* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [2022 City Council Candidate Forum District 5] [00:00:05] GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO THE DISTRICT FIVE CANDIDATE FORUM THIS EVENING. I'M CAROL LELE CAMP WITH THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS, AUSTIN AREA, OUR LEAGUE PARTNERS WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN ETHICS REVIEW COMMISSION, TO HELP YOU ALL IN THE AUDIENCE, IN LISTENING AND VIEWING AT HOME, GET TO KNOW THE CANDIDATES THAT ARE VYING FOR YOUR VOTE. AS A LOCAL CHAPTER OF THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS, WE ARE A NONPARTISAN POLITICAL ORGANIZATION FOUNDED OVER 100 YEARS AGO. WE CONSIST OF MEN AND WOMEN PROMOTING INFORMED AND ACTIVE CIVIC PARTICIPATION. DESPITE THE DIVISIVENESS IN OUR COUNTRY, YOU ALL CANDIDATES SIT HERE AS EXAMPLES OF THE GOOD THINGS IN OUR DEMOCRACY. IF ELECTED, YOU WILL REPRESENT THE CITIZENS OF THIS DISTRICT AND WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO AFFECT CHANGE AT THE LOCAL LEVEL. THIS IS HOW OUR DEMOCRACY WORKS. SO LET'S GET STARTED. TODAY'S QUESTIONS WERE CREATED AND EDITED BY THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN, VOTERS OF THE AUSTIN AREA WITH INPUT FROM COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, GOVERNMENT ENTITIES, AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC, NO CANDIDATE WAS GI WERE GIVEN, WAS GIVEN THESE QUESTIONS IN ADVANCE. THESE FORUMS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S ATX N NETWORK IN THE ARCHIVES ALONGSIDE ALL OF YOUR CITY COUNCIL AND COMMISSION MEETINGS. CANDIDATES WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES OPENING STATEMENTS AND ONE MINUTE CLOSING STATEMENTS AND WILL BE GIVEN A ONE MINUTE TO, UH, ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS. OUR TIMEKEEPER WILL HOLD UP A YELLOW WARNING CARD IN THE 32ND MARK AND A RED STOP CARD. WHEN THE TIME EXPIRES DURING YOUR ANSWER SESSIONS, CANDIDATES ARE ASKED TO REFRAIN FROM ANY PERSONAL ATTACKS OF THEIR OPPONENTS. AND WE ALSO ASK ALL OF OUR LIVE AUDIENCE, YOU ALL TO REFRAIN FROM REACTING IN SUPPORT OR OPPOSITION TO THE STATEMENTS BY THESE CANDIDATES. AND WE'RE GOING TO BEGIN IN BALLOT ORDER AND WE'RE GONNA ROTATE. SO EACH OF YOU ARE GONNA HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE THE FIRST ONE TO ANSWER A QUESTION, AND WE'RE GONNA BEGIN OUR TWO MINUTE OPENING STATEMENTS, AND THAT WILL BEGIN WITH CANDIDATE ALTER. I GOT IT. OH, WELL, THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. I AM RYAN ALTAR. UH, I AM RUNNING FOR CITY COUNCIL TO UNLOCK OPPORTUNITY FOR EVERYONE EVERYWHERE. I'M A NATIVE AUSTIN KNIGHT WHO HAS SPENT MY ENTIRE CAREER IN PUBLIC SERVICE. AFTER LAW SCHOOL. I WENT TO WORK FOR SENATOR WATSON TO FIGHT FOR OUR SHARED PROGRESSIVE VALUES. AND THAT'S A FIGHT I WANT TO TAKE TO CITY HALL. IT'S IT IS JUST TIME FOR BIG IDEAS AND BIGGER SOLUTIONS TO HOUSING, TO THE ENVIRONMENT, TO TRANSPORTATION, AND SADLY TODAY, MORE THAN EVER FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS. NOW IT'S EASY TO BLAME ALL OUR PROBLEMS ON AUSTIN'S GROWTH, BUT GROWTH BY ITSELF IS NOT A BAD THING. IT'S UNPLANNED GROWTH. THAT'S THE