Austin Place 1 Finance Fiasco!

by: Karl-Thomas Musselman

Fri Apr 17, 2009 at 10:00 AM CDT

The Austin Chronicle did their roundup of 30-day out campaign finance reports for city elections. Those saw Brewster raise a lot of money, Lee loan some to his campaign, but everyone in the Mayor's race having a decently large amount of cash on hand.

In place 1, Riley is now posting a 2-1 advantage over Cavazos in available campaign cash (about $50k to $25k). BUT the hot buzz was a charge leveled by the Cavazos camp that Riley had incorrectly reported his fundraising leaving $10,000 or so unaccounted for.

Except that they did on the last page of the report! Oh snap!

And by opening that can of worms, it allowed the Riley camp to throw back their own observation, that being that Cavazos not only filed her campaign finance report late, but also had to correct it because they forget to report their bundlers.

Double snap.

The only question I have is how do you run a highly contested council campaign going into the last month with just $25,000 on hand?  

Chris Riley for Austin City Council - Place 1

by: EugeneS

Wed Apr 15, 2009 at 03:52 PM CDT

He's chaired the Downtown Commission, the Planning Commission, co-founded the Alliance for Public Transportation and Austin CarShare.  Founded the Downtown Neighborhood Association and is a member of the Parks Foundation Board.  He's a lifelong progressive with a proven track record in Austin.

Perla - beautiful, committed and a compelling life story.  Obviously, would represent an addition to the council's diversity (woman and Hispanic).  Though, there is NOT a single mutual friend with whom I've spoken who doesn't agree there is NO comparison between the intellectual fire power between the two.  Chris is very smart, experienced and knows the city's intricacies.  

We need Chris Riley on the Austin City Council.  He's shovel ready.

Austin City Council Place 1 Endorsement: Chris Riley

by: Burnt Orange Report

Wed Apr 08, 2009 at 09:25 PM CDT

A year ago we wrote the following about our city endorsements.

The greatest challenge the city council has faced in recent years is its evolution into a mediocre, consensus driven body, often bereft of the passion, hope, and big-city vision which powers its citizens and creative economy on a daily basis. This is not to say that every member must be a champion or an advocate- it is just to say that an occasional clash of ideas based upon personal philosophy rather than personal politics would be nice.

The values expressed in that statement strongly guide our choice of Chris Riley over Perla Cavazos in this election. Our staff has met with and talked directly with the candidates on multiple occasions. We see how the candidates have reacted to questions in multiple forums. Those interactions and experiences lead us to the following conclusions.

Chris Riley wants, needs, and deserves to be on the city council. His passion for good city government is obvious. His vision for a model next-generation city that respects our environment is clear. His values are rooted in the Austin of old, the one he was born in raised in, while his education and lengthy public service give him the credibility to plan for the Austin of tomorrow. Chris Riley brings more than a new vote to the council, he brings a new perspective. He lives what he advocates.

The City Council we elect this year (combined with Randi Shade and Laura Morrison newly elected last year) has a high likelihood of governing Austin well into the next decade. Chris Riley's energy and enthusiasm for "what could be" is needed to create a working coalition that will turn the tide against mediocre, consensus driven policy bereft of imagination at city hall.

Call Chris Riley a geek, call him a nerd; either way we'd also like to call him "Councilman".

We endorse Chris Riley for Place 1.

On the Web: www.ChrisforAustin.com
Also of Interest: Austin Contrarian Endorsement
Also of Interest: M1EK Endorsement

Austin Municipal Round-Up

by: Karl-Thomas Musselman

Thu Feb 26, 2009 at 05:20 PM CST

Mayor's Race

• Carole Strayhorn is apparently too busy to attend 3 forums this week with her opponents. Maybe she'll be too busy to attend City Council meetings as well if she's elected Mayor.


• Wells Dunbar issues a warning about the proxy campaign.

  As McCracken has founded his own campaign on forward-looking technologies such as solar power, his adamant defense of the project was no surprise. And as Martinez is surmised to be Leffingwell's proxy on issues the candidate would rather not wade into at the moment, his fulsome call for caution shouldn't surprise either. Maybe most surprising was Lef fing well's virtual absence from the debate - as politicians take pains to appear cautious, they may not want to remain overly so.



