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.
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:
Bravo initially was McCracken’s campaign manager when he launched his campaign late last year. But several weeks ago, McCracken moved Heather Beckel to the top job.Beckel worked for George Stephanopoulos in Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign and later, in the White House.
Bravo did a good job, but Beckel has slightly more experience managing all aspects of a campaign, from messaging to field operations to raising money, said Colin Rowan, a spokesman for McCracken.
McCracken found it inefficient and redundant (in terms of time and money) to have a manager and a deputy, and let Bravo go this week, Rowan said.
“We’re not happy about having to do it but think it’s the right thing for the campaign,” Rowan said. “Campaigns are high-energy environments where talented people are asked to do many different things. The idea that a campaign staff is the same on election day as it was when the candidate announces he’s running is very unlikely.”
I've met Mario once or twice and he is a great guy and I wish him the best. It sounds like this move is more or less formalizing a decision that was made several weeks ago.
Whether we will see an immediate noticeable difference in the way McCracken runs his campaign remains to be seen, but I doubt it. Other major players like Christian Archer and Colin Rowan remain with the campaign.
Update by KT: I was about to write up this development but David got it handled. Mario is a good guy and I as well wish him the best. Of course, this news hit just after two days of endorsements which saw McCracken winning none outright. With an electorate that is looking more and more typical to the usual municipal turnout, a campaign shake up certainly doesn't look good to a media and public that is now noticing momentum shifts in the race.
Personally, I like a lot of what Brewster is speaking to in terms of the creative economy, glbt community, and technology sector. It's part of the reason why my votes in club endorsements havn't been unanimous for one candidate in the Mayor's race. But it's become rather evident that the campaign is having trouble translating that into an electoral base or leveraging an advantage there to win other endorsements.
Disclaimer: I support Brewster McCracken for Austin Mayor(Jeff Brooks is the paid political director for Brewster McCracken for Mayor)
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.
Ed. note: We dedicated a lot of time to this issue because of its importance to our local and state community. Texas absolutely must be a national and world leader in the renewable energy industry -- both in wind and in solar. As we at BOR expand into our own office space, we hope to continue bringing this level of discussion to the big picture issues that matter most.
As the Austin City Council prepares to pass the solar energy plant as we speak (and they may have done it by the time I finish with this post), I wanted to provide a single place to look back at the coverage of the past week.
The Austin Chronicle noted our work in their "headlines of the week:"
The perfect forum attendance of mayoral front-runners Lee Leffingwell and Brewster McCracken has spread to the Internet: Burnt Orange Report (www.burntorangereport.com) queried both candidates extensively this week on the future of solar energy.
The Chronicle had their own excellent story on the intricate policies of the solar legislation for the city. The article, titled, "Cool City: Solar Subsidies" rounds out a lot of what I wrote last week regarding the Green Choice program and other cost programs.
Ed. note: The following 2,500+ word piece, and the interviews tomorrow, were completed on volunteer time. If you want to see more work like this and support the efforts of those on BOR who are committed to bringing the best coverage of state and local politics, we would ask you to contribute to TexBlog PAC as a gesture of appreciation. We may just be kid bloggers, but we are committed to the community, and we believe journalism should be reflective of community values and community interest. Thank you for being part of our community, and enjoy the reading.
On Thursday, March 5th, the Austin City Council will vote on a proposed contract with the California-based group Gemini Solar Development Company that could potentially launch the solar energy industry in Central Texas. The official language on the Austin City Council's March 5, 2009 agenda reads as follows:
Authorize award, negotiation, and execution of a contract with GEMINI SOLAR DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, LLC, San Francisco, CA, to purchase up to 30 megawatts of solar-generated power over a 25-year term at an estimated annual amount of $10,000,000, for an estimated total contract amount of $250,000,000.
Proponents of the measure point to the 30 megawatts of solar power the plant will bring to the city over the next twenty-five years, and argue that Austin can't wait to begin buildings its roots in the solar energy field. The proposal, championed by environmental groups and the Austin semiconductor community alike, has generated interest in communities as far as San Antonio, who envision developing a partnership with Austin to help, as a San Antonio Express-News article puts it, "chase the sun" in order to establish an economic corridor for the region that creates jobs and protects the environment.
However, some concerns persist about the project. The price tag -- though the most competitive among fifteen proposals made to the Austin City Council -- still appears to bring too little bang for the buck. At a time of economic uncertainty, there is worry that Austin is paying too much for too little, and that more time and a better negotiation process could lead to a proposal for a plant that would generate more energy at a lesser cost.
