Austin City Government - Circus of the Insane

[atomheartbevo 89675]

I would gladly use the electric scooters/bikes to get around a lot of places (to the library in our area, grab something to eat, etc.) If I knew one would be available when it was time to leave.  Not going to take an electric scooter to the library and then be stuck walking a mile and a half home when outside.  I’ll just ride my bike instead. 

[hornbri 1398]

On 8/2/2018 at 9:47 AM, TheYoungHorn said:

This is so predictable.

It is also sickening, because it rewards the chicanery that drives this city into a deeper mess. 

 

No Shit - We all saw this coming and we still wasted so much money. So annoyed with those clowns. 

[Orange&White 5528]

I have to give those fucking criminals at the COA credit for taking every survey they put out as a means to push their fucking agenda. The wording of the questions they put out are complete and total fabrications meant to lead the answers to a specific goal.

This survey is supposed to be about the dockless bike/scooter issue, right?

Then why do we need this question?

Quote

I don't have a connected network of bike facilities and trails to get to where I need to go.

Or these that were posed with the question of where you would prefer to ride your dockless bike/scooter?

Quote

In a painted bike lane (with or without a painted buffer)

In a protected bicycle lane (with flex posts, bumps, or concrete separation from  traffic)

So in a few months, the answers to those questions will come up on some justification for taking away lanes of major corridors like Lamar or Burnet.

[Pasken 1309]

None of you south Austin pricks care to run for city council???? Ann Kitchen is unopposed.

 

Here is info on the other races:

 

Quote

District 1

The race to replace East Austin Council Member Ora Houston, who opted not to run for a second term, already has been busy. Six candidates will seek the position.

Vincent Harding, 30, is a lawyer, a former member of Austin’s Board of Adjustment and a former chairman of the Travis County Democratic Party. He called himself successful at building coalitions.

Natasha Harper-Madison, 40, is a small-business consultant drawn to social activism after receiving a cancer diagnosis three years ago. She has been active in the East 12th Street Merchants Association.

Mariana Salazar, 37, is director of the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition and a former grass-roots organizer in her native Venezuela. She also has worked on behalf of urban farming initiatives and the American Friends Service Committee.

Conway, 48, who will find out this week whether his name will appear on the ballot, works for Grassroots Leadership. He has fought for criminal justice issues, including the city’s “ban the box” ordinance.

Reedy Spigner, 46, is a grant monitor for the Texas attorney general’s office and a third-generation East Austinite. He said he was drawn to politics after a dispute with the city over a historic designation affected the sale of his home.

Mitrah Avini, 29, did not list an occupation on her application and did not return a phone call for comment Monday.

District 3

In a crowded East Austin race, all eyes will again be on the sibling rivalry between Council Member Sabino “Pio” Renteria and his sister, activist Susana Almanza, as they stage a rematch of their 2014 race. Four other candidates also are running.

Renteria, 68, won the seat in the council’s first district-based races, topping a field of 12 candidates. While on the council, he has advocated for more housing stock in the city.

Almanza, 65, is director of the nonprofit advocacy group People Organized in Defense of Earth and her Resources (PODER). She has allied with neighborhood preservationists on various city issues and has spoken out against her brother’s support for increasing density in some areas.

James Valadez, 31, is a real estate agent who sits on the city’s Board of Adjustment and previously served on the Travis Central Appraisal District board. He has called himself opposed to “excess density” in neighborhoods.

Amit Motwani, 40, who launched his campaign Monday, is the chief information officer at United Way for Greater Austin. A newcomer to city politics, he said he believes affordability efforts in the city should focus more on social services, as well as housing.

Jessica Cohen, 46, is a network security administrator and EMT. She would like to see a stronger council focus on preventing rent increases.

Justin Jacobson, 27, a restaurant worker, has worked on political campaigns and with the Stonewall Democrats.

District 8

Council Member Ellen Troxclair won’t run for a second term in Southwest Austin, leaving an open seat for one of four candidates. Three of the four fall to the political left of Troxclair, who was known as the council’s only conservative member.

Rich DePalma, 45, is a contracting consultant and a member of the city’s Parks and Recreation Board. He also has been involved in the Downtown Commission, the Austin school district and the reforestation nonprofit TreeFolks.

Bobby Levinski, 32, is a lawyer for the environmental nonprofit Save Our Springs Alliance and an urban land-use activist best known for his opposition to CodeNext. He previously worked as a policy adviser to three council members.

