He's in, Re-Elect Austin's successful, experienced current Mayor, KIRK WATSON. GVM approves!

   

GVM approves! In my opinion moderate Democrat Kirk Watson Mayor of Austin Texas is doing an excellent job of "righting the ship" from the debacle tenure of former Mayor Adler and former ATX City Councilman G. Cesar.

The City of Austin's biggest current problems and challenges in 2024 and the future continue to be 1:) Homelessness, Vagrancy 2: Traffic & Urban Congestion 3.) Housing Attainability for the Every-Person 4:) Land Use / Zoning Changes, Speed for Developers to Builder New Housing

Dear Friend: I’m in. I’m letting folks know today that I’ll be a candidate for re-election this November – and I hope I can count on your support.   When I began a two-year term as mayor last January, it was clear that City Hall was failing to deliver on some of our community’s basic needs. Today, I think it’s equally clear that things have changed for the better. And we’re not only restoring efficient, effective basic services, but also making real progress on some of Austin’s biggest long-term challenges.    For example, we’ve adopted the most ambitious housing reforms in decades to create more affordability; we’ve made big new investments and brought a new approach to helping people experiencing homelessness; and we’ve taken meaningful steps to begin restoring police staffing and improve emergency response. We’ve also moved forward on job training, child care, and transportation.   With a full four-year term, we can do even more together to help make City Hall work better – including ensuring that major infrastructure investments like Project Connect and the airport expansion are executed with speed and efficiency, and doing our part to respond to and prepare for the challenges of climate change.   I’m proud to kick off my campaign with the endorsement of dozens of local elected officials, including eight of my current colleagues on the City Council. I’d be equally proud to have your support. If you’d like to add your name to our supporter list, request a yard sign, or volunteer to help, please click here to visit our website. I’d be remiss if I didn’t also ask you to please consider making a donation to help us ensure victory in November.   I’m ready to go. Let’s win a full four-year term and keep working together to help make this city we all love even better. I look forward to seeing you on the campaign trail! Best, Donate Pol. Adv. Pd. By Kirk Watson Campaign, Rosie Mendoza, Treasurer. This campaign has not agreed to comply with the contribution and expenditure limits of the Austin Fair Campaign Ordinance.   Kirk Watson Campaign P.O. Box 300903 Austin, TX 78703 United States If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please unsubscribe.

Bonus Content per AXIOS AUSTIN, Analysis, Recent ATX Mayoral Political History

1 big thing: Watson makes it official

Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios. Photo: Hutton Supanci/Getty Images

Austin Mayor Kirk Watson has made his bid for re-election official. Why it matters: Watson will put his centrist coalition to the test in a city that has become more progressive since his first turn running City Hall a quarter-century ago. Driving the news: He'll face at least three opponents in the November election: former council member Kathie Tovo, Carmen Llanes Pulido, executive director of Go Austin/Vamos Austin, and Doug Greco, the former executive director of Central Texas Interfaith. What they're saying: "We've made great progress in a short time; now we need to build on our successes," Watson said in a statement yesterday. "With a full term, I'll keep working to ensure that City Hall consistently delivers what Austinites expect and deserve." Watson said his key accomplishments in the past 15 months were the City Council's amendment of the land development code, his approach to and investment in helping people experiencing homelessness, and the launch of Austin Infrastructure Academy to train skilled workers at Austin Community College. The big picture: Watson narrowly won the mayoral post in 2022 over Celia Israel with an appeal to moderate Democrats and Republicans. As someone long-involved in Austin politics — he served as mayor in the late 1990s and later as a state senator — Watson has relatively high name recognition and has proven himself a prodigious fundraiser. Between the lines: Watson, who ran on a platform of government getting things done, carries the strengths and weaknesses that come with having an incumbent's record. Watson drew sharp criticism over his partnership between the city and the Texas Department of Public Safety, which led to widespread arrests of Black and Hispanic people. Of note: If re-elected, Watson's term would run until 2029.