PROBLEM. OUR COUNCIL'S REFUSAL TO PLAN FOR OUR GROWTH IS HURTING US. YOU KNOW, THIS AFFECTS ALL OF US, WHETHER YOU'RE A HOMEOWNER STRUGGLING TO KEEP UP WITH RISING PROPERTY TAXES OR A RENTER WHO SEES YOUR RENT SKYROCKETING YEAR AFTER YEAR. NOW, TONIGHT, YOU'RE GONNA HEAR EVERY CANDIDATE TALK ABOUT HOW THEY WANNA MAKE AUSTIN MORE AFFORDABLE, BUT I'M THE ONLY CANDIDATE WHO'S ACTUALLY DONE IT. I'VE HA I BUILT A SMALL FAMILY BUSINESS WITH MY SISTER THAT BUILT ATTAINABLE, MISSING MIDDLE HOUSING RIGHT HERE IN AUSTIN. I'M ALSO THE ONLY CANDIDATE WITH A HOUSING PLAN. MY HOUSING NOW PLAN WILL CREATE REAL MEANINGFUL OPPORTUNITIES FOR EVERYONE EVERYWHERE. THE CORNERSTONE OF THIS PLAN IS OPPORTUNITY UNLOCKED, WHICH WILL CREATE BOTH FOR SALE AND RENTAL HOMES AVAILABLE AT A FRACTION OF TODAY'S COST. WE HAVE TO HAVE MORE OPTIONS THAN JUST SCRAPING A LOT AND BUILDING A LARGE EXPENSIVE MANSION. AND MY PLAN WILL DO THAT. BUT PLANS BY THEMSELVES, WON'T SAVE US. WE NEED TO ELECT SOMEONE WHO IS GOING TO BE ABLE TO DELIVER REAL RESULTS FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY. I AM THAT CANDIDATE AND I ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT. THANK YOU, CANDIDATE WELCH. UH, GOOD EVENING. I'M BILL WELCH, UM, RUNNING FOR THE DISTRICT FIVE SEAT. UH, MY WIFE AND I HAVE LIVED IN AUSTIN FOR 38 YEARS. WE MOVED HERE IN 1984. I WAS A SECOND LIEUTENANT IN THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE, FLYING F FOUR PHANTOMS OUT AT BERGHAM AIR FORCE BASE. I LEFT ACTIVE DUTY AND, UH, WENT INTO THE RESERVE COMPONENT, STARTED INTO THE BUSINESS WORLD AND, UH, UH, HAVE A VARIETY OF POSITIONS THERE. I'LL TALK ABOUT IN A SECOND, BUT OUR FIRST HOME WE'VE LIVED IN THIS DISTRICT FOR ALL 38 YEARS. OUR FIRST HOME WAS JUST WEST OF SOUTH FIRST STREET. [00:05:01] IT WAS, AND THEN WE MOVED. WE, WE WERE FORTUNATE, IT WAS A DUPLEX, UH, VERY SMALL PLACE, BUT WE WERE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO MOVE A LITTLE FURTHER DOWN AND GET INTO A 1200 SQUARE FOOT MILLBURN HOME. AND THEN YEARS LATER, AFTER HARD WORK, WE ADVANCED THROUGH A VARIETY OF HOMES TO WHERE TODAY WE LIVE IN A VERY, VERY NICE HOME IN, IN ONION CREEK. AUSTIN HAS GIVEN US THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND OUR, THE QUALITY OF OUR LIFE AND, UH, HAVE A VARIETY OF BUSINESSES. I'M A RETIRED NOW. I ALSO SPENT 38 YEARS IN THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE. UH, I'M A RETIRED, UH, AIR FORCE, BRIGA AIR GENERAL, UM, A RETIRED BUSINESSMAN AND CEO, AND I'M ALSO RETIRED, UH, ENTREPRENEUR. I HAVE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF EXPERIENCE AND IT'S IT'S RELEVANT EXPERIENCE TO THE TYPE OF WORK WE'LL BE DOING AT THE CHAMBER IN TERMS OF MANAGING LARGE PROJECTS, OVERSEEING PROVIDING VISION, ALL RIGHT, AND ACCOUNTABILITY. AND THOSE ARE THE THINGS WE REALLY NEED. I'M RUNNING BECAUSE I'M UNHAPPY WITH THE CURRENT COUNCIL AND THE DIRECTION IT HAS TAKEN. AND I THINK SOME OF THE POLICIES THAT THEY'VE BEEN ENACTING ARE VERY HARMFUL TO OUR COMMUNITY POLICIES LIKE TURNING THE HOMELESS TO THE STREETS, DEFUNDING THE POLICE, UM, A VARIETY OF US AND THE INABILITY TO PROVIDE US QUALITY AND RELIABLE ELECTRICITY AND HAVING TO