Austin City Council member Paige Ellis has again accepted campaign contributions that appear to exceed city limits, according to recent campaign finance reports, raising questions about compliance with local election law as she seeks a third term representing Southwest Austin.
Finance
Financing the future of senior living
The United States population aged 75 and older is expected to double by 2050, and with a severe lack of senior living inventory, owners and operators are under increasing pressure to meet the growing demand for affordable, high-quality care. Addressing this challenge head-on requires a strategic financial approach, strong partnerships and operational improvements.
Current financial obstacles
The senior living sector has faced significant financial headwinds as it has recovered from the pandemic, with communities already managing high labor costs and narrow margins. With $19 billion in debt maturities due in the next two years and rising long-term interest rates — up 70 to 80 basis points in recent months — these pressures will continue to be top of mind for providers.
There is good news, as occupancy rates have steadily improved for 14 consecutive quarters across the sector, but converting those gains into stronger operating margins remains challenging. Labor expenses, driven by the need for skilled caregivers, are among the largest budgetary strains. Nearly half of the senior living inventory is more than 25 years old, underscoring the need for capital improvements to stay competitive.
At the same time, senior living professionals are struggling to finance new developments, deepening the already pervasive inventory issue. Those conditions may leave owners and operators wondering, “What can I do today to ensure long-term success for my business?”
Strategies for resilience and growth
To overcome those challenges, senior living professionals should explore creative financing solutions based on individual objectives. A key benefit of the sector is that, because of its valued place in society as an essential component of all communities, a myriad of both public and private financing options are available to support owners.
Considering the pros and cons of all available structures, then multi-tracking the options that are the best fit as long as possible, becomes even more important during challenging financing markets. For example:
- The US Department of Housing and Urban Development loans can offer long-term, low fixed rates for refinancing but have rigid eligibility requirements and take longer to process.
- Agency (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) financing can provide faster closings and better debt service ratio underwriting metrics, but loan-to-value sizing parameters, paired with limits on skilled nursing facility beds and certain payer types, can be more restrictive.
- Finance companies, on the other hand, can allow for more creative underwriting structures and higher leverage, but borrowing costs are usually higher.
- Lastly, traditional banks also have structuring flexibility and can lower variable interest rates, but guarantees are more prevalent. Property Assessed Clean Energy financing can be paired with finance company or bank debt to improve the capital structure.
Regardless of the financing path or paths chosen, improving the financial performance of the subject community will aid those efforts. Value-based care models are emerging as one practical way to accomplish this. Adopting value-based care requires aligning with broader healthcare systems and making operational changes to support collective goals. Strategies such as regular care coordination meetings, onsite medical teams and tailored Medicare Advantage plans already are showing promise in reducing healthcare costs and differentiating operators in the marketplace while allowing the senior living provider to share in the resulting expense savings.
Looking ahead
Despite the challenges, the future of senior living remains promising. Demographic trends indicate sustained demand, but new inventory growth has slowed significantly. Only 29% of construction projects began within the last year, the lowest rate in a decade.
High demand and low inventory conditions create a favorable environment for owners and operators who can secure funding to build new communities or modernize aging properties, establish healthcare partnerships and embrace innovative care models. Those senior living sponsors will be well-positioned to meet demand and set new standards for quality and efficiency. Interest rates moving lower would certainly help as well!
Kevin Laidlaw is managing director at NewPoint Real Estate Capital.
The opinions expressed in each McKnight’s Senior Living guest column are those of the author and are not necessarily those of McKnight’s Senior Living.
Have a column idea? See our submission guidelines here.
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January is nearly behind us and most Australians are now back into the work grind, with kids returning to school to embark on another year. With things settling back to normal, it’s prompted one big retirement question to come to the minds of many workers.
Google Trends data shows searches for ‘how much do you need to retire’ surge as the school year begins. It’s one of four major spikes, along with around the Easter holidays, end of the financial year and the September school holidays.