Paige Ellis, 34, is an environmental marketing specialist. She lists the environment, housing, reproductive rights and gun safety as her top priorities.

Frank Ward, 36, a corporate communications strategist, hopes to pick up Troxclair’s mantle of conservatism. He serves on the city’s Parks and Recreation Board and has worked for the Republican National Committee.

District 9

Council Member Kathie Tovo is facing opposition from three people in Central Austin.

Tovo, 49, is the longest-serving member of the council and collected petition signatures to be able to run for a third term. She is known as a neighborhood preservation advocate.

Danielle Skidmore, 46, is a civil transportation engineer running on a mobility platform. She serves on the city’s LGBTQ Quality of Life Committee and has advocated for equality issues.

Linda O’Neal, 45, is a U.S. history and civics teacher. A native of Vietnam whose parents rented Austin apartments to immigrants, she supports greater housing density.

Isiah Jones, 21, is a University of Texas student who is studying government for his undergraduate degree. His priorities are the decriminalization of marijuana, housing prices in downtown and traffic on Interstate 35, he said.

 

[ChickenSandwich 9836]

On 8/22/2018 at 6:00 PM, Pasken said:

None of you south Austin pricks care to run for city council???? Ann Kitchen is unopposed.

 

Here is info on the other races:

 

 

Jesus, we are fucked.

[skittlebrau 474]

Harding would be a win for the side of goodness and progress. Along with Pio and the mayor keeping their seat. D8 should be interesting. I’ve met with DePalma and he says all the right things but Ward has Troxy’s endorsement.

[Bozo_Casanova 26471]

Hardings not bad. I’m with Natasha Harper-Madison though. She’s outstanding.

[Pasken 1309]

3 hours ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

Hardings not bad. I’m with Natasha Harper-Madison though. She’s outstanding.

Agreed. I’m trying to host her in a neighborhood meet and greet.

[TheYoungHorn 58]

On 8/25/2018 at 7:20 PM, Bozo_Casanova said:

Hardings not bad. I’m with Natasha Harper-Madison though. She’s outstanding.

If she is ready to go to bat against the NIMBY wing, then count me on board as a District 1 resident. 

So, is she? 

[Bozo_Casanova 26471]

16 minutes ago, TheYoungHorn said:

If she is ready to go to bat against the NIMBY wing, then count me on board as a District 1 resident. 

So, is she? 

I don't want to put words in her mouth and I don't know that she would call it "going to bat against", but she's clearly pretty clearly in the YIMBY camp.

[Samson's Wig 3192]

If you think dockless bikes and scooters are ridiculous and cause way more problems than they solve does that put you in the NIMBY camp or the YIMBY camp?  I get confused.

[Texas Jeff 1945]

49 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

I don't want to put words in her mouth and I don't know that she would call it "going to bat against", but she's clearly pretty clearly in the YIMBY camp.

Isn't it a little bit YIYBY  (yes in your backyard) -- that's how I felt about CodeNEXT.

[Bozo_Casanova 26471]

14 minutes ago, Texas Jeff said:

Isn't it a little bit YIYBY  (yes in your backyard) -- that's how I felt about CodeNEXT.

No, CodeNEXT was a process and a work product. The process was basically derailed by people who acted in just extraordinary bad faith and used shameful scare tactics about skyscrapers in Hyde Park and race baiting and character assassination to prevent the city from executing our comprehensive plan. The work product was the result of staff, council and consultants who tried to accommodate those who were fundamentally opposed to changing the LDC and willing to do essentially anything to kill it. 

It was a classic example of how and why Austin is so broken-  the most active and dedicated citizens in our town want it that way and work hard to break it.  

Edited August 30, 2018 by Bozo_Casanova

[TheYoungHorn 58]

21 hours ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

No, CodeNEXT was a process and a work product. The process was basically derailed by people who acted in just extraordinary bad faith and used shameful scare tactics about skyscrapers in Hyde Park and race baiting and character assassination to prevent the city from executing our comprehensive plan. The work product was the result of staff, council and consultants who tried to accommodate those who were fundamentally opposed to changing the LDC and willing to do essentially anything to kill it. 

It was a classic example of how and why Austin is so broken-  the most active and dedicated citizens in our town want it that way and work hard to break it.  

Exactly. 

