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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.





                                 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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