I had kind of forgotten about this actually but it looks like the McCracken campaign got some entries after extending the deadline in their "Your City, Your Vision" user generated ad contest.
These five finalists were judged this week by Richard Garriott, Richard Linklater, Robert Rodriguez, Elizabeth Avellan and Brewster McCracken. A winner has been chosen, and will be released via brewstermccracken.com and via Twitter.
The winning entry will air nightly next week during the Daily Show / Colbert Report hour on Comedy Central in Austin. Below are the 5 finalists. Watch them and then vote on your favorite at the end of the post.
This kind of stuff is so lame in campaigns. Sometimes it's from certain individuals that just hate all signs (as was the case with slicing of some of our Mark Strama signs last year). Other times it's childish pranksters. And opposing campaigns always hope it's not from their supporters, who can be impossible to control.
Given that that the name is cut out but the rest of the sign is still up, the pattern of attack seems more targeted at the candidate than the fact that it is a 4x8 in this case.
So Freddie's Place, owned by Fred Nelson in downtown South Austin, is apparently canceling 83 bookings in reaction to the lower decibel sound ordinance pushed by neighborhood activists as argued by Mike Dahmus. If so, that sets up a potential "I told you so moment" for him but the real loss is for the music scene and central core Austin life.
To put this into perspective, last spring my dad voted as part of a 5-0 decision to enact this policy regarding the sound ordinance in Fredericksburg.
One zone (commercial and residential) for entire city. Three time periods (7 am-8 pm day, 8 pm-11 pm evenings (Sun-Thurs), 8 pm-midnight evenings (Fri/Sat), 11pm- 7 am night (Sun-Thurs), midnight-7 am night (Fri/Sat). Decibel levels 85 day, 70 evening, 60 night. Sound to be measured no less than 75 feet from source of sound. Exemptions only for Fairgrounds and Stadium events, and Nimitz events.
Austin Ordinance No. 20080226-028, which is at issue here, reduced the allowable decibel level for amplified sound in a restaurant's outdoor music venues from 85 db to 70 db.
While Fredericksburg has a small (yet growing) live music and evening scene, and the limited enacted have generally been accepted by all parties in my hometown, the size and nature of the city is vastly different from Austin. Yet it appears that the Austin ordinance is similar in nature and level to Fredericksburg? That doesn't sound right to me at any decibel level.
Many of our readers would probably not believe us when we say that this endorsement above all others was the most difficult to make. In fact, while we were prepared to offer endorsements in the council races weeks now, our staff did not settle on a consensus until recently. We debated issuing no endorsement or a joint endorsement but felt that neither properly accounts for political realities or our personal feelings.
In addition to the paragraph cited in our Place 1 endorsement, we wish to reflect on these words written by KT after the conclusion of last year's municipal elections. This quoted text is important to read to understand the context of this endorsement.
This is an open mayoral seat, a chance for Austin voters to step up, engage the candidates, and pick someone to lead their city that expresses what they want to see in their city. It's a free for all, and a chance to really select a Mayor in a different way than we select our council members. There is something that draws in and engages an expanded set of voters in selecting a Mayor, and it's an opportunity to have a much different conversation about who we are as a city and where we want to go.
Austin is a unique place- with energy, with youth, with growth, with different ideas of what it's future should be. Our mayor should be someone who reflects that. A mayor with character. Just like Austin.
I recognize there are prospective candidates from the current council, as many as three. But this race should be much more than a simplistic insiders debate over "Brewster or Lee" which I find rather small-picture and for the most part, unexciting.
...
All said- this our chance to elect a new mayor without it being under a cloud of scandal, without particular local issues driving the race, or without certain ballot questions taking priority. Who knows, that could all change in a year, but for 2009, my personal feelings about the race for mayor are ones based upon thinking beyond the insider narratives of today.
This is largely the problem with this year's Mayoral race. The insider narratives of a year ago, possibly even longer, haven't changed in the slightest. This race has been entirely about "Brewster or Lee". The only other major challenge comes from a candidate immediately unacceptable to us (and hardly "new and inspiring") in the form of Carole Strayhorn, who was a joke from the beginning.
For now, the political realities of Austin prevent Brewster McCracken's message from reaching electoral victory, even as a majority of the staff finds it more in sync with our call for a leader who inspires the city. At the same time, we're not entirely convinced that Brewster McCracken is the right messenger for his own message. But that point is muted by the fact that Austin's campaign finance laws and as a result, it's consistently traditional electorate, have made it impossible for all leading candidates to have a real conversation about the future.
Cookie cutter elections lead to cookie cutter campaigns. Let us hope that we reform or shock the system soon lest cookie cutter campaigns lead to cookie cutter candidates.