Which is why I am saying we need more than just people who run on a platform of "affordability for all" and appear to be pseudo YIMBYs. 

Ie, to get anything done we need to start demanding that those who want to make progress on land use issues that we have to stand up and  lead, tell the stories why it matters to everyone in this city now (and who will move here) and not try to negotiate or accommodate people/factions that have done everything in their power, and thus acquired and wielded said power in the first place, to stop any form of change or growth that veers from their idealized version of what Austin was, or should be. 

 

 

[TheYoungHorn 58]

The fact that the only unification that appears from the outside to be happening, is a Laura Morrison lead push to move us further into the do-nothing camp on Land Use issues, is concerning. 

We need a clear picture of who is going to step up and lead us as an actual counter to those forces, and a vision for how to engage the city's population in working alongside to work for positive, proactive changes that might have the teeth to shape the compact/connected city we claim to want.  Not just incremental improvement in representation in regards to some of these issues. 

 

[skittlebrau 474]

I think we are a couple council seats away from being able to make real progress. Both of those seats are up in 2020. I don’t think the current system allows a mayor to really drive an agenda.

[Pasken 1309]

14 minutes ago, skittlebrau said:

I think we are a couple council seats away from being able to make real progress. Both of those seats are up in 2020. I don’t think the current system allows a mayor to really drive an agenda.

 

Would you be interested in helping on a citizen led drive to get rid of the exception to the 2 term limit? It only takes around 3,000 signatures for a council member to run for a 3rd term so the seat is Pool's if she wants it.

 

I would also be open to a petition to raise the salary of council members so it doesn't attract bored rich people looking to keep development away from their property. 

[skittlebrau 474]

I’d be interested in learning more about the idea. Sounds pretty common sense.

[Guest Lobo]

Who the fucks wants 12 years of Pool it in-opposed Kitchen?

[skittlebrau 474]

I’m saying this as someone generally opposed to term limits. We get the government we deserve. I’d rather convince enough people that Pool is terrible for the city and vote her out as opposed to losing Flannigan after six years because of an arbitrary standard.

[Bozo_Casanova 26471]

17 minutes ago, skittlebrau said:

I’m saying this as someone generally opposed to term limits. We get the government we deserve. I’d rather convince enough people that Pool is terrible for the city and vote her out as opposed to losing Flannigan after six years because of an arbitrary standard.

agree on all counts. We have term limits. they are called elections.

[Pasken 1309]

51 minutes ago, skittlebrau said:

I’m saying this as someone generally opposed to term limits. We get the government we deserve. I’d rather convince enough people that Pool is terrible for the city and vote her out as opposed to losing Flannigan after six years because of an arbitrary standard.

Fair enough. Flanagan has 8 years though till term limits.

[troph 24807]

On 8/31/2018 at 4:06 PM, skittlebrau said:

I think we are a couple council seats away from being able to make real progress. Both of those seats are up in 2020. I don’t think the current system allows a mayor to really drive an agenda.

get behind Skidmore to defeat Tovo in 9.  that would be a good start for this election.  I'm not in the city, but she's a personal friend and she's very much looking to make a way for the growth - true mass transit solutions, listens to builders.  several pro-growth groups are behind her.  I led two fundraisers for her and I know she's always looking for contributions and for feet on the ground, but that's the name of the game.

Edited September 2, 2018 by troph

[Godzillatron 292]

get behind Skidmore to defeat Tovo in 9.  that would be a good start for this election.  I'm not in the city, but she's a personal friend and she's very much looking to make a way for the growth - true mass transit solutions, listens to builders.  several pro-growth groups are behind her.  I led two fundraisers for her and I know she's always looking for contributions and for feet on the ground, but that's the name of the game.

Second this. I know Skidmore, would be a big trade up from Tovo.

[atomheartbevo 89675]

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/ut-may-start-charging-150-fee-for-improperly-parked-scooters/1421554975

Quote

The city of Austin has gotten its fair share of complaints about electric scooters parked in places they shouldn't be, and now the University of Texas may start impounding them if riders don't follow the rules when it comes to parking.

UT's campus began swarming with electric scooters when students headed back to class.

"Every time I step outside, there's someone on a Bird scooter or a LimeBike scooter," said student John Acabado. 

Students have also noticed them blocking walkways, stairways and even doors.

"I've seen them parked in the craziest places," said Stephanie Guck. 

