(Randi Shade is the incumbent candidate in Austin's City Council Place 3 race. - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)
Greetings, Burnt Orange Report readers!
I know you've all been busy watching the ongoing Texas Legislative session, paying attention to what's going on in Washington, and thinking about how we will be impacted. I wanted to take a few minutes to talk about the ongoing City Council elections here in Austin, though, which will also have an impact on our lives (though hopefully for the better!). I was glad to see Michael Hurta's post drawing attention to the ongoing races and wanted to come on BOR to talk with you about my re-election campaign.
It's been an exciting first term, and it's been an honor to serve the city I love so much. I am proud to run an office that is accessible and responsive to citizens citywide. And while I know it isn't possible to agree with every person on all the issues, it is possible to have thoughtful debate and make decisions that are driven by fairness and common sense. My record reflects that approach, and I'm glad to share some highlights from my first term with you here.
Prioritizing Reliable City Services: I protected core services and expanded public safety personnel even in tough budget cycles; improved social service contracts to support our most vulnerable neighbors; and advocated successfully for improved parks maintenance citywide.
Helping Grow Our Economy: I helped bring good jobs to Austin and expand local businesses; increased City support for small, minority, and women-owned businesses; prevented excessive regulation of mobile food vendors; and helped create a City music office to support Austin's music industry and improve issues between venues and neighborhoods.
Protecting Our Natural Resources: I set aggressive renewable energy goals while capping utility rate increases; helped launch the Pecan Street Project to drive smart grid technology and clean energy research; supported long-term water treatment capacity while pushing for tougher water conservation goals; prevented a proposed project in the Barton Springs Recharge Zone; and helped increase funding available for tree planting and parkland conservation.
This is everybody's Austin. My office is always ready to work to help citizens from across our City. Whether you're new to town or a long-time activist, I'll listen, get the facts, and use common sense to solve our problems.
In a second term, my priorities will continue to be providing core city services that make our neighborhoods safer and cleaner, and running an office that is responsive to solving problems at City Hall for citizens citywide.
But you don't have to take my word for it -- here's a video featuring just some of the folks who've contacted my office seeking help, and their experiences.
I'm proud of my record, and proud of the work I've done in my first term. In my re-election campaign, I'm honored to have been endorsed by 22 diverse community organizations, including the Central Labor Council, Austin Police, Firefighters, and EMS Associations, Austin Progressive Coalition, Capital Area Asian American Democrats, Capital City Young Democrats, Central Austin Democrats, Circle C Area Democrats, Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association, League of Bicycling Voters, North By Northwest Democrats. St. Edwards Democrats, Stonewall Democrats, University Democrats, The Victory Fund, and the West Austin Democrats. I hope to gain all of your support, and keep working hard in a second term.
Before you vote, please take some time to visit my campaign website to learn more about my background, to read my answers to the many questionnaires from candidate forums, and to see my broad base of support from over 800 individuals. And if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact my campaign!
(Randi Shade is running for Austin City Council Place 3 against incumbent Jennifer Kim. I'll try to get up a post later today with all the candidates' finance reports. - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)
Hello BOR Community:
Judging by the posts on today's open thread "What Races Are You Watching?" there weren't many of you anxiously waiting in front of your computers this afternoon for the Austin City Council fundraising reports to come out, but it was a big day for those of us in the running. It turned out to be an especially big day for our campaign, as we found ourselves with a $30,000 lead in cash-on-hand over our opponent, Place 3 incumbent Jennifer Kim.
Between January 1 and April 1, our campaign raised $95,987, making our total amount raised since the beginning of the race in November $158,184. We've spent just over $63,000 in that time, and I loaned myself $10,000 for the race, so we've now got $103,175 in the bank for the last 30 days of the race. Jennifer Kim raised $84,284 in this reporting period, making her total raised since the start of the campaign $143,485. She's reported spending just over $74,000 and has a $7,700 loan, making her current cash balance $74,088.
A $30,000 cash lead (ok, $29,087) is - with all due humility - no small feat in a race against a well-known, well-financed incumbent where the maximum individual contribution is $300, but the numbers alone aren't the best part of the story. The best part is the fact that more than half of our 713 donors, 53% of them to be exact, have never contributed to any candidate for Austin City Council before. These are mostly friends and associates who have worked with me in every venture and organization of which I've ever been a part. That gives me confidence that our campaign can and will continue to bring new people in the process - people who I hope and believe will show up at the polls on Election Day.
At the same time, I'm proud to have the financial support and endorsement of a lot of Austin's most familiar faces, too. Our donors during this reporting period included some of our community's best-known non-profit executives, business leaders, philanthropists, Democratic and pro-choice activists, developers (yes, developers!), educators, neighborhood leaders, environmental and transit advocates, former City Council members and state legislators, former UT student body presidents, and leaders from the Hispanic, African-American, Asian-American, Jewish and gay communities.
(Always a pleasure to promote a candidate post. - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)
Hello BOR Community:
I want to start by thanking Matt Glazer for inviting me to post a journal.
I first contacted Matt, thanks to an introduction by a mutual friend, back in January, and he invited me then to engage with the BOR community.
I appreciated the invitation, and decided that the best way to begin would be for me to listen (or read) in earnest. So over the last 60 days, as I've been campaigning - and trying desperately to get anyone to pay attention to a May City Council race - I've been reading BOR as much as I can.
Especially during this incredible moment in history, it has been a great time to be reading BOR for news and information and analysis about Democratic politics - from the presidential race all the way down to precinct chair contests. I think it's safe to say that no one else was covering the Bucknall-Marion throwdown.
But just as much as the posts, I've enjoyed reading and learning from readers' comments over the past few months. The BOR community is a lively bunch to say the least, but the respectful tone of MOST of the honest debate that I've seen happen here is very refreshing and, I think, very useful - especially when it ultimately succeeds in mobilizing voters to elect progressive candidates here in Austin and across Texas.
