Cast Your Ballot for the Best of Austin

blush (5.00 / 1)

Aw, shucks, guys.

I'm going to challenge that Texas Lege Moment though... my favorite by far is when Jim Dunnam slammed faux whiskey shots to demonstrate that cumulative air impacts are serious business -- "Mr. Chairman, as a point of order do we swear in Jack Daniels as a witness?".  Best. Committee Hearing. EVER.

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by: citizen.sarah @ Tue Jul 07, 2009 at 15:04:09 PM UTC

Sarah McDonald for best environmentalist?!! YES!!!! (0.00 / 0)

I'll vote for Sarah, even if I'd normally put her/my boss (Tom "Smitty" Smith) ahead of her, or maybe even nominate myself-- hey Sarah- which one of us got quoted in the New York Times Green blog about solar legislation?  Eh? Eh?  Was it you?  Oh, it was me.  : )

J/K- Sarah is the best enviro out there because she consistently keeps the netroots going through her awesome blog at TexasVox.org, her use of twitter, and all-around awesomeness.  Everyone please vote for her.

"this post does not reflect the views of anyone or any other organization other than Citizen Andy, and even then not all the time."

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by: Citizen Andy @ Mon Jul 20, 2009 at 22:31:00 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

a few of my thoughts (0.00 / 0)

Radio Talk/New Host: David Kobierowski???
-MY VOTE: Charlie "F'n" Hodge

Neighborhood/Dive Bar: Scholz Garten???
A) There is no neighborhood anywhere near Scholz Beergarten and B) It's not a Dive Bar if it can hold over 500 people, and is consistently crowded on most nights.
-MY VOTE: Nasty's

Locally Produced TV Show: Austin Un-Cut???
-MY VOTE: Tyson TV, who else is going to teach you how to do the robot as well as introduce the city to the Glitterbillies.

City Program: Single Stream Recycling???
MY VOTE- making Cesar Chavez two-way
To me Single Stream Recycling is one of the most botched city programs of this decade! On a personal note, which I'm sure many of you share, missing one recycling day is now the equivalent of having only one recycling day a month. But the main reason why this is one of the worst city programs is the fact that the city is paying out the mouth to ship our recyclables out of town because we don't have the facilities to sort it here in Austin.

Close runners-up for the worst city program of the year: Capital MetroRail and APD No-Refusal Weekends.

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by: nowayjose @ Tue Jul 07, 2009 at 15:24:47 PM UTC

Agreed on Scholz (0.00 / 0)

I love Scholz but it probably does not fall under "neighborhood bar" and certainly not "dive bar."

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by: David Mauro @ Tue Jul 07, 2009 at 17:03:42 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Hehe (0.00 / 0)

Come on, Scholz is kind of a dive. I mean, really, it leaves the same sort of stink on you when you leave that makes you want to take a bath.  

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by: Karl-Thomas Musselman @ Tue Jul 07, 2009 at 18:35:30 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

doesn't even serve hard alcohol ... (0.00 / 0)

historic yes, dive no  

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by: David Mauro @ Wed Jul 08, 2009 at 05:51:37 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Deep Eddy Cabaret (0.00 / 0)

Deep Eddy probably fits the category better -- and is probably my favorite bar in Austin.  Excellent juke box, ridiculously cheap pitchers (especially during happy hour), pool tables, and good bathroom grafitti. Win.

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by: citizen.sarah @ Tue Jul 07, 2009 at 19:00:43 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Hello Nowayjose. I'm David Kobierowski (5.00 / 1)

I wanted to say hello and let you know who David Kobierowski is.  I'm not as well known as Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity, :) but I work very hard to cover local stories on Austin's community/non-profit/non-commercial radio.

I'm David Kobierowski.  At 36 years of age, I did something that few can say they'd do.  I left a very lucrative position in Corporate America that I had worked 15 years to "climb up the Corporte Ladder" to focus all my effort on local non-profit/non-commercial events and radio programs.  I bsically early retired/semi-retired.  I don't get paid anything for the community programs and events I host.  It actually cost me money and time.  But I love it and it's my chance to give back.  