UT Parking and Transportation says too many are being left in the way. And because scooters fall under the same set of rules as bikes, any time one is parked somewhere other than near a bike rack, Parking and Transportation can enforce a $150 impound fee. That's charged to the company, which can, in turn, charge the rider.

"That's not money you want to be throwing away," Guck said. "That's like a whole textbook, right there."

 

[Wally Pryor 5261]

City of Austin sues firefighter with cancer over workers' comp.   Just great. 

https://www.kxan.com/news/investigations/city-of-austin-sues-firefighter-with-cancer-over-workers-comp/1421510033

 

[Wally Pryor 5261]

Thankfully, an iota of sanity prevailed within that tribe of lunacy downtown, and the City's lawsuit against the AFD firefighter has been dropped. 

 

[happyfunball 481]

 

At the local community meeting with mayoral and city council candidates.

 

#TeamLaura

 

 

Skidmore seems sane compared to Kathie Tovo

[Guest Lobo]

Wow, big crowd to see the inefficacy of Mayor Adler.   It's hard to give out that many handjobs to real estate developers and still be that impotent.  

[Pasken 1309]

11 hours ago, happyfunball said:

 

At the local community meeting with mayoral and city council candidates.

 

#TeamLaura

 

 

Skidmore seems sane compared to Kathie Tovo

Why are you team Laura?

[Texas Jeff 1945]

23 hours ago, Pasken said:

Why are you team Laura?

Pasken:

I was team Steve in the last election and after four years of Steve I do not support him now.  That leaves me with team Laura.

During his time in office, ride sharing became a thing.  An improvement in transportation at no cost to the citizens of our town.  Pick up your phone, push a button and your fellow citizen picks you up and safely takes you home.  More convenience, less parking congestion, fewer DUI's, better ratings systems for passenger and driver.  Under Adler's leadership, the city council ran them out of town.   People that were driving for these companies lost income.  We then had ride sharing chaos and confusion for a year until the lege stepped in.  Now scooters are a thing .... would a re-elected Adler lead a city council effort to run them out of town too?

Steve came into office talking about affordability and transportation and we ended up in a place where the solution to affordability was to increase taxes and try to clog my street with cars.  Not everyone's street, just certain streets in this town.  The tax increases and the proposed CodeNEXT changes have had the biggest negative affect on me in the time I have lived in Austin.

In 2017, Mayor Adler said:

"For starters, let’s agree we will not force density in the middle of neighborhoods. There’s no sense in shoving density where it would ruin the character of the city we’re trying to save in the first place, where it’s not wanted by its neighbors, and where we would never get enough of the additional housing supply we need anyway."

He said that but his actions did not match his words.

I am not opposed to any change for my neighborhood, but I am opposed to change without any reasonable input from the residents who live there.  I also believe that under four more years of Steve we will see maximum tax increases and additional bond packages to support a long list of projects, which will generally continue to make Austin less affordable for the average citizen.  I feel will also see attempts to implement CodeNext, in smaller chunks and behind closed doors as much as possible, limiting public involvement in the process.

Mayor Adler could go a long way towards rebuilding trust in this community by keeping his Austin bargain, focusing development "along our major corridors like Lamar, Burnet, and Airport Boulevard and our major activity centers like the area around the Domain, Mueller, and downtown."  Will he do that or will he push for pieces of CodeNEXT that hurt Austin citizens?

I don't want to find out, so I am team Laura.

[troph 24807]

The problem with not allowing density in core central neighborhoods is the runaway tax bill. You will end up gentrifying the gentrified hoods. When reasonably well off folks can’t even own a house then central Austin will vastly different with only CA folks cashing out there and owning here. That’s already happening but I have several friends that want to build an ADU to support their property tax bill with rent but the obstacles are too great. Heck even now I can’t live in Central Austin and I have a solid income, my own firm and I’m in the real estate dev biz too.

[Pasken 1309]

Anybody here live in district 1?

[skittlebrau 474]

I don't, but I think I'm coming around to your position. Staying out of that one and focusing on Adler & Pio.

[Bozo_Casanova 26471]

If you want to understand why we can't fix anything, this story from jack Craver's blog is a good window into the real hardball, essentially the template for how Austin's issue politics work. This was the template for running Uber and Lyft out of town, for killing CodeNEXT, the upcoming effort to kill scooters, etc.  

I have no doubt that prop J will pass. When it does, things will get a lot worse. 

