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Robocalls are a typical part of municipal election here in Austin. Typically they are of the endorsement variety (Hi, this is XYZ of Save Our Springs with an important message...) or directly from the candidate (Hi, this is Mayor Wynn inviting you to...). They are a cheap (though increasingly irritating) way for campaigns to get a message out to voters or layer on top of a GOTV operation for anywhere for about a nickel or dime a call.
But from time to time, you have negative attack or suppression calls which tend to be the ones that drive people to hate all robocalls in general. In the Place 3 race, such a call appears to have been released.
From a local blogger...
"Why is Randi Shade trying to break the bank? Hi, this is your neighbor Lisa, calling to let you know City Council candidate Randi Shade has made budget promises that could mean cuts in city services and higher taxes for you. In seeking the endorsement of police and firefighters, Shade agreed to increase funding for management positions without having seen a budget, which is now in the red. With the highest-paid public safety workers in the state, can we afford Randi Shade's promises? It's not different, and it's not Austin."
Notwithstanding that 1) I don't have a neighbor Lisa; and 2) one councilmember can't do anything alone (and thus the crux of the call is rendered sadly inert)- I suppose "different" and "Austin" are truly exemplified by anonymous attack ads, right, Jennifer Kim?
Now, there is nothing in the call that identifies this call as being from the Kim campaign specifically. I contacted the Shade campaign and they said that supporters of their from across the city had received the call- which if anything, means that Lisa lives in a lot of people's neighborhoods...
This seems to conflict with what was quoted in the Austin American Statesman's endorsement of Shade.
Shade respects the work of police, firefighters and EMS workers and won endorsements from their unions without pandering to them.
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