of the most challenging issues for city council and Austin Energy, Gallo said. 

“I think we also have to be careful to run Austin Energy like a business and demonstrate to state leadership that municipal government can run a utility sensibly,” Gallo said. “To fail to do so could encourage further the legislature to force municipalities such as Austin to force the sale of Austin Energy which I believe would be unwise and would cost both taxpayers and ratepayers in the long run.”