Quote

IndyAustin, if you’ll recall, is the independent expenditure group that was formed to force a vote on CodeNEXT. It was set up by Linda Curtis, the perennial signature-gatherer based in Bastrop. Most of the money, however, did not come from earnest CodeNEXT opponents, but a few billboard companies, who were angling to use the code fight to settle long-time grievances about sign regulations.

Now, CodeNEXT is no more but Proposition J, which was aimed at killing it, is still on the ballot and, if approved, it could have a major impact on the city’s ability to revise its land development code in the future.

In the most recent campaign finance report, IndyAustin reports that it has broadened its mission. In addition to supporting Prop J, it is opposing Mayor Steve Adler, Council Member Pio Renteria and District 9 candidate Danielle Skidmore (who is challenging Mayor Pro Tem Kathie Tovo for the seat). Finally, it discloses that it will be supporting an “ordinance w/r/t City land & sports facilities/entertainment stadiums.”

IndyAustin reported raising just a whisker under $30,000 over the last three months. Almost all of it came from three major donors. The smallest one –– $3,000 –– came from local real estate investor Brian Rodgers, a regular donor to causes aligned with Fred Lewis and neighborhood preservationists.

Then there was $5,000 from Joel Hechler, who describes himself as a “former investor” who lives in Tenafly, NJ. What I gather from Google is that this is Cory Joel Hechler. A rather sparse LinkedIn under that name identifies him as an “executive director” at JP Morgan. An online database of securities brokers lists him as having worked at Bear Sterns from 1987-2006 and JP Morgan from 2006-13. There’s no obvious reason that I can identify for why he’d be involved in Austin politics.

Finally, IndyAustin got $20,000 from Irving Kessler, who lists his address in Paradise Valley, Arizona and describes himself as a “former investment manager.” It looks like his first name is misspelled on the campaign report, and that this is actually a check from Irvin or Irv Kessler, a hedge fund manager who serves as the principal or chairman of Provident Real Estate Advisors, which is based in Minneapolis. The Minneapolis Star Tribune described Kessler as a “publicity-shy hedge-fund manager” in 2011 when it discovered that he was providing much of the capital behind a proposed casino.

So what is Kessler’s link to Austin politics? It very likely has to do with his link to the Circuit of the Americas race track. In 2012, the Statesman identified him as one of the investors:

A racing enthusiast, Kessler popped up prominently on the Internet after a 2009 incident in which his $3 million McLaren F1 road car caught fire while he was driving it in California.

Kessler did not return a call from the American-Statesman on Wednesday, and Circuit of the Americas officials did not disclose whether the Minnesota hedge fund manager was the Kessler listed in the SEC filing for the track.

COTA, of course, is unhappy with the Columbus Crew coming to Austin. It is host to a lesser soccer team that it doesn’t want overshadowed by an MLS team. It is therefore friendly to the efforts of activists to get the stadium deal proposed for the Crew overturned by voters.

 

Edited October 10, 2018 by Bozo_Casanova

[skittlebrau 474]

This is gold, brother.

 

TO THE TWITTER!!

[TheYoungHorn 58]

On 10/3/2018 at 9:49 AM, Pasken said:

Anybody here live in district 1?

As I said earlier, I do. 

[demos 3003]

If the neighborhood associations are for Prop J, then I’m probably gonna vote against it.

[skittlebrau 474]

8 minutes ago, demos said:

If the neighborhood associations are for Prop J, then I’m probably gonna vote against it.

They are definitely for it. Kiss goodbye to any hope of land development reform if it passes.

[hornian 5219]

42 minutes ago, TheYoungHorn said:

As I said earlier, I do. 

I don’t know where my earlier post went, but no one cares about you oners. 

[Bozo_Casanova 26471]

20 minutes ago, demos said:

If the neighborhood associations are for Prop J, then I’m probably gonna vote against it.

The 50 or so very active people who dominate "neighborhood" politics in Austin through the the Austin Neighborhoods Council are for prop J.

That's who I think you mean when you say "neighborhood associations", but that's a bit of a misnomer, because those are the same people who lead all the other stuff too. So it's more useful to this of them as the Austin No Machine.

Edited October 10, 2018 by Bozo_Casanova

[Hellraiser97 181]

If the neighborhood associations are for Prop J, then I’m probably gonna vote against it.