BOIL WATER TWICE A YEAR, COME ON. THIS IS AN AMERICAN GREAT AMERICAN CITY WE SHOULD BE DOING BETTER. SO ANYWAY, I LOOK FORWARD TO TALKING TONIGHT ABOUT A WHOLE BUNCH OF ISSUES AND A BUNCH OF THE BACKGROUND THAT I HAVE THAT WILL HELP ME SERVE YOU BETTER. AND, UH, THEN WE'RE CURRENTLY BEING SERVED IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN COUNCIL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH CANDIDATE CRAIG. GOOD AFTERNOON. I'M KEN CRAIG AND I HAVE SERVED SOUTH AUSTIN FOR, UH, FOR OVER SEVEN YEARS AS A SENIOR POLICY ADVISOR AND THE DISTRICT FIVE OFFICE FOR COUNCIL MEMBER KITCHEN. AND I'M CURRENTLY RUNNING FOR THIS OFFICE BECAUSE I WANT TO BRING MY EXPERIENCE, MY KNOWLEDGE AND MY VALUES TO REALIZE MY VISION OF AUSTIN, WHICH IS A CITY IN WHICH EVERYONE THRIVES, REGARDLESS OF IDENTITY OR NEIGHBORHOOD, I'LL DO THIS BY EMPHASIZING AND PRIORITIZING THREE THINGS. ONE IS PARDON ME. ONE IS, UM, THE INTENTIONAL AND DIRECTED WORK TOWARD AFFORDABLE PLACES TO LIVE, DO BUSINESS, UM, DEVELOP YOUR CREATIVITY ALL WITHIN ACCESS OF GOOD TRANSIT, TWO PROMOTE PUBLIC HEALTH AND PUBLIC SAFETY AND THREE PROTECT OUR CULTURAL AND NATURAL HERITAGE. I HAVE EXPERIENCE GETTING THINGS DONE IN ALL OF THOSE THREE PRIORITY AREAS AND MORE. I KNOW HOW TO GET THINGS DONE AND CAN DO THAT THE FIRST DAY, MOVING AUSTIN FORWARD TO THE FUTURE. I KNOW WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN'T WORK AT CITY HALL. UH, I ALSO HAVE EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH STAFF AND HAVE WORKING RELATIONSHIPS WITH CURRENT COUNCIL MEMBERS. I DO NOT BELIEVE IN THE BUSINESS AS USUAL WIN OR LOSE, UH, SCENARIOS. I BELIEVE THAT WE CAN, AND I KNOW I CAN WORK WITH ANYBODY AND MAINTAIN MY PRINCIPLES. I HAVE DECADES OF COMMUNITY SERVICE AS WELL AND HAVE BEEN ENDORSED BY A NUMBER OF ORGANIZATIONS, SUCH AS THE AUSTIN FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION, EMS SIERRA CLUB, CLEAN WATER ACTION. THE F L C I O, PARDON ME, THE FFL C I O CENTRAL LABOR COUNCIL AND GROUPS LIKE, UM, THE WORKERS' DEFENSE OF ACTION FUND AND STONEWALL DEMOCRATS. AND THESE ORGANIZATIONS HAVE ENDORSED OUR CAMPAIGN BECAUSE THEY KNOW MY WORK. THEY KNOW WHAT I'VE DONE, AND THEY KNOW WHAT I WILL DO IN THE FUTURE ON THESE IMPORTANT ISSUES OF PUBLIC SAFETY, PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT OF GOOD WAGES AND SAFE PLACES TO WORK AND PROTECTING THE RIGHTS OF ALL AUSTINITES. THANK YOU, CANDIDATE BEAN. THANK YOU SO MUCH. HI EVERYBODY. MY NAME IS STEPHANIE BEAN. I'M A MOM AND A NATIVE AUSTINITE, AND I GREW UP IN SOUTH AUSTIN IN THE, THE AREA THAT I'M RUNNING TO REPRESENT. IF YOU ONLY REMEMBER A COUPLE THINGS ABOUT ME, I WANT YOU TO REMEMBER AFFORDABILITY AND EQUITY. I LOVE THIS CITY. AUSTIN IS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE, WORK AND PLAY, BUT THAT IS NOT THE STORY FOR EVERYBODY. AND THAT IS WHY I'M RUNNING FOR AUSTIN CITY. COUNCIL AFFORDABILITY IS A TOP CONCERN. OUR SMALL BUSINESSES ARE STRUGGLING. OUR RENTERS ARE BEING CRUSHED. OUR HOMEOWNERS ARE HURTING AND SENIORS WHO SIMPLY WANT TO LIVE IN PLACE ARE HAVING TROUBLE DOING THAT. UM, FROM A ST ELMO MIGHTY MUSTANG TO A CROKE CO I'M A PROUD A I S D GRAD AND I, I LOVE