The proposed solar power plant has made its way into the Austin mayoral race. Austin's Mayor Pro Tempore, Brewster McCracken, has arisen as a strong and unflinching voice in support of the project. McCracken highlighted the proposed Gemini project during a trip two weeks ago to meet with San Antonio City Councilmembers (Source); he also hosted a "convergence event" focused on the possiblity of building a renewable energy corridor between the two cities. Lee Leffingwell, a fierce advocate of sound environmental policies in Austin, has focused less of his campaign attention on the project, spending more time on announcing endorsements. That being said, Leffingwell has stated that he supports the project, and that his concerns are more about implementation and making it cost efficient for the city than anything else. (Source)
Though the political implications of the vote are relevant to Austin's mayoral race, today's post will not delve into the political positions of McCracken or Leffingwell. Instead, I will post interviews with each Councilmember tomorrow, each of which extensively -- and almost exclusively -- discusses their views on the Gemini project and the future of Austin's renewable energy economy.
Today's post will focus exclusively on the pros and cons of the proposed project. Specifically, I will examine the following questions:
What is the history of the Gemini project?
Is 30 megawatts of solar energy capacity a big deal, or is Austin getting too little bang for its buck?
Is a long-term investment in a solar energy industry worth signing an imperfect yet promising deal with Gemini?
(Brooks is a stated McCracken supporter (as you can tell from the tone of his post). Given the high level of discussion that this post has generated in the "user posts" section, I decided to promote it to the front page so more of our community could comment -- in case they hadn't seen it in the user section. - promoted by Phillip Martin)
I like and admire Lee Leffingwell. He has done some excellent work during his time on the City Council. He's a good man and he probably would not be a bad mayor. That being said, I will be casting my vote for Brewster McCracken on election day.
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.
Disclosure: I am a supporter of Lee Leffingwell for Mayor.
State Rep. Donna Howard (D-Austin) became the second member of the Travis County House delegation in as many days to endorse Lee Leffingwell's campaign to become the next Mayor of Austin.
We are happy and honored to announce that State Representative Donna Howard has given her endorsement to Lee Leffingwell's campaign for Austin mayor!
Donna represents District 48 in the Texas House of Representatives, which includes big slices of Austin west of MOPAC and north of of 183, as well as the cities of Rollingwood, West Lake Hills and Lago Vista.
Born and raised in Austin, Donna graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in nursing from the University of Texas, where she also earned her Master's Degree in health education. She subsequently worked as a critical care nurse at Brackenridge and Seton hospitals, was president of the District 5 Texas Nurses' Association, and helped launch the Seton Good Health School.
Reps. Howard and Eddie Rodriguez, both Leffingwell backers, are the only state representatives to have endorsed in this race.
As President of the Bluff Springs Neighborhood association, I want to share my neighborhood's personal experience with Brewster McCracken. When 40 Ton Gravel Trucks were speeding recklessly through our 35 MPH neighborhood, it was a disaster in the making. From the beginning, Brewster turned his back on us, even after repeated calls and emails. Half of our neighborhood is within the city limit, the other half the ETJ. Not enough votes at stake? No photo op? Whatever the case, Brewster did nada.
Even though he was on the CAMPO board, and this was clearly a CAMPO issue (it was once an arterial roadway), Brewster didn't have the courtesy to return one phone call or answer one email unlike everyone else involved. Even CAMPO's Executive Director responded, as did Jennifer Kim and Better Dunkerly, along with numerous county and city officials.
I even called his aid and asked if there was a reason he was ignoring this issue? I also wanted to confirm that he was still serving on the Campo Board. He was. I even went to Brewster's website. Mostly what I saw was one photo op after another. All that was missing was him holding and kissing a baby.
When the Austin American Statesman published the OP ED piece I wrote called Dangerous Trucks, the city and county sprung into action. They soon declared Bluff Springs Road a No Truck Zone.
Recently, when the doors sprung open at Austin Studios, there was Brewster, front row and center. I'll say one thing for him, he knows a photo op when he sees one. But I had also heard he really didn't do much for the bond, in the beginning when it was most vulnerable.
I will support Lee Leffingwell because what you see is what you get! All you need to do is compare the two websites. It's clear Lee has substance.
I recently found out that it was Lee who authored the bill to keep Town Lake Animal Center as a satellite adoption center when the shelter moves to the east side. Maybe a small issue compared to the larger ones at stake, but it is important to me. It also shows Lee is someone who understands compromise!
I hope Brewster is ready for his close up, because hopefully after this election, he won't be posing for too many more.