This is such a fucking waste too. They KNOW that the law is clear that while you can vote for or against HAVING zoning, you can't out the actually zoning regulations a vote. Passing Prop J guarantees exactly one that thing: There will be a lawsuit that will cost the city millions of dollars and drag on for years.

It will be a lawsuit from the NIMBY crowd when they don't put the new code on the ballot or it will be a lawsuit from someone else for putting it on , but it will be a lawsuit that will waste a shit ton of time and money to learn something that is already established law.

I do not like OU

[Biff Tannen 45690]

So Prop J or no Prop J?  I'm in Hyde Park and I know which way the NIMBY neighbors will vote.  Is there a common sense answer?

[Guest Lobo]

I'd vote Frank Ward if was y'all.  I can't, but y'all should...

[Fico 1778]

Yes, the common sense answer is to vote no.

[Bozo_Casanova 26471]

1 hour ago, Biff Tannen said:

So Prop J or no Prop J?  I'm in Hyde Park and I know which way the NIMBY neighbors will vote.  Is there a common sense answer?

Vote no, unless you think large scale, highly complex technical work product should be put to a vote rather than decided by city council, and you trust the various factions of this city to characterize the content of that work product in a way that is honest and reasonable. 

Edited October 15, 2018 by Bozo_Casanova

[Lat22 4014]

The HISD board over in Houston would give them a run for the money. Bunch of total bird brains. 

[Texas Jeff 1945]

1 hour ago, Biff Tannen said:

So Prop J or no Prop J?  I'm in Hyde Park and I know which way the NIMBY neighbors will vote.  Is there a common sense answer?

In Austin under the 10-1 system, you vote for only 2 of the 11 city council members, your district rep and the mayor.  Any six council members, voting the same way, can pass something.  It is possible for the city council to vote for something that both your rep and your mayor voted against, and you have no way to counter that at the ballot box.  They can and do make decisions in the middle of the night at the end of all-day city council meetings.

If you are a special interest group or stand to benefit financially from something the city council passes, you can lobby or donate to six of the council members, get them on your side, and get something passed that benefits you or your group.  This benefit to you may be at odds with what the majority of voters would choose, if given a vote.

Prop J was created as a response to CodeNEXT.  Citizens petitioned the city council to require a review period and a city-wide vote prior to adopting CodeNEXT, as a check on the power of city council. The city council had two choices: adopt the ordinance proposed by the petition, or put the proposed ordinance up to a vote.  Instead, a majority of the city council, mostly those in favor of CodeNEXT, decided to ignore the petition.  The petitioners sued the city and won the right to put the ordinance on the ballot.

If you vote in favor of Prop J, you are voting to have the protection of the ordinance.  You are giving power to the voters by giving them a waiting period to review any major changes to the land development code proposed by the city staff and the city council, and the power to vote for or against the changes.  You are helping to ensure that the majority of the voters in the city are aligned with the decisions created by staff and council.

If you vote against Prop J, you are voting to not have the ordinance.  You are giving power to city council and city staff by not requiring that their plans align with the wishes of the majority of the voters and not requiring periods for citizen review proposed by the ordinance.  You are OK with the decisions of city council and staff possibly being at odds with the wishes of the majority of the voters.  If you are aligned with a special interest group or business that may benefit from the majority decision, you can lobby behind the scenes knowing that plans created will not have to face the voters.

I support Prop J because I want the people proposing major land use changes to know that they do eventually answer to the voters.  I think it is important for the city council, the city staff and the citizens to be aligned on major revisions to our land development code.  After meeting with CodeNEXT city staff members, I do not trust them to learn about neighborhoods or listen to city residents without the Prop J protections.

Changing the land use code is a big decision, affecting almost everyone.  I want the city council and staff to know that they can plan and propose, but ultimately they need voter support to pass.

 

 

Edited October 15, 2018 by Texas Jeff
correct spelling

[Brisketexan 105147]