Super fund HESTA has reported a surge in Australians using its retirement planning tool at the start of the school year, with activity increasing by more than 40 per cent in late January and early February in 2025.
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“We regularly see a jump in planning activity around this time of year after many members have enjoyed quality time with family and friends over the festive season – be it BBQs by the beach or relaxing by the pool,” HESTA CEO Debby Blakey said.
“As Australians look ahead to the rest of the year, many ask one simple question: when can I retire?”
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There’s obviously no one-size-fits-all answer to this question.
While there’s no set retirement age in Australia, to be eligible for the Age Pension, you’ll need to be at least 67.
In terms of how much money you need, the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia’s standard estimates a single would need $595,000 and a couple $690,000 in their superannuation to retire comfortably at the age of 67. This assumes you receive a part age pension and own your home outright.
If you’re one of the many Aussies dreaming about retirement, Blakey said now was the time to take action.
“The reality is there is no better time than right now to take action on your super and it’s never too late to make a difference to your financial future,” she said.
“There are many small actions people can take to support their journey to a dignified retirement.”
To start with, Blakey said it was important to understand how much super you had, how much your employer was contributing, where your super is invested and how much it’s grown over the long-term.
The super fund’s research found a third of people were only checking their balance once a year or less, while 43 per cent were more likely to check it in times of market turbulence.
Austin City Council Member Paige Ellis listens to public testimony on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023 at City Hall. The District 8 representative, who is running for re-election this year, has previously faced scrutiny for campaign finance practices.
Under current city rules, candidates for City Council or mayor may not accept more than $450 per contributor per election. The limit applies to individual donors, with exceptions only for the candidate and small-donor political committees.
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Campaign finance reports filed in July 2025 and January 2026 show Ellis accepted nearly $2,500 in contributions that exceeded the $450 individual cap. At least 12 donors gave more than the legal limit, either through single donations above $450 or through multiple contributions across the reporting period that cumulatively exceeded the cap.
In some cases, donors made two or more contributions during the reporting period that, when combined, pushed their total giving beyond the limit. In other instances, donors appeared to list themselves both individually and jointly with a spouse or partner in ways that resulted in total contributions exceeding what is allowed.
Ellis’ campaign manager, Mykle Tomlinson, said he was aware of the $450 cap for individual contributors. Ellis and Tomlinson both said they believed married couples could contribute up to $900 combined, based on each spouse being allowed to give $450.
“As long as the couple hasn’t given over $900, it’s within the limits,” Ellis said. She added that this interpretation applies even when one spouse gives jointly and then later gives individually, calling it a “working definition” that campaigns have followed for years.
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Read More: Austin City Council members push to ease spending rules before vote
Ellis said she personally knows the donors and is aware of which contributors are married, even if both spouses’ names are not listed on campaign finance forms.
However, official guidance from both the Texas Ethics Commission and the City of Austin requires contributors to list their full name on campaign finance reports.
“If a finance report listed an amount above $450 with only one name, that would be an issue for the city’s Ethics Review Commission to review,” city spokesperson Jenny LaCoste-Caputo said in a statement Wednesday.
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Central Texas-based ethics attorney Andrew Cates called it “common sense” to list contributions under two names from a married couple to clarify that those donations come from both people, adding that the whole reporting system is in place so there is no confusion about where the money is coming from.
“If it’s combined, then say it’s combined,” he said. “It’s not that hard.”
City rules state that the candidate is responsible for filing required reports.
Campaign finance violations are reviewed by the city’s Ethics Review Commission. Ellis’ husband, Edward Espinoza, served on the commission from July 2023 through March 2025. He also previously served as Ellis’ campaign treasurer.
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Asked whether Espinoza’s service on the commission posed a conflict of interest, Tomlinson said Ellis recused herself during Espinoza’s appointment by the mayor. He added that the commission often struggled to achieve a quorum during that period and that other council members supported Espinoza’s appointment.
“It doesn’t seem like anyone thought it was a conflict of interest,” Tomlinson said.