THIS TOWN. LIKE I SAID, I HAVE A FOUR YEAR OLD AND A SEVEN YEAR OLD NOW, AND I WANT THEM TO SEE THEMSELVES IN THE FUTURE OF THIS CITY. AND I WANT THAT FOR Y'ALL TOO. I WANT THAT FOR YOUR CHILDREN AND YOUR GRANDCHILDREN AND YOUR FAMILIES. AND SO THAT'S THE FIGHT THAT I'M TAKING TO CITY COUNCIL FOR YOU. AND YES, I'M GONNA HAVE A LOT OF IDEAS AND PLANS, BUT PART OF WHAT MAKES A CITY COUNCIL, UM, PERSON SO GREAT IS TAKING THAT COMMUNITY VOICE AND BRINGING THAT, UM, TO THE FOREFRONT. AND THAT'S WHAT I INTEND TO DO TO LISTEN TO MY COMMUNITY AND SERVE AS YOUR VOICE FOR SOUTH AUSTIN. I'VE [00:10:01] DONE A LOT OF WORK IN THIS COMMUNITY. Y FROM LAW TO EDUCATION TO HEALTHCARE, I HAVE WORKED AT LIFE WORKS AND HOMELESS SERVICES. AND NOT ONLY IN THE WORK THAT I'VE DONE, BUT ALSO IN THE COMMUNITY WORK, HAVE I BEEN DEEPLY ENTRENCHED IN WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THIS CITY? JUST IN THIS LAST YEAR, I SERVED ON AUSTIN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, HISPANIC IMPACT FUND. WE GAVE OUT OUR $1 MILLION ACROSS PRE-K EDUCATION, HEALTH, AND WELLNESS THAT WAS CULTURALLY COMPETENT AND ALSO WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. SO I PUT MY WORDS INTO ACTION AND I WILL CONTINUE TO DO THAT. I WANT Y'ALL TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ME@STEPHANIEPIAZZA.COM. FOLLOW ME AT STEPHANIE FOR, AND I'M BRINGING YOU ON THE TRAIL WITH ME ON FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY. THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS IS BEING WITH PEOPLE. THANK YOU, CANDIDATE VELASQUEZ WEN, HEY EVERYONE. MY NAME'S AARON VELASQUEZ WEGMAN. I'M AN IMMIGRATION LAWYER, FILMMAKER, AND ENTREPRENEUR, AND AS A HOBBY, I'M ALSO A SINGER SONGWRITER. MY WIFE AND I MOVED HERE IN 2019. UH, SO WE'RE WE'RE NEW, BUT WE MOVED HERE BECAUSE WE'RE, WE WANTED TO START HAVING KIDS AND WHERE WE WERE LIVING IN EAST LOS ANGELES BECAME UNTENABLE FOR PLANNING AND HAVING A FAMILY. UH, I ALSO SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN SAN FRANCISCO AND THAT PLACE HAS ALSO BECOME COMPLETELY IMPOSSIBLE TO LIVE IN. YOU CAN'T WALK IN PLACES THAT USED TO BE NICE PLACES JUST FIVE YEARS AGO, BECAUSE IT'S COVERED IN FECES AND NEEDLES. AND, UH, THEY'VE FAILED IN ALMOST EVERY POSSIBLE REGARD WITH REALLY EXTREME POLICY. UH, EVERYTHING FROM PUBLIC SAFETY, HOMELESSNESS TO AFFORDABILITY HAS BEEN AN ABSOLUTE ABYSMAL NIGHTMARE AND DISASTER ON THE WEST COAST IN MAJOR CITIES. UH, WHEN WE ARRIVED HERE, WE WERE SHOCKED TO SEE THAT THIS CITY FELT LIKE IMITATING MANY CALIFORNIA POLICIES WAS THE WAY TO GO. AND EVEN, EVEN THOUGH I'VE ONLY BEEN HERE FOR A FEW YEARS, I'VE ACTUALLY MANAGED TO RECEIVE THE PORT SUPPORT AND ENDORSEMENTS FROM MANY NATIVE AUSTINITES AND GROUPS THAT ARE LIFETIME AUSTINITES. UH, JUST YESTERDAY I FOUND OUT THAT MISS AURA HOUSTON IS ACTUALLY SUPPORTING ME. SHE WAS, SHE'S A LONG TIME, UH, LEADER HERE IN THE CITY. SHE'S A CITY COUNCIL, UH, REPRESENTATIVE, AND SHE'S DONE AMAZING THINGS HERE FOR THE CITY, UH, RESTORE AUSTIN LEADERSHIP, THE CITY ACCOUNTABILITY PROJECT TO ALL ENDORSE ME BECAUSE THEY KNOW THAT I'M SINCERELY ABOUT TRANSPARENCY AND ABOUT SHOOTING PEOPLE STRAIGHT. SORRY, THERE'S