In Austin under the 10-1 system, you vote for only 2 of the 11 city council members, your district rep and the mayor.  Any six council members, voting the same way, can pass something.  It is possible for the city council to vote for something that both your rep and your mayor voted against, and you have no way to counter that at the ballot box.  They can and do make decisions in the middle of the night at the end of all-day city council meetings.
If you are a special interest group or stand to benefit financially from something the city council passes, you can lobby or donate to six of the council members, get them on your side, and get something passed that benefits you or your group.  This benefit to you may be at odds with what the majority of voters would choose, if given a vote.
Prop J was created as a response to CodeNEXT.  Citizens petitioned the city council to require a review period and a city-wide vote prior to adopting CodeNEXT, as a check on the power of city council. The city council had two choices: adopt the ordinance proposed by the petition, or put the proposed ordinance up to a vote.  Instead, a majority of the city council, mostly those in favor of CodeNEXT, decided to ignore the petition.  The petitioners sued the city and won the right to put the ordinance on the ballot.
If you vote in favor of Prop J, you are voting to have the protection of the ordinance.  You are giving power to the voters by giving them a waiting period to review any major changes to the land development code proposed by the city staff and the city council, and the power to vote for or against the changes.  You are helping to ensure that the majority of the voters in the city are aligned with the decisions created by staff and council.
If you vote against Prop J, you are voting to not have the ordinance.  You are giving power to city council and city staff by not requiring that their plans align with the wishes of the majority of the voters and not requiring periods for citizen review proposed by the ordinance.  You are OK with the decisions of city council and staff possibly being at odds with the wishes of the majority of the voters.  If you are aligned with a special interest group or business that may benefit from the majority decision, you can lobby behind the scenes knowing that plans created will not have to face the voters.
I support Prop J because I want the people proposing major land use changes to know that they do eventually answer to the voters.  I think it is important for the city council, the city staff and the citizens to be aligned on major revisions to our land development code.  After meeting with CodeNEXT city staff members, I do not trust them to learn about neighborhoods or listen to city residents without the Prop J protections.
Changing the land use code is a big decision, affecting almost everyone.  I want the city council and staff to know that they can plan and propose, but ultimately they need voter support to pass.
 
 

That’s a long way to state a simple truth: no land use amendments will ever pass.

NIMBY is intent on killing this town as a livable place. Keep it up, y’all have just about closed the deal.

[JimmyJames 12271]

30 minutes ago, Texas Jeff said:

In Austin under the 10-1 system, you vote for only 2 of the 11 city council members, your district rep and the mayor.  Any six council members, voting the same way, can pass something.  It is possible for the city council to vote for something that both your rep and your mayor voted against, and you have no way to counter that at the ballot box.  They can and do make decisions in the middle of the night at the end of all-day city council meetings.

If you are a special interest group or stand to benefit financially from something the city council passes, you can lobby or donate to six of the council members, get them on your side, and get something passed that benefits you or your group.  This benefit to you may be at odds with what the majority of voters would choose, if given a vote.

Prop J was created as a response to CodeNEXT.  Citizens petitioned the city council to require a review period and a city-wide vote prior to adopting CodeNEXT, as a check on the power of city council. The city council had two choices: adopt the ordinance proposed by the petition, or put the proposed ordinance up to a vote.  Instead, a majority of the city council, mostly those in favor of CodeNEXT, decided to ignore the petition.  The petitioners sued the city and won the right to put the ordinance on the ballot.

If you vote in favor of Prop J, you are voting to have the protection of the ordinance.  You are giving power to the voters by giving them a waiting period to review any major changes to the land development code proposed by the city staff and the city council, and the power to vote for or against the changes.  You are helping to ensure that the majority of the voters in the city are aligned with the decisions created by staff and council.

If you vote against Prop J, you are voting to not have the ordinance.  You are giving power to city council and city staff by not requiring that their plans align with the wishes of the majority of the voters and not requiring periods for citizen review proposed by the ordinance.  You are OK with the decisions of city council and staff possibly being at odds with the wishes of the majority of the voters.  If you are aligned with a special interest group or business that may benefit from the majority decision, you can lobby behind the scenes knowing that plans created will not have to face the voters.

I support Prop J because I want the people proposing major land use changes to know that they do eventually answer to the voters.  I think it is important for the city council, the city staff and the citizens to be aligned on major revisions to our land development code.  After meeting with CodeNEXT city staff members, I do not trust them to learn about neighborhoods or listen to city residents without the Prop J protections.

Changing the land use code is a big decision, affecting almost everyone.  I want the city council and staff to know that they can plan and propose, but ultimately they need voter support to pass.

 

 

So if I follow your logic correctly instead of everyone having the ability to vote for  2 out of 11 everyone should be able to vote for 6 out of 11? If that’s the case why do we even have single member districts? Doesn’t really compute. Maybe we should just go back to the way it was with a citywide  vote for 6 seats with one reserved brown seat and one black one. 

Only in Austin.