Read More: Austin’s proposed tax hike follows behind-the-scenes budget maneuvering
This is not the first time Ellis has faced scrutiny over campaign finance practices. In 2022, the Ethics Review Commission considered a complaint alleging 56 violations related to her campaign, including accepting contributions above city limits and failing to provide required donor employment information.
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Commissioners dismissed the allegations related to donor information but found that Ellis had accepted excessive contributions. Ellis acknowledged the violations and was sanctioned with a letter of notification. She later issued refunds for the amounts in question.
In a written statement, Tomlinson said the commission “dismissed the lion’s share of complaints” and found that seven transactions — totaling about $20 — exceeded contribution limits by small amounts. Those funds were refunded and reflected in a subsequent campaign finance report, he said.
Ellis is running for re-election to a third term representing District 8. Because city rules generally limit members to two terms, she will have to collect signatures from at least 5% of eligible voters in her district to appear on the ballot.
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So far, Ellis has drawn one challenger: Selena Xie, a former Austin EMS Association president, EMS commander and ICU nurse, who announced her candidacy in July.
Voters will decide the District 8 race in the Nov. 3 election. Council districts 1, 3, 5 and 9 will also be on the ballot this November.
NEW YORK (WABC) — They’re called “ghost students” and they’re draining the resources of community colleges and stealing tax payer financial aid funds.
“You’re stealing from people who really have the least already,” said Dr. David Stout, President of Brookdale Community College in New Jersey. “It’s infuriating.”
Scammers are stealing people’s identities, often through data breaches, to apply for online college classes. Once they apply for financial aid and get the money, they disappear.
It’s a sophisticated scheme and community colleges are often targeted because of their open enrollment policies.
At Brookdale Community College, they’ve been receiving about 1,000 ghost student applications each year for the past three years.
“Knowing that there are individuals out there that are trying to steal from our community college students and individuals who are trying to steal from our community and from our taxpayers is infuriating,” said Dr. Stout.
Since the pandemic started, it wasn’t rare to have students across the country sign up for his college’s online courses. But three years ago, when one of his financial aid workers noticed a bump in enrollment, the president’s team investigated.
“So she dug a little bit deeper and found that there were seven students that all shared somewhat common credentials and it was at that point that we realized that we were the victims of ghost students,” said Dr. Stout.
“Of course I’m furious that we may have individuals who try to take advantage of the open door policies that community colleges have,” said Dr. Stout.
He said there’s no evidence that any of the fake students who applied at Brookdale received financial funds, they were discovered first. Since then, the college says it has put mechanisms in place to root out fake applicants.
Eyewitness News reached out to other colleges in the area who say they’ve also put new screening practices in place.
At the City University of New York, a spokesperson said ghost applicants make up less than 1% of its applications. In a statement, a college spokesperson said: “Thanks to our careful screening process none were accepted or provided financial aid, but we continue to strengthen our policies to reduce the number of these applications. For example, the University recently introduced CAPTCHA to screen out bots and fake applicants.”
Nassau Community College has also taken precautions.
A spokesperson said. “while we cannot disclose specific security measures, the college’s IT, financial aid, and admissions departments have been working together to protect the integrity of our admissions and financial aid processes and mitigate the risk this type of fraud poses to our institution.”
Eyewitness News partnered with ABC News to show how this is a growing problem across the country.
The Inspector General’s Office with the U.S. Department of Education says they have 200 open investigations nationwide.
“We see in some of these fraud schemes where people are enrolled in two or three different schools at the same time receiving aid at all of them,” said Jason Williams, the U.S. Dept of Education Assistant Inspector General for Investigation.
Some schools are now using special software to screen applicants.
“It takes a tremendous amount of administrative work to go through and verify that they’re fraudulent,” said Dr. Stout.
The Brookdale Community College President says they’re in contact with other colleges in the area on a continuous basis to share information and ways to prevent ghost applicants from getting enrolled.
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