• The Statesman cares about libraries. Who knew?


• EMS Paramedics endorsed Lee Leffingwell.


• Commissioner Sarah Eckhardt writes an unprompted explaining of her endorsement of Leffingwell on her website. Go read it, but also did anyone notice the URL of the post? "a-word-about-jennifer-gale"? I KNEW IT. Jennifer Gale is reaching out to us to endorse Lee Leffingwell from the world beyond.


• Speaking of endorsements, Leffingwell is apparently rolling out 2 more groups and 6 more elected officials Friday at Noon at his campaign office. Could that be the turning point? Maybe if those officials start working their communities. I don't think we've seen anything like that in a municipal race in many years.

Austin City Council, Place 1

• The Firefighters endorse Perla Cavazos.


• The Police and EMS endorse Chris Riley.

Austin City Council, Place 2

• Mike Martinez unopposed. Iterated his support for Leffingwell during the University Democrats meeting yesterday which I sense is leaning more towards Lee now. That's important because Leffingwell is pretty much guaranteed to win the Central Austin Democrats endorsement meaning he'd get the Austin Progressive Coalition endorsement and 5000+ doorhangers in central Austin as a result.

Austin City Council, Place 5

• Bill Spelman unopposed, though there is still a week and a half to file. Not that we want anyone to file since Bill would be excellent on the council.


• Upcoming events include...
  South Austin House Party (Oak Hill)
  Saturday, March 7
  2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
  Home of Valerie & Brian Reis
  6516 Rotan Drive, 78749

  North Austin House Party
  Thursday, March 12
  5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
  Home of Dawn & Fred Lewis
  4509 Edgemont, 78731

Austin City Council, Place 6

• Sheryl Cole still only faces Sam Osemene. Really. That's it. This race is even more boring than Place 2 & 5 and Cole actually has an opponent. Then again, the only question is if she wins by 20 points or 40.

Austin City Council Place 1 Debate: Perla Cavazos vs. Chris Riley

by: tonsoffun

Tue Feb 17, 2009 at 09:42 PM CST

The two go head-to-head for the first time, on "Tons of Fun," hoping to win our hearts.

Purpose: 91.7FM KVRX Austin City Council Place 1 debate
Date: Wednesday, Feb18, 2009
Time: 8PM-830PM
Location: 91.7FM or http://www.listen.KVRX.org
Details: Live, on-air
Call-in: 512.495.5879(KVRX)

Austin's been through a lot in the last few years. Got anything that's keeping your spirits down/lifting your spirits up? Stop Domain Subsidies vs. Keep Austin's Word? Live Music Task Force?

If you have any questions, please include them in a response to this blog posting, or you can call-in! 512.495.5879(KVRX).

Tons of Fun is a political free-form talk show on 91.7FM KVRX - UT-Austin's student-run radio station. ToF was awarded an Honorable Mention in Public Affairs radio from the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association in the spring of 2008.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Abhinav Kumar

Perla Cavazos Statement on Cofer Withdrawl

by: Karl-Thomas Musselman

Thu Jan 29, 2009 at 00:32 PM CST

"Rick Cofer deserves our gratitude for his service on the Solid Waste Advisory Commission and promoting practical solutions to environmental challenges.   While I respect his decision to remove his name for City Council, we all know that Rick will be involved in future debates and organizing efforts to move Austin forward.

This race from the start has never been one of opponents, but fellow candidates bringing our diverse backgrounds and experiences to the table to make Austin even better.

I'm confident Chris Riley and I will keep that spirit alive as we discuss how to cope with Austin's economic challenges and address the affordability issues that are placing significant stress on Austin families, all while ensuring we don't sacrifice our environment and the natural resources that make Austin such a unique community.

I wish Rick all the best for his future."

-Perla

Rick Cofer's Statement on Withdrawing from Place 1 Race

by: Karl-Thomas Musselman

Wed Jan 28, 2009 at 11:47 PM CST

Dear Friends,

Tonight, I will be announcing my decision to formally exit the race for Austin City Council.  This decision has not been easy and was reached after much deliberation, discussion, and self-reflection.  I have always believed passionately in the power of public office to touch people's lives - that is what motivated me to run in the first place.  I also know that with your support, my friends and family at my side, our vision for the city, and the amazing, dedicated, and talented team that we assembled, we would have run a strong campaign to win this race.

