Endorsements for the Austin election runoffs
Mayor - Celia Israel
Both Kirk Watson and Celia have put out policy proposals which have made it clear that Celia truly understands the key issues facing Austin from housing affordability to public transit. Celia will be an advocate for better housing policy and a champion for a better deal with the state with regards to I-35.
District 3 - José Velásquez
I don’t live in D3, but the only time I ever lived outside of D9 in the last decade, it was in this very district. I trust José to balance both the culture & history of this community and the growing demands on the district from a housing and commercial standpoint.
District 5 - Stephanie Bazan
I’ve gotten to know Stephanie over the course of campaign season and I’ve found her to be someone who shares my passion for service, is truly rooted in community, and will listen to those with privilege AND those without who must fight for a seat at the table - and come to a sound point of view on issues.
District 9 - no endorsement
Fundamentally, Linda Guerrero is not best suited to serve Austin’s most central and urban district on policy grounds alone, especially at a time when housing affordability is the biggest issue facing our city and that may be enough for you to go the other way, but…
At the very first campaign event, hosted by AURA last winter when only Ben, Zo and I were in the race, the first words out of my mouth with other candidates present, were about integrity and positivity. I stated that there were likely to be several great pro-housing candidates in the race and that there would be no reasons for any of us to go negative or slanderous. Sadly some of Zo’s supporters went out of their way, repeatedly, online and on campus, to both amplify the smear campaign against me, and to manipulate and interfere with my campaign included my signs in the weeks leading up to the election.
Zo has proven himself to be a solid political organizer with savvy chops, energy and ambition. His heart is in the right place, and he’s clearly a better vote than Linda. My phone and DMs are full of pro-housing folks urging me to endorse Zo. While I cannot in good faith do that given what I saw and documented in the final weeks of the election, which shows an overall lack of institutional control within his campaign (which has impacted my mental health, my reputation and my life far beyond the campaign), I do know Zo has better positions on housing affordability. If that’s enough for you, the choice is yours to make not mine.