I hear you, and it certainly can be a component of a strong campaign, see Kathy Tovo, Jackie Goodman (RIP), and Pio Renteria. But to your point, it’s a very narrow path unless you have a shitload of retired homeowners in the district. As for “GOP coding,” it’s not necessarily a negative (esp in D6) because high propensity Austin city election voters tend to be very focused on local issues, like Taxes. But likewise, the appeal is limited because they also tend to be Democrats.
I don’t know what to tell you. Nobody likes to hear it on this thread, but Travis County and Austin (outside of the 2018-2023 leadership vacuum) runs pretty well.
I’m just relieved that we didn’t adopt a strong Mayor system. Watson would probably do OK, but in general, well paid professional City Managers and well paid County Judges and Commissioners run a far tighter ship than poorly-paid mayors and council members chosen from a pool of those willing to do a thankless job for nothing, on the basis of whoever performs the most pleasing mouth-noises for the worst people in town.