A FLY ON MY FACE AND ACTUALLY TRYING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE SO THAT MY FAMILY DOESN'T TEND TO REALLY AGGRESSIVE FLY. UH, MY FAMILY DOESN'T HAVE TO LEAVE AGAIN. UM, I'M GONNA TRY TO IGNORE IT TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITIES, BUT, UH, BUT TO THE EXTENT THAT YOU GUYS ARE HAPPY WITH THE STATUS QUO, I'M NOT YOUR CANDIDATE, THIS, THIS, THIS REP I'M REPRESENTING SOMETHING THAT'S COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THAN THIS. THE TYPICAL ARCHE, TYPICAL POLITICIAN THAT YOU GUYS HAVE HERE. I DON'T WANNA RUN AGAIN FOR OFFICE. THIS HAS BEEN A REALLY, REALLY GRINDING EXPERIENCE FOR ME. UH, I WANT TO DO HAVE ONE TERM DO AS MUCH AS I CAN TO FIND RESULTS, DRIVEN POLICIES AS A METRIC ORIENTED POLICIES, AND THEN GET OUT AND FIND OTHER PEOPLE THAT AREN'T SUCH INSIDERS TO START PLAYING IN THIS POLITICAL GAME. THANK YOU, CANDIDATE ANDERSON. HI, GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. MY NAME IS BRIAN ANDERSON. I LIKE EVERYONE ELSE ON STAGE, AM RUNNING FOR THE CITY COUNCIL SEAT FOR DISTRICT FIVE. UM, I CAME TO AUSTIN IN THE LAST COUPLE YEARS, BUT I GREW UP AROUND AUSTIN. MY GRANDFATHER LIVED IN BASTROP AND IN AUSTIN, HE WENT TO UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS FOR LAW SCHOOL. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, I, AS A GAY PERSON WHO WAS COMING FROM A CONSERVATIVE FAMILY, ALL MY LIFE JUST SAW ACCEPTANCE AND COMMUNITY IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN THAT I IDENTIFIED WITH. AND I KNEW IF I EVER WAS TO MOVE BACK TO TEXAS AFTER I GRADUATED FROM TEXAS TECH AND MOVED TO WASHINGTON DC, IT WOULD BE IN AUSTIN. I LOVE THIS TOWN. I LOVE THE PEOPLE HERE. IT'S BEEN NOTHING BUT WARM AND INVITING. IT'S BEEN HARD SINCE COVID HAS RUINED SO MUCH OF OUR LIVES AND DISRUPTED SO MUCH. I KNOW HALF THE AUDIENCE HERE IS WEARING A MASK. I KNOW THAT THERE'S STILL A LOT OF TRAUMA IN OUR BODIES AND IN OUR MINDS AND IN OUR SOULS FROM THE LAST COUPLE YEARS. AND ONE OF THE REASONS I JUMPED INTO THIS RACE IS BECAUSE AS A GAY PERSON, THE MONKEYPOX OUTBREAK HAS BEEN A ABYSMAL RESPONSE FROM ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT, WITH LACK OF COMMUNICATION. AND DESPITE OWNING A ALREADY EXISTING VACCINE, WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO SUFFICIENTLY SUPPLY THAT VACCINE TO IMPACTED COMMUNITIES, SPECIFICALLY THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY. SO I WANT TO BE A COUNCIL MEMBER THAT WILL LOOK OUT FOR THE MOST VULNERABLE PEOPLE IN THIS CITY, WHETHER IT BE PEOPLE WHO ARE DIFFERENTLY, ABLED, SENIOR CITIZENS, OR PEOPLE WHO ARE IMMIGRANTS, WHO ARE REFUGEES, THEY NEED A VOICE THAT UNDERSTANDS WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE A MINORITY, WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE OPPRESSED. AND I HOPE TO BE THAT VOICE. I, AFTER GRADUATING FROM TEXAS TECH, I MOVED TO WASHINGTON DC, WHERE I INTERNED FOR SAN ANTONIO CONGRESSMAN CHARLIE GONZALEZ. AFTER THAT, I WENT TO THE INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND, WHICH IS LIKE THE FEDERAL RESERVE, BUT A UNITED NATIONS SISTER INSTITUTION WORKED [00:15:01] IN THE STATISTICS DEPARTMENT. AND