But after spending time on the campaign trail, I am convinced that we have two great candidates that share my passion for making Austin as great as it can be.  With Chris Riley and Perla Cavazos in this race, I know that Austin will have the right leadership with the right priorities.  I also know that I can continue to serve this city through my work on the Solid Waste Advisory Council, neighborhood association, and other community organizations.  And all of this has helped me realize that this is not the right time or right race for me.

I will continue to speak out on the issues and challenges facing our city.  I will continue to advocate for more open and transparent government that treats citizen participation as a necessity instead of a nuisance, for cleaner, greener policies that recognize the urgency of saving our natural treasures, for justice and equity for all our citizens, the most vulnerable, the most needy, and for an Austin that dares to be different.  For any disappointment, any inconvenience I may have caused, I am truly regretful, and I apologize from the bottom of my heart.  It means the world to me that so many people gave me their trust and support; I hope that I can continue to demonstrate that your confidence was not misplaced, and that the values we share are always worth fighting for.

Yours,
Rick Cofer

Word is that Rick will also be returning the contributions of those who had given to his campaign.  

Rick Cofer to Withdraw from Austin Place 1 Council Race

by: Karl-Thomas Musselman

Wed Jan 28, 2009 at 06:18 PM CST

Rick has been calling supporters and already contacted or attempted to speak with both of his fellow council candidates and their campaigns to let them know of the development. He plans to deliver a message by email to all of his supporters later this evening which Burnt Orange Report will reprint in full.

Rick, besides being a good friend of the Report, would likely have been the youngest candidate elected to the City Council among major urbanized cities had he been elected. He had support from certain members of our writing staff and an approach that would have pushed some of the typical boundaries of campaign techniques.

He confirmed that he is not planning on endorsing either Cavazos or Riley as he has many friends that are in either camp and trusts both of them to make good potential council members. Being a political blog, we'd be remiss if we didn't interject a slight bit of pure politics into this and note that his departure from the race leaves Place 1 much more likely to be decided without a runoff and may benefit Riley slightly more than Perla among the voter world with the freeing up of fundraising dollars having an unknown effect.

Chris Riley Pumps Me Up

by: Karl-Thomas Musselman

Wed Jan 28, 2009 at 09:30 AM CST

Last night, I apparently thought it would be a good idea to trek across town on my Trek 3700 bike in the 35 degree weather to a Texas Environmental Democrats Austin meeting. Now, I've had the bike since fall of 2004, so about four and a half years as my primary mode of transportation other than busses and walking. I've had to replace the tires once because of running over some thorns, and also replace the bike seat and headlights as they were stolen during the county convention when I had it tied up outside the TCDP headquarters overnight. In sum, along with the original cost of the bike, less than $600 since I've owned it.

Well, as I cross Ann Richard's Bridge on Congress, I noticed things are going a little slow, and roundabout Riverside and Barton Springs the back tire is getting pretty flabby. I must have run over something or gotten a rock stuck in the air nozzle (the cap of which was lost months ago). I was able to limp my way to the meeting at Vinny's on Barton Springs but it was clear that a return trip would be impossible without new air or assistance if it was a full on flat.

Of course, my saving grace of the day, was that candidate Chris Riley was there. Clearly I should have figured that it being election season and it being an environmental meeting there would be candidates galore, and I happened to end up at the right one to attract the man who also doesn't have a car.

After the meeting, we braved the cold, and with the help of Riley's bike pump, re-inflated the back tire which it kept, allowing me to get back home without freezing my way through an hour's walk.

Awesome. I love Austin politics and our candidates. If there is one thing about politics in this city that is often overlooked it is that candidates and campaigns are way more open and accessible than people suppose when they think about politics. For as much as people will complain about insiders, backroom deals, or such, I don't think they understand that relative to other cities our size, the system is a lot more accessible. I tell people, just show up and show up regularly and you'll meet more people than you imagine.  

BOR Conversations

by: Karl-Thomas Musselman

Tue Jan 27, 2009 at 01:30 PM CST