A fellow Austin born local and age contemporary of mine; Ben Leffler is running City Council District 9, Ben Leffler, check it out....

I am a native Austinite—the first of four sons born to John and Vivian. They moved to Austin in 1981 and brought us up in Cherrywood and Crestview, back when both were working-class neighborhoods.

Our parents worked full-time, so I was often in charge of watching my younger brothers. Most days, this meant exploring Austin on our bikes and skateboards. Together, we watched it evolve from a budding college town into one of the hottest, fastest-growing cities in the country.

I’ve seen Austin through the eyes of a child, student, bartender, public servant, tech worker, renter, homeowner, son, husband, and father. And I bring each of these perspectives to work each day.

I live in the French Place / Cherrywood East Central neighborhood with my wife, Melissa, our kiddo Sonny, and our dog, Waffles.

Click here to be directed to Ben Leffler's official campaign website District 9, Austin City Council

Experienced & Impact-Driven

I’ve dedicated my life to public service, and I’m a Longhorn through and through. I earned a BA in Government from UT and a Masters in Public Affairs from the LBJ School, with a focus in local governance and alternative energy policy.

After LBJ, I worked in the City of Austin Auditor’s Office, where I evaluated programs to safeguard taxpayer assets and investigated fraud, waste and abuse. I learned a lot about how the city works, and how it doesn’t work.

After 2 years with the Auditor’s Office, I was hired as a policy advisor to Council Member Chris Riley. I worked with Chris to improve public parks and trails, increase economic development, expand transportation options, and help Austin achieve a carbon neutral energy future. One of my favorite memories from that time is helping to legalize dog swimming in the Barton Springs spillway, formally establishing Barking Springs.

I pivoted my career to product and service design in 2015. Since then, I’ve worked to increase digital access to healthcare and other critical services through human-centered design. I currently manage a team focused on improving online experiences across the Federal government

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