I've been hosting a few non-profit, non-commercial radio programs on 91.7FM KOOP Radio for almost 4 years (Austin's Community Radio Station).

Different from most other radio programs, I don't get paid a penny for all the work that goes into them.  You can imagine what I'm up against to beat all the commercial guys.  

I beat the local Fox News affiliate last year for this catagory (which was the 1st time in 6 years that the local Fox News station host didn't win).  

I hope to do it again this year.

The two programs I'm part of are:

1. "ANC Radio" - every Wed., 12:00noon.  We cover all the local stories on "A Neighborly Conversation".  We focus on all the local issues, local candidates, and community happenings in Austin and Travis County.  We have live interviews with guests like City Mgr Marc Ott, County Commissioners Sarah Eckhardt, Karen Huber, Save Barton Springs Trees activists and experts, Save Town Lake, Save Community Gardens activists, Save Live Music in Austin activists and experts, Council Member interviews like Lee Leffingwell, Mike Martinez, Laura Morrison, Randi Shade, police Chief Art Acevedo interviews, former city council member and Mayor interviews like Frank Cooksey, musicians like Shelley King, Charlie Faye, Jess Klein, Bill Oliver, Bob Livingston have all been on my program. We dig into local issues and we get beyond the soundbites and bring on both sides whenever possible.  Tomorrow's show is on the city's Comprehensive Plan with the Chair of the Planning Commission Dave Sullivan and two members of Liveablecity.org live in our studio.

2.  I co-host Texas Politcs Today on Fridays at 2pm where we bring on key guests to cover the latest and greatest in TX Politics...Kinky Friedman, Pete Laney, Paul Burka, Eddie Rodriguez, Valinda Bolton, Evan Smith, Donna Howard, Tim Schieffer, Mark Thompson, Elliott Naishtat, Bill White, John Sharp, Rep. Richard Raymond...and many more.

Hope that helps.  I'd love to have your support for my efforts on non-profit/non-commercial radio.  Help me beat Fox News Radio again this year.  I have a facebook page listed under "David Kobierowski" with more details about all I do in the Austin Community.  Again, realize that the commercial guys have teams of paid people that help them...I don't...I'm a volunteer.  It's a lot of work to plan a show, expecially without all the resources.

What I do is as grassroots as you can get.  I'd love to beat the big corporate/mega-media monopoly again this year.  

Best,
David Kobierowski
91.7FM KOOP Radio

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by: David Kobierowski @ Tue Jul 07, 2009 at 20:38:56 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Mr. Kobierowski, (5.00 / 1)

you sound like a good man. Good luck on your radio and other future endeavors.  

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by: nowayjose @ Tue Jul 07, 2009 at 20:56:51 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

A true progressive champion (0.00 / 0)

This is a great list of nominations, and thanks to BOR for putting this together.

I'd like to highlight one person in particular. Over her lifetime as a rabble-rousing Austin activist, Eleanor Thompson has touched many lives. In the recent 2008 Democratic coordinated campaign, she was the heart and soul of our grassroots operation. She knows everyone in town, and her lively spirit helped inspire her fellow co-workers and volunteers to organize the biggest coordinated campaign in Travis County history. She also is a great singer, and she even took the stage with W.C. Clark during our early vote rally at Victory Grill. Never one to sit still, Eleanor went on to help elect Lee Leffingwell in 2009 to become the next Austin mayor.

In politics, it's always refreshing to meet someone who is truly genuine and comitted to fighting the good fight. Austin is a special place because of people like Eleanor, and I can think of no one who deserves this award more.

Other notable nominations that deserve consideration:
1) David Kobierowski - (no one has more passion and energy)
2) Texas Freedom Network - (tireless watchdog on the religious right's attempted takeover of the SBOE)
3) Single Stream Recycling - (another example of the City of Austin leading the way on environmental issues)
4) Burnt Orange Report - (the one-stop shop for TX politics)
5) Scholz Garten - (where would the progressive movement be without this legendaring watering hole?)
6) Lee Leffingwell - (embraced the Obama grassroots movement during his campaign, and he's already negotiating with the public safety unions and other city departments to come together and help solve the budget crisis)
7) Driskill Hotel Election Night Party - (the best campaign victory party of all time)
8) The Obama Store - (if you drive around town and see a TFO bumper sticker, it almost certainly was brought to you by this unique grassroots business)

Thanks to the Austin Chronicle for organizing these awards and providing an opportunity for hard-working Austinites to get recognized. Please go vote today for Eleanor Thompson!

