Connect with us

Austin, TX

Former Austin City Council member announces run for mayor

Published

on

Former Austin City Council member announces run for mayor


AUSTIN, Texas — Former Austin City Council member Kathie Tovo announced Thursday she is running to be Austin’s next mayor. 


What You Need To Know

  • Tovo was first elected to City Council in 2011 as an at-large member, and she served as mayor pro tem from 2015-2019. She was then reelected as a council member representing District 9 in 2018 and served in that position until January 2023
  • According to her campaign website, Tovo is running to help Austinites “who can’t afford high-paid lobbyists to advance their interests”
  • Current Austin Mayor Kirk Watson has not announced whether he will run for reelection

Tovo was first elected to City Council in 2011 as an at-large member, and she served as mayor pro tem from 2015-2019. She was then reelected as a council member representing District 9 in 2018 and served in that position until January 2023. 

According to her campaign website, Tovo is running to help Austinites “who can’t afford high-paid lobbyists to advance their interests.”

“She believes in an Austin where every person has the right to succeed,” the website said. “She knows that Austin can be a city where the workers and families who have built this community, who keep the lights on, who keep the gears turning, and who show up every day in the hopes of a better life for their loved ones can remain and thrive.”

Some of the accomplishments Tovo touts from her time on City Council are investing in child care facilities, supporting policies that expanded access to affordable housing, providing more than 1 million healthy, free meals to area students and introducing a strategy to create emergency shelters during extreme weather events following the 2021 winter storm. 

Advertisement

Tovo is currently an adjunct faculty member at the University of Texas. 

Current Austin Mayor Kirk Watson has not announced whether he will run for reelection. He previously served as mayor from 1997-2001. He was then elected to the Texas Senate in 2006 and was in that office from 2007-2020.

Watson ran for his second term as Austin’s mayor in the 2022 election and won by the narrowest margin in over two decades in a runoff election. The mayor normally serves a four-year term but the passing of 2021 ballot measure moved the mayoral election to coincide with the presidential election, shortening Watson’s term to two years. 



Source link

Advertisement

Austin, TX

Austin opens cold weather shelters ahead of freezing temps

Published

on

Austin opens cold weather shelters ahead of freezing temps


As the Austin area prepares to plunge into freezing temperatures Sunday night, the city is initiating its Cold Weather Shelters protocol.

Those wanting to use the emergency shelters, which open when overnight temperatures reach 35 degrees or lower, must register between 6-8 p.m. at One Texas Center (OTC) on Barton Springs Road, according to a release from the city. Those interested and in need of transport can reach the OTC via bus lines 1, 7, 10, 20, 30, 105 and 801. Anyone who can’t pay bus fare but needs shelter will still be allowed to ride, a Facebook post from the city said.

Following registration, CapMetro shuttles will take guests from the OTC to a cold weather shelter. The addresses for these shelters are kept confidential due to “safety, privacy and capacity concerns,” according to the Austin American-Statesman.

The Statesman also reported that shelters provide meals and allow leashed, friendly pets.

Advertisement

All parks and libraries are meanwhile serving as warming centers during regular operating hours, except for Austin Public Library’s Old Quarry Branch and Willie Mae Kirk Branch.



Source link

Continue Reading

Austin, TX

Building cleared after non-credible bomb threat made in Downtown Austin

Published

on

Building cleared after non-credible bomb threat made in Downtown Austin


A Downtown Austin building was cleared after a bomb threat was made Saturday night.

Police say that the call came in at 9:38 p.m., after which officers arrived to the scene and cleared a nearby building at 311 E 6th St.

ALSO: H-E-B delights Austin airport travelers with surprise gift vending machine pop-up

The threat was found to not be credible, and no one was injured.

Advertisement
Comment with Bubbles

BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT

Police say no one is in custody and they will be clearing the scene shortly.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Austin, TX

The richest small town in Texas tops our most popular Austin stories

Published

on

The richest small town in Texas tops our most popular Austin stories


Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Austin Mayor Kirk Watson held a press conference Friday to discuss a new deal with Southwest Airlines and its expected impact on the city.

The deal, approved Thursday by the Austin City Council, awards Southwest $2,750 for each new Austin-based hire over the next five years. In exchange, the airline plans to add 2,000 high-paying jobs with an average salary of $180,000 and invest in local workforce initiatives, including the city’s new Austin Infrastructure Academy.

Officials say the deal will strengthen Southwest’s presence at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, where the carrier already handles more than 40 percent of all passenger traffic.

The partnership is expected to bring in nearly $20 million in local tax revenue, and the incentive program will last for five years and pay Southwest up to $5.5 million.

Advertisement

Mayor Watson said the agreement will not only create new jobs in Austin but will improve the overall experience at AUS.

“We’re building lives and careers at the same time we’re building tarmacs and terminals,” Watson said. “Southwest is choosing Austin because our people, our workforce, and our future make us a smart investment. This deal creates thousands of good-paying jobs, improves the passenger experience, and ensures the benefits flow directly to Austin workers, families, and tourists. This agreement is proof that Austin means business and cares about the success of its people.”

Read the full story at KVUE.com.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending