Austin City Council Election Profiles: DISTRICT 1

AUSTIN, Texas - The 10-1 Austin City Council will look very different come January.

It's election time for five districts and the Mayor's seat.  

We're reaching out to everyone who is running

Let's start with District 1.  Council Member Houston isn't seeking a second term.

Mitrah Avini was born and raised in the University Hills neighborhood.  After studying at Yale and Oxford she's back home.  And she's disappointed to see growth and development not equitably distributed in the city.  Also not a fan of the MLS deal that's bringing a soccer stadium to Austin with no property taxes.

"Given that our city is closing pools, raising the costs to enter the pools, we could really use the money that would come from taxing corporations and wealthy people who want to come move to the city," Avini said.

Lewis Conway Jr. is a self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist.  

Conway Jr. says he was in prison from '92 to 2000.  He says he took a plea bargain for involuntary manslaughter after a fatal fight with someone who robbed him.

The City questioned his eligibility to run.  They eventually backed down.  

Conway Jr. says land valuation is the biggest challenge in District 1.

"After watching my family and my neighbors I grew up with lose their home to property taxes.  After watching the schools that I went to on the east side close, I realized that folks deserve a champion.

Folks deserve a leader," Conway Jr. said.  

By day, Vincent Harding is a lawyer and real estate agent.  He's also the former chair of the Travis County Democratic Party.

He's also got the endorsement of Council Member Houston.  Harding says he's driven by faith to serve.

"I receive a ton of phone calls from folks in the community that have been here a long time, and what they talk to me about was: 'look at the community and the challenges that we face.  Issues such as displacement, affordability, transportation, healthcare, criminal justice reform, and so much more.'  As I said, I grew up in a faith-based home, there's a scripture verse that talks about 'whom much is given, much will be required,'" Harding said.

Natasha Harper-Madison is founder of  East Austin Advocates and president of the East 12th Street Merchants Association.

She says representation matters and points out she's the only black woman running for council.

"My daughters are watching me.  They're watching all of us, how we treat one another.  Them getting dialed-in from a federal perspective, they have so many questions about our President, and things he says and does and when I answer them...realizing that from a municipal perspective, these kids need to see us treat each other with civility, dignity and respect and knowing that I am a robust collaborator, I can work with anybody," Harper-Madison said.

Misael Ramos is an official write-in candidate.  He works in data analytics and he's passionate about his community.  Especially the historic preservation of its neighborhoods.

"We have to look out for our generations that have already been here.  Our older Austinites can be protected by having design standards in neighborhoods so that 'McMansions' aren't built, increasing their taxes and pretty much displacing them and pushing them out.  For the new -- it's affordability.  We have an affordability crisis here in East Austin and it's time that we create land trusts," Ramos said. 

Mariana Salazar is a mother of 2.  Community organizer, public servant. immigrant.

She says it's unfortunate the city didn't move forward with CodeNext.  Salazar is a proponent of updating the land code in a way that's inclusive and doesn't oversell what it's supposed to do.

"The land code is supposed to create the rules so that the market can create more housing but we know that the market won't create affordable housing and we know that the market doesn't take care of people getting displaced.  So I think we need to be doing the land code perhaps in phases while also implementing a comprehensive plan to address economic displacement and address affordable housing," Salazar said.

Reedy Spigner has coached in his community, mentored and currently works for the office of the attorney general in grant funding.

Spigner wants to bring City Hall to the district.

"My solution to that problem is to be accessible and have an open door policy and also to create something called 'district dialogues' where I go out, throughout the district at different times, lunchtime, after work, before work, and have times that are convenient for the constituents of District 1 to sit down with me and express their concerns," Spigner said.

To see the full District 1 candidate interviews, click here: https://www.youtube.com.