Austin Mayor - Brewster or Lee?

by: EugeneS

Tue Apr 14, 2009 at 11:36 AM CDT

Why am I supporting Brewster for mayor over Lee?  It's about leadership, vision, ambition and courage.  I'll admit right off that Lee has the fourth attribute in abundance.  I've appreciated his willingness to support what he believed to be the right position even knowing that it might disappoint friends and supporters.

So, the latter of the four qualities, they both possess.  And, I believe Brewster is the runaway winner on the first three.

Some people say (especially his opponents' paid team) Brewster is at a disadvantage in building council coalitions.  This isn't true. Look at his record of passing important City of Austin initiatives; it's strong.  And, I've spoken with several of the other council members who agree Brewster has and can bring together votes to pass ordinances.  Whether he's a bit brusque or less than warm at times doesn't prioritize for me.  This isn't my experience, but I hear it cited.  Nevertheless, I think the test of whether you'd most like to have a beer with someone has - thankfully - finally, lost credibility.

Vision - you're an insider.  I know you have a good perspective on this.  Lee's smart, deliberate and thoughtful, and vision hasn't been his strong suit.  I agree that during the last 3 weeks, his campaign is putting out talking points and positions which give him more depth in this arena.  These have also been crafted after Lee's disastrous statements suggesting retrading our economic development contracts with major employers and not recruiting new major employers - fortunately, both positions since retracted.  Brewster's vision (& leadership bringing together collaborative partners) is prodigious.

Ambition.  I've come to look for this in good leaders with very tough times ahead - think it comes from working so closely with entrepreneurs the last 26 years.  You're one; you know.  Sometimes that drive for self fulfillment through success and advancement is the only thing that can keep you in the race despite pessimism all around and/or when you are emotionally and physically exhausted.  Wouldn't work (for good of community anyway) if it wasn't coupled with an impassioned ambition to make things better for our communities.  You and I agree there isn't any debate about the good motives of either Brewster or Lee.  I do have questions about Lee's ambition and drive - heck, he had to be drafted into the race for mayor.  How sustainable is his drive and will he work for us 24/7? Brewster is like the Energizer Bunny; he doesn't know but to work 24/7 for the rest of us.

I know you've been disappointed by Brewster's votes at times.  And, I realize you and others feel betrayed by the Loew's vote for instance.  So you know, I think this represented pragmatism over what we all might (Brewster included) have preferred.  It was never that Brewster wanted to support Loew's over protecting the aquifer or supporting friends to whom he pledged support on this issue - quite the opposite.  But, he was convinced (and advised by city and other attorneys) that it was an unwinnable court battle that would cost the city millions and that we'd still lose.  Lee's made the same call several times, and, yes, I know you've voiced equal disappointment and anger toward him.  I value their bottom-line-realistic pragmatism over ideology, when the latter is unwinnable.  The city's needs are too many and financial resources too scarce to pour them into battles we can't win. I'm all for going to the mat when it's do or die, however.

I don't doubt where either candidates' heart lies.  Brewster is still committed to as green, as dense, as affordable and as economically vibrant a caring community as you and me. I support Brewster for mayor because he's the best candidate to help us preserve AND enhance Austin's quality of life.

Strayhorn Expands Endorsement Lead Over McCracken

by: Karl-Thomas Musselman

Tue Apr 07, 2009 at 05:04 PM CDT

Before today, it stood at.

Carole Stayhorn: 2

BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association)
Small Business Group (so small no one can find it)

Brester McCracken: 0.5

ALGPC (co-endorsement with Leffingwell)

Well, BIG NEWS. Carole is pulling away after having SHOCKINGLY won the endorsement of ChangeAustin.org (even though she never showed up to their candidate forum which Leffingwell attended).

Here were their endorsements as emailed.

ChangeAustin.org, formerly Stop Domain Subsidies (Prop 2) in last November's election, proudly endorses:

Carole Keeton Strayhorn for Mayor
Perla Cavazos, Place 1
Mike Martinez, Place 2
Bill Spelman, Place 5
Sam Osemene, Place 6

Watch the Videos on our front page!

ChangeAustin.org is working to reach 30,000 voters before the election in May, just a portion of the 123,209 voters who supported Prop 2, to get them to the polls.

The big question now is who will get the Austin Women's Political Caucus endorsement tomorrow? And who exactly would it be an upset for if they got it? Carole because Leffingwell has 90% of all group endorsements? Or Leffingwell over Carole even though he lacks certain feminine parts? Or Brewster over anyone? Or Buttross or Ingalls over Brewster because it would vault them ahead of him by half in the endorsement count?

STAY TUNED!

Brewster McCracken, Lee Leffingwell, and the Fight to Save Austin's Music

by: JeffBrooks

Mon Mar 09, 2009 at 08:34 AM CDT

If any single thing defines the city of Austin, it's the music.  When you walk along any downtown street on any given night, the air is filled with music.  We have world-class jazz at the Elephant Room, Irish folk at B.D. Riley's, indie rock at Emo's, incredible blues at Antone's, and every other kind of music coming out of countless classic Austin music venues.  South By Southwest and the Austin City Limits Music Festival now rank among the highest-profile music events in the world.  It all adds up to music scene unique in the world, which is the envy of many another city.

And it has to be protected.

Austin's music industry is under threat, and the present economic crisis has only made the situation worse.  Local musicians, like everyone else, are having a difficult time finding affordable housing and quality affordable healthcare.  The steady growth of downtown has put price pressures on our music venues, many of which are having trouble keeping their doors open.  The result of this is that we're bleeding musicians, many of whom are leaving for other cities- not by choice, but out of sheer economic necessity.  If we don't address these issues soon, we may wake up one morning to find that we're no longer the Live Music Capital of the World.

Much as I enjoy making my out-of-town friends jealous with stories of the Austin music scene, this is not a mere question of bragging rights.  The problems facing our music scene have to be addressed not just for the sake of the music itself, but because we cannot afford to lose such an important contributor to the local economy.  Our music scene annually generates more than $1.6 billion for the Austin economy, pumping $25 million of tax revenue into the city coffers and employing around 20,000 Austinites.  The difficulties facing the Austin music scene are not only a moral and cultural issue, but an economic one as well.

Brewster McCracken has made the promotion of Austin's creative economic sector a key element of his mayoral campaign, and the music scene is obviously a huge part of this.  It shouldn't surprise anyone, then, that Brewster has announced a series of detailed policy proposals designed to address the problems facing our music scene.

As was recommended last year by the city's Live Music Task Force, Brewster wants to create a Music Department at City Hall, which would serve as the principal organizing force in building up the necessary infrastructure to ensure a vibrant music scene.  He is calling for efforts to help Austin musicians and others who make their living from the Austin music scene find affordable housing and quality affordable healthcare by working with local organizations like the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians.  And he wants to craft common sense development policies for downtown that will help keep existing music venues in business, as well as making it easier for new ones to open up.

Brewster already has a long record of supporting the Austin music scene.  Bands have Brewster to thank for being able to load and unload their gear for free in the special loading zones in front of Austin clubs, which is a much bigger deal than you might imagine.  He has pushed for exempting South By Southwest shows from the sound ordinance, and has proposed transforming the original site of the Armadillo World Headquarters into a premier central location for independent Austin musicians, to include recording studios and perhaps even a museum about the history of Austin music. I could go on.

In light of Brewster's innovative proposals and past record with the music industry, it should come as no surprise that some of the biggest names in Austin music have thrown their support behind Brewster's candidacy.  They include country music legend Jimmie Dale Gilmore, singer/songwriters Sara Hickman, Troy Campbell and Jo Carol Pierce, Susan Antone (we miss you, Clifford!), Latin music advocate Luis Zapata and many, many others.  Is it a coincidence that those who best understand the issues facing the Austin music scene are lining up solidly behind Brewster?  I don't think so.

By contrast, I have not heard Lee Leffingwell say anything about the music industry since the beginning of the mayoral campaign.  A quick check shows that there is no mention of the issue at all on his website- not one word.  Considering the critical importance of the Austin music scene to our city's economy, I would expect any mayoral candidate to make it a high priority, even if he or she personally didn't care about music.  The fact that Lee doesn't consider it worthy of even a mere symbolic statement of support should give pause to anyone who loves Austin music, and especially to anyone who makes their living from it.

I love Austin, and I love Austin music.  I worry about the future of our amazing music scene, and I think that we need to elect a mayor who both understands these issues and will give them the attention they deserve.  If you agree, you should cast your vote for Brewster McCracken on May 9.

Brewster vs. Lee: The 21st Century vs. the 20th Century

by: JeffBrooks

Fri Feb 27, 2009 at 10:53 AM CST

One major reason is their respective approaches to alternative energy, which will undoubtedly emerge as one of the great job creation engines in the coming years.  Brewster routinely talks our ears off with specific and detailed proposals for how to create jobs in the alternative energy sector, and he is spearheading the Pecan Street Project to make Austin into one of the great alternative energy hubs of America.

Lee, on the other hand, merely talks softly about forming a "Green Collar Jobs Council", that exact function of which is unclear.  Frankly, it seems to be little more than an invitation to local leaders to sit down and chat about creating green jobs, which is what we are already doing anyway.  While Lee has been excellent on many environmental issues during his time on the Council, he has never taken a lead on embracing the alternative energy economy as a means of strengthening the local economy and contributing to solving our energy problems.

This can be seen in recent actions on the dais, when Brewster pushed for the final approval of what would be one of the country's largest solar power plants, while Lee called for yet more delays.  The stated rationale for the delay, as articulated by Lee and Mike Martinez, was to explore the possibility of having individual consumers subscribe to solar power.  Brewster, on the other hand, thinks that solar power must be a central element in the overall Austin energy matrix.  For myself, I agree wholeheartedly with Brewster.  Solar power shouldn't be the parsley on the dinner plate; it should be part of the main course.

And consider the creative sector, another sphere in which Austin is well-positioned to create thousands of new jobs in the coming years.  Brewster has been the most proactive member of the Council in pushing for policies to assist the development of filmmaking and digital media ventures in our city.  Chief among them is Austin Studios, which has, according to the Austin Film Society, pumped $1 billion into the Austin economy over the last decade.

About the economic opportunities presented by creative industries, however, Lee says virtually nothing.  As with alternative energy, Lee has simply not lead to the same extent as Brewster.

A quick glance through Facebook stresses this point.  There are two individual groups of creative professionals supporting Brewster: "Film and Digital Media Professional for Brewster McCracken" and "Artists and Musicians for McCracken."  No similar groups have emerged for Lee.  The creative economy is simply not something Lee has taken an interest in, despite its enormous potential to be a driving force for job creation in our community.

Put another way, if the candidates were pieces of technology, Brewster McCracken would be a Blu-ray player, while Lee Leffingwell would be a VCR.

The current mayoral election is essentially a debate between the 20th Century vision of the Leffingwell camp and the 21st Century vision of the McCracken camp.  While I think Lee's heart is in the right place, I simply don't see think his proposals are the ones to move our city forward.  Brewster's agenda, on the other hand, is one for the 21st Century, and I think Austin should be a 21st Century city.  That's why Brewster will have my vote on May 9.