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by: Ian @ Tue Jul 07, 2009 at 16:20:52 PM UTC

my claim to fame (0.00 / 0)

you know Eleanor calls me her lil' sister... and it means the world to me!  

she's a great lady and she deserves the recognition!

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by: cv172 @ Tue Jul 07, 2009 at 20:18:07 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I so support Eleanor (0.00 / 0)

I can't remember if Matt or I thought that one up, but the instant it was said out loud, I remember us going, OHHHHHHHH, that's perfect!


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by: Karl-Thomas Musselman @ Tue Jul 07, 2009 at 20:42:19 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

on that victory party (0.00 / 0)

was there dancing on the tables? Actual, literal dancing on the tables? Because there was in 1992 when Clinton/Gore won for the first time. "Na-na-na-na. Na-na-na-na. Hey hey hey, GOODBYE" to the Reagan/Bush era. Now, that was a party.

Hill Country Ride for AIDSmy HCRA Page

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by: BeckyH @ Mon Jul 20, 2009 at 19:33:08 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Kerbey Lane (0.00 / 0)

I'm a Kerbey Lane person, more than Magnolia. But I enjoy them both, and don't have a passionate hatred for Magnolia (the way some do about Kerbey Lane).

Now, a very great man once said that some people rob you with a fountain pen.

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by: Phillip Martin, Progress Texas @ Tue Jul 07, 2009 at 16:39:29 PM UTC

I like em both too (0.00 / 0)

I will probably vote for Magnolia when forced to choose but luckily our town is big enough for both of them.

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by: David Mauro @ Tue Jul 07, 2009 at 17:05:50 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I eat more at Kerbey (0.00 / 0)

Their quesadillas are bigger and better by far than Magnolias.

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by: Karl-Thomas Musselman @ Tue Jul 07, 2009 at 18:36:19 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Rabbits for best dive/ neighborhood bar. (3.00 / 1)

Come on, every politico should know that one.

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by: JD Gins @ Tue Jul 07, 2009 at 18:46:35 PM UTC

Actually (0.00 / 0)

That's what I ended up writing in on mine. Totally thought of that afterwards. Such a good idea.

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by: Karl-Thomas Musselman @ Tue Jul 07, 2009 at 20:00:49 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Alan Pogue for Photographer (3.00 / 1)

He is both an amazing photographer and humanitarian.

www.documentaryphotographs.com

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by: sonia @ Tue Jul 07, 2009 at 19:33:06 PM UTC

Good suggestions... (0.00 / 0)

I agree with a lot those recommendations and even had some of them on my ballot. ie. David, Reagan, BOR.  

Here's one of my differences:

City Program:  Bike Program

The work they've done this last year is incredible.  It's starting to take some great shape and get some forward direction.

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by: Bobby Levinski @ Tue Jul 07, 2009 at 22:31:21 PM UTC

That's a good one (0.00 / 0)

This is what I love about this thread, our list was just what we could think of and come up with, but everyone has their own ideas and some real good ones at that.

We're very serious in saying, this just just a list- vote for your favorites and add your own ideas and changes. We're so not about ballot stuffing for anyone to get a Best of Austin, but as a political site, we'd be remiss with not at least letting you know some of our ballot!

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by: Karl-Thomas Musselman @ Tue Jul 07, 2009 at 23:52:40 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Emergent, see. (0.00 / 0)

Thanks for the support guys!  

David Hartstein

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by: dhartst @ Wed Jul 08, 2009 at 19:44:48 PM UTC

in the Outdoors section (3.00 / 1)

both best annual event & best bike ride: Hill Country Ride for AIDS

Hill Country Ride for AIDSmy HCRA Page

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by: BeckyH @ Mon Jul 20, 2009 at 19:10:24 PM UTC