I'VE ALSO WORKED IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR AT A RESEARCH CONSULTING FIRM. THANK YOU. AS I, I, AS I EXPLAINED WITH THIS LARGE NUMBER OF CANDIDATES, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE YOU IN GROUPS OF THREE AND THREE, AND WE WILL ROTATE. YOU'LL ALL GET A QUESTION AT, I'LL ASK YOU ALL A QUESTION AND WE'RE GONNA START OFF WITH CITY PLANNING A LITTLE BIT ABOUT CITY PLANNING. SO YOU THREE ARE GONNA GET A QUESTION IN BECAUSE, UH, CANDIDATE ALTARS STARTED THE INTROS. WE ARE GONNA START WITH CANDIDATE WELSH ON THIS FIRST QUESTION. AND, AND THIS IS A CITYWIDE QUESTION. SOME OF THESE ARE GONNA BE DISTRICT SPECIFIC. THIS IS CITYWIDE. OKAY. THERE ARE 80 NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS ADVOCATING FOR THEIR RESIDENTS INTEREST IN AUSTIN, ACCORDING TO THE AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL, IF ELECTED, HOW WOULD YOU BALANCE ALL THESE VOICES ACROSS THE CITY WITH PER PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS? I THINK IT'S, I THINK IT'S GREAT THAT THERE ARE 80 ACTIVE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS. I'M A LARGE SUPPORTER OF THE CONCEPT OF NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS AND THEIR RIGHT OF SOME SELF-DETERMINATION AND AUTONOMY, THE RIGHT TO DETERMINE WHAT KIND OF NEIGHBORHOOD THEY WANT. WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT CITYWIDE PLANNING. I'M NOT SURE THAT THAT'S THE RIGHT SOLUTION. I, I, I DON'T THINK WE GO OUT AND JUST HAVE A BLANKET POLICY THAT RUNS ACROSS THE ENTIRE CITY. I LIKE THE IDEA OF HAVING COMU, UH, UH, THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION IN THE DETERMINATION OF WHAT THE FUTURE OF THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE. AND, UH, UH, IF THEY WANT TO CHANGE THE NATURE AND MAKE IT MORE, UH, UH, MULTI-FAMILY WONDERFUL IF THEY LIKE TO KEEP IT IN A SINGLE FAMILY FASHION, I SUPPORT THAT, BUT I DO SUPPORT THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS AND THE IDEA OF IT. AND AS A DISTRICT, UH, REPRESENTATIVE, I WORK VERY, VERY DILIGENTLY WITHIN MY DISTRICT AND THOSE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS, UH, TO ASSURE THAT, UH, WE ARE COMMUNICATING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. NEXT UP WILL BE CANDIDATE CRAIG. THANK YOU. I TOO AM VERY APPRECIATIVE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS, UM, IN OUR OFFICE. AND I WILL ABSOLUTELY CONTINUE TO DO THIS. WE HAVE A REGULAR MEETING WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF NOT JUST OFFICIAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS, BUT PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN DIFFERENT NEIGHBORHOODS SO THEY CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE UNDERSTAND THE NEEDS OF EACH NEIGHBORHOOD. PLANNING IS A REAL ISSUE, BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF PLACES WHERE WE DON'T HAVE A PLAN AND HAVING WORKED ON A LOT OF LAND DEVELOPMENT CASES, I CAN TELL YOU THAT, OR LAND USE CASES, I SHOULD SAY THAT WHERE THERE IS FRICTION IS WHERE THERE'S NO PLAN. UM, WE ARE IN A PLACE RIGHT HERE WHERE, UM, WE'RE REALLY NEAR, UH, WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A PRETTY DARN GOOD EXPERIENCE WITH, UH, THE SOUTH NEVADA NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN, WHICH HAS GUIDED, PARDON ME, GUIDED DEVELOPMENT IN THAT AREA. AND IT'S ACTUALLY A PRETTY LARGE AREA AND IT HELPS EVERYONE DEVELOPERS AND NEIGHBORS AND CITY STAFF AND COUNCIL MEMBERS KNOW WHAT WE CAN EXPECT IN THIS AREA. ONE MINUTE HAPPENS FAST. DOESN'T IT? YEAH, JUST WATCH, WE'LL GIVE YOU THE WARNING SIGN AT 30 SECONDS THAT YOU'RE HALFWAY THROUGH YOUR ANSWER. ALL RIGHT. SO WE'RE GONNA GO OVER TO CANADA ALTAR. GREAT. YEAH, I, I TOO LOVE THAT AUSTIN HAS SO MANY NEIGHBORHOODS AND WHAT I WOULD LOVE TO SEE IS THE ABILITY FOR EVERYONE TO LIVE IN ALL THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS. RIGHT NOW, YOU LOOK AT OUR CODE AND WHAT IT DOES IS IT EXCLUDES PEOPLE FROM A LOT OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. AND THAT'S BECAUSE, LIKE I SAID BEFORE, OUR POLICIES AND OUR PROCESSES ARE PURELY INCENTIVIZING, SCRAPING LOTS AND BUILDING LARGE MANSIONS THAT A SLIVER OF THE POPULATION CAN AFFORD. AND THAT'S WHY I'VE PUT FORWARD MY PLAN, MY HOUSING NOW PLAN. AND LIKE I SAID, UNDER OPPORTUNITY UNLOCKED, WHAT IT DOES IS IT RECOGNIZES THE DIFFERENCES OF EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD THAT SOME NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE LARGE LOTS. SOME NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE SMALL LOTS, EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD HAS DIFFERENT NEEDS, AND IT TAKES THAT AND SAYS, WE ARE GONNA FIT WITHIN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD TO CREATE REAL OPTIONS FOR PEOPLE TO ACTUALLY AFFORD TO LIVE. YOU KNOW, WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT IF INSTEAD OF THAT $2 MILLION MANSION, YOU HAD FOUR SMALLER HOMES THAT STILL WERE VERY MUCH WITHIN THE CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT PEOPLE COULD ACTUALLY AFFORD. THANK YOU. AND NOW WE'LL STILL BE IN BALLOT ORDER. WE'LL START THIS NEXT QUESTION WITH CANDIDATE BAAN WITH CODE NECKS OFF THE TABLE AND NO NEW LAND USE PLAN IN EFFECT, SHOULD ZONING BE UNIQUE TO EACH DISTRICT OR APPLICABLE THROUGHOUT THE CITY LIMITS? WHY OR WHY NOT? THERE WE GO. THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. I DON'T THINK THAT ZONING SHOULD BE UNIQUE TO EACH DISTRICT. THAT BEING SAID, WE DO DO NEED TO LOOK AT WHAT WE'VE, WE'VE PUT OUR, THE POSITION THAT WE'VE PUT OURSELVES IN OUR CODE WAS BUILT ON EXCLUSIONARY ZONING TO KEEP FOLKS OUT. [00:20:01] AND WE DO NEED OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE EVERYWHERE, A DIVERSITY OF HOUSING. UM, WE ARE IN A SITUATION WHERE HABITAT FOR HUMANITY IS NOW BUILDING MISSING MIDDLE HOUSING, THE 200 TO 300 AREA. AND SO WE CERTAINLY NEED TO LOOK AT THAT AS A CITY, UM, AS A CITY ISSUE, WE ARE IN A HOUSING CRISIS AND WE CAN'T SOLVE THIS BIT BY BIT. WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO DO THAT. UM, AND IT'S, IT'S GOTTEN US INTO A WORSE SITUATION. WE'RE A DECADE BEHIND, WE'VE GOT PEOPLE WHO ARE REALLY STRUGGLING. UM, AND YOU KNOW, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT PEOPLE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS, WE ALSO HAