Austin City Council Election Endorsements

The dreaded double endorsement. Spelman, who served on the city's water/wastewater commission, is recognized as a strong environmentalist; however, the UT associate prof also possesses a refreshing breadth of knowledge in matters pertaining to public safety, transportation, and urban planning -- three areas that are of utmost concern to our community.

We applaud Bobbie Enriquez for mounting a successful campaign that revolves around what she calls the forgotten agenda -- an agenda made up of human services issues that too often fall victim to short change and short attention spans on the part of elected officials. If elected, Enriquez would become Austin's first Hispanic woman to sit at the council dais and, as such, would retain the seat that has historically gone to a Hispanic representative.

Place 6: Willie Lewis

Current Place 6 Councilmember Eric Mitchell has done an admirable job of attracting resources to fund his Eastside revitalization issues, but he has shown little regard for the concerns of residents living within the affected area, who worry that Mitchell's big plans will do more to line the pockets of his developer/real estate friends than to boost the quality of life of residents of this historically neglected community. We urge you to vote for Willie Lewis, a longtime East Austin resident, who has a track record of public service that includes four terms as president of the Pecan Springs-Springdale Hills Neighborhood Association, a former chairmanship of the Austin Airport Advisory Board, and a volunteer position as an adult probation officer.