#NEWS // BG Reads | December 14, 2022
[AUSTIN METRO]
Kirk Watson is elected mayor of Austin (KUT)
Kirk Watson, a former state senator and mayor, has won the race to be Austin's next mayor.
Watson squeaked out a win with just 886 more votes than his opponent, state Rep. Celia Israel, in a runoff election Tuesday.
"Thank you to the voters for the confidence they've place in me," he said at an election night party at Santa Rita Cantina in Central Austin. "This is the third time I've been elected mayor of Austin."
Watson served as mayor of the city from 1997-2001. He left his second term early to run for attorney general, a race he lost to now-Gov. Greg Abbott.
Israel conceded the election, and campaign staff said she would not be seeking a recount.
Tuesday's race was tight. Israel beat out Watson by just 17 votes among Travis County voters, which includes the vast majority of Austin. But in Williamson and Hays counties, where just a fraction of Austinites live, voters went overwhelmingly for Watson; they ultimately clinched the race for him…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
José Velásquez defeats Daniela Silva for District 3 seaT (Austin Monitor)
José Velásquez, an activist and fourth-generation Austinite, is set to be District 3’s City Council member after beating out his runoff challenger Daniela Silva on Tuesday night. Velásquez received 4,165 votes for 53.32 percent of the vote, while Silva received 3,646 votes for 46.68 percent.?
“We’re ready to hit the ground running on day one,” Velásquez told the Monitor.
Both ran on progressive values in their bid to replace Council Member Pio Renteria, with Velásquez touting his Affordable Austin plan with its proposals for free pre-K, expanded broadband access and expanded remote work.?
From an election night party at East Sixth Street bar La Perla, Velásquez said the crowd exploded with cheers as results trickled in.?
“We’re surrounded by generations of Austinites, new Austinites, old-school Austinites,” Velásquez said. “That’s really the representation that we bring to Council – new and old Austin, coming together to get work done for the city.”?
On the trail, he scored key endorsements from former Council Member Greg Casar and his successor Chito Vela, along with community activist Susana Almanza, founder of East Austin environmental justice group PODER…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
Ryan Alter wins race to represent District 5 on Austin City Council (KUT)
Ryan Alter has won the District 5 seat on the Austin City Council after facing off in a runoff election against Stephanie Bazan.
The attorney and former state Capitol staffer picked up 59.6% of the votes, according to unofficial?election night results. He will take the seat, which is currently held by Council Member Ann Kitchen, next month after election results have been canvassed.
"I am ready to show up and work with my new colleagues to make some meaningful action to get stuff done," Alter told KUT on Tuesday night.
District 5 covers a portion of South Austin, starting at Barton Springs Road and stretching down Menchaca and Lamar…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
领英推荐
Qadri credits focus on housing in win for D9 seat (Austin Monitor)
Political newcomer Zohaib “Zo” Qadri will represent City Council District 9 beginning in January, defeating challenger Linda Guerrero by 352 votes, according to unofficial totals reported Tuesday night. The final vote for the two-candidate runoff according to Travis County elections officials was 7,276 for Qadri to 6,924 for Guerrero.
Qadri’s win brings a marked change to the seat long held by Kathie Tovo, who was term limited and unable to run for reelection in the district that includes neighborhoods such as Hyde Park and Travis Heights, as well as downtown and the UT Austin campus.
Housing affordability was one of the primary differentiators for Qadri, who wants to move forward with revisions to the city’s Land Development Code to allow for more housing types and greater density. During her campaign, Guerrero also said housing is a concern – especially the threat of displacement for residents being priced out of the city – but she supported less aggressive moves to address the issue…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
H-E-B sets opening date for Lake Austin store with underground parking, multiple restaurants (Austin Business Journal)
After a few years of construction, H-E-B LP is set to open its Lake Austin location on Feb. 15. And it's quite different from many of the chain's other stores in the region.
The retail giant?announced in 2019?plans for the store at 715 S. Exposition Blvd., just west of downtown. The 97,000-square-foot location will be two stories with a large "porch" area. Similar to other new and recently renovated H-E-Bs, food will be served up from some of the company's in-store restaurants: True Texas BBQ, South Flo Pizza and a coffee shop with breakfast tacos and specialty coffee…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
[TEXAS]
Companies say they’re being denied Texas tax breaks as a state agency is overwhelmed with applications (Texas Tribune)
Days before the expiration of a state program that provides billions of dollars in property tax breaks to businesses moving to Texas, two companies have gone to court arguing they’re being frozen out from the last-minute savings due to an overwhelmed state agency…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
With billions for broadband on the line, Texas asks federal government for more time to improve access maps (Texas Tribune)
More than $42 billion of federal funding for high-speed internet hinges on a map that state and local leaders say is “clearly” flawed.
Released last month, the map offers household-level information about who lacks access to reliable, high-speed internet. Now, as the deadline to dispute the accuracy of the nationwide map is quickly approaching, state Comptroller?Glenn Hegar?has asked the federal government for more time…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
[NATION]
McConnell steps up attacks on a weakened Trump (The Hill)
Senate Minority Leader?Mitch McConnell?(R-Ky.) is stepping up his attacks on former President Trump as Trump’s support dips.
The Senate GOP leader on Tuesday blamed Trump for the “candidate quality” problem that hampered the party’s bid to recapture the Senate in 2022, marking the third time in three weeks that McConnell has directly criticized the former president after repeatedly avoiding engaging with him over the past two years…?(LINK TO FULL STORY)
[HEARINGS AND MEETINGS]
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