All this said, we believe Lee Leffingwell should, and will be the next Mayor of Austin. We stand by that. Even though Leffingwell's spent less time on the city council then Brewster McCracken, we feel he is more in tune with the citizens and other key community members who will work together to move the city forward. We have no concerns about where his loyalties lie, whether we can trust his word, or if he will work to protect and enhance the average citizen's quality of life as Mayor. Lee is relatable, he is humble, and he is grounded.
There is something to be said about candidates that get elected with concerns about their ability to represent the eclectic citizenry that makes Austin, Austin. We remember a candidate that could have been described as moderate, steady, or even milquetoast who stepped into office without a runoff against more entertaining contenders. We call him Mayor Will Wynn. And even those who had concerns recognize that he's become the Mayor we are proud to call Austin's own. (And that extends beyond jumping off bridges or doing the Thriller).
We agree with Brewster McCracken on this: The office of the Mayor is about promoting Austin.
But what is Austin? The people are Austin. Without you, there is no Austin.
Lee's in it for Austin because he's in it for you.
That's why we endorse Lee Leffingwell for Mayor of Austin.
Members of the Burnt Orange Report staff employed by campaigns abstain from voting on those races. Endorsements are made based on a weighted consensus of the staff, which guides the type and tone of endorsement.
Remember the video that Phillip wrote up a post on a few days ago from the McCracken campaign centered on comments made by Lee Leffingwell that the city must be prepared to "hunker down" due to the economic slow down?
Well, it appears that there is nothing else going on in the Mayor's race that the big story this week is about a YouTube video that was only seen 150 times. You see, the song used in McCracken's video Hunker Down by Josh Ramstek, aka Captain Josh, of Orlando, FL was used without the artist's permission, which is of course, slightly more embarrassing because McCracken has made such a big deal out of the music & film industries in Austin in his campaign.
*le sigh*
As a result, the YouTube video has been pulled and replaced with a stripped down version which is posted below (which I actually find more to the point than the Obama speech laden one originally posted).
Oh, and the artist is now going to do a performance/fundraiser for the Leffingwell campaign as part of his tour through Texas in May.
"I'm a working musician, and I certainly don't appreciate having my music stolen," said Josh Ramstek, aka Captain Josh, of Orlando. "Everybody knows that Austin is one of America's great music towns, so I'm sure all the working musicians there will appreciate exactly how it makes me feel to learn that my song was used in somebody's campaign commercial without my permission. I'm not happy about it, to say the least."
Captain Josh said he will play a benefit concert for Leffingwell in Austin at Leffingwell's downtown campaign headquarters as part of a scheduled tour through Texas in early May. "I don't know anything at all about the mayor's race in Austin," said Ramsteck , "but I do know that if one guy is willing to steal somebody's music for his campaign commercial, then I'm for the other guy." The benefit concert is set for 6 PM on Monday, May 4th.
So this week I've finally started seeing some yardsigns for Carole Stayhorn scattered around town for her Mayoral campaign. Of course, of the dozen or so I've seen, half of those were in one yard.
So where is Carole? Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams has found her!
Twitter: Just saw a "Carol Keeton Rylander for Comptroller" billboard on I-30 in Fort Worth. Wasn't that 2002?
Carole Strayhorn- out of touch with Austin and stuck in the past? Sounds about right.
I've embedded the YouTube video below. But read this first, and you'll know what I mean in the headline:
The choice in the Mayor's race is almost entirely a vote on vision -- on how you want our Mayor to lead.
Brewster McCracken and Lee Leffingwell are, more or less, on the same side of most issues. If there are any substantial policy differences between the two, neither has articulated them that well. In fact, a substantive policy discussion is entirely absent from this race.
Therefore, you have to pick who it is you think has the best vision, who you think will best represent your values on a large scale, and who you think will place your interests first and foremost in the decision-making process for mayor. In other words -- which person do you trust more, not who has the best policies.
The video encapsulates this perfectly: "hunker down" style of Lee vs. "bold, wise" style of Brewster. But which is actually better?
Lee Leffingwell is kind of boring and wants to "hunker down" -- but is that a bad thing right now?
The video mocks the "fix the potholes" remarks that Lee makes at some forum, contrasting the small-problems of "fixing potholes" to the much larger and more urgent problems facing the city (everyone knows them; not going to repeat them here). But the concept of "hunkering down" is one that has a certain amount of appeal in an uncertain economic time.
First of all -- the economy is a huge issue. You can't ignore that. The city budget is "the everything" in these times, and the Leffingwell campaign has shown that they want to "hunker down" and be prudent stewards of the budget. That's not very exciting, it's not very sexy -- but based on the backlash I got when suggesting that Austin spend the extra money on local website redesign, it is apparently something that a lot of progressives want.
Furthermore, I think many Austinites are OK with "hunkering down" so long as they feel comfortable that their needs, interests, and concerns will be made a priority. Lee certainly has communicated that level of connection and compassion well, as evidenced by his countless endorsements. If you want "responsible growth" during tough economc times, then Lee seems like your guy.
However, "hunkering down" is boring. It just is. And though there are many economic challenges facing Austin -- like an array of unleased condominiums hovering over a proud ambitious city -- Austin is not a conservative city. We are a progressive city. We don't want to weather the storm. We want to drive through it and come out the other side before everyone else and be the better for it.
You've also got to ask -- what if the sacrifices that need to be made in these economic times are of those that are "hunkered down" with the Mayor? Will all those endorsement groups accept self-sacrifices in these tough times, or will they expect/demand that the Mayor they endorsed treat them special? And how will the Mayor govern when elected by political groups, and not by policy?
Brewster McCracken wants to lead boldly and wisely -- but who is he leading?
The YouTube video below -- which was produced by the Brewster McCracken campaign -- begins with President Barack Obama's first address to Congress. The video goes back to President Obama saying, "now is the time to act boldly and wisely" several times. Those remarks -- and clips from speeches and remarks made by McCracken -- are meant to contrast Lee's "hunker down" remarks and the song that plays throughout the video, which repeats "everybody's got to hunker down."
First let me say -- the video is clever. It is refreshing, and it is a fun, new way to look at the campaign. I think it shows that Brewster can frame this race well, it uses Lee's own words (and not some third-party attacks) against him, and it shows Brewster speaking...boldly and wisely. McCracken clearly is one that does not want to hunker down and weather the storm. McCracken is ready to go full speed ahead, and move forward with aggressive/progressive 21st Century policies for a City that prides itself not only on being weird, but on being ahead of the curve.
At the same time -- Brewster McCracken is not Barack Obama. And aligning himself with the President is a calculated risk, because while it could connect him and his campaign to the "bold" vision that a majority of Austin wants for the country, it also reinforces the perception that Brewster has a huge ego. For as much as Lee is perceived as being old, stodgy, and "hunkering down" with the Travis County Democratic Party the groups that endorsed him, Brewster is perceived as being too bold and "hunkering down" with whatever group or business will help fulfill his particular ambition.
If the hit on Lee is that he won't ask the groups to sacrifice when it is necessary, the hit on Brewster is that he will ask the groups to sacrifice when it is not necessary. Is there truly a choice to make between those two situations that you can be 100% comfortable with?
Personally -- and this is just me talking -- I think the raps on both candidates have some elements of truth and some elements of campaign hyperbole. Brewster McCracken is a much more honest and trustworthy person than he is often made out to be, and Lee is much more forward-thinking and independent than he is often made out to be. But the perceptions are set and the dye is cast in the electorate...at least for now.
There are forty-three days left until May 9, when final votes will be cast for mayor. The video does a great job, as it was billed to me in the e-mail I received it, as showing "the mayor's race in 4 minutes and 38 seconds." As I've laid out above, it hits all the general perceptions of the campaigns pretty well -- both the good, and the bad.
Will anyone or anything change the dynamics of the race in the last 43 days? Or will the same frames that have been established to date just reinforce themselves until Election Day? We'll have to wait and see...but this is the state of the race now, at least for me.
Tell me why I'm wrong in the comments. I'm still thinking through this race, and I want to hear an honest discussion.
Meanwhile, here's the video from the Brewster McCracken campaign:
I have two more local organizational endorsements to report on which include the first one that Lee Leffingwell has lost outright. Of course, the campaign tells me they had expected to lose it, but to a different candidate. That endorsement is from BOMA (Building Owners & Managers Association of Austin) and they figured that Mike Levy or Brewster McCracken would win it.
WRONG. Carole Strayhorn woke up her campaign and snagged herself an endorsement!
Here's what I've confirmed (and will update if you have info).
MAYOR: Lee Leffingwell
Place 1: Perla Cavazos
Place 2: Mike Martinez
Place 5: Bill Spelman
Place 6: No Endorsement
Again, no upsets, other than the second no endorsement for Councilwoman Sheryl Cole that I'm aware of. Of course, and not to be judgmental, her no endorsements haven't really come from the most active clubs edit: (traditionally- ATJ has since merged with Latinos for Texas which is a positive development for both groups and the community). Still, it does signal some dissatisfaction from locals that maybe she could be more proactive on council (or are upset about her opposition to moving towards single-member districts).
Of course, ChangeAustin.org met last Saturday and Leffingwell was the only candidate to show up I'm told, thwarting the group's original intent to endorse Strayhorn. Reports also indicated that Strayhorn couldn't attend because she was looking for Kevin. Kevin, yoo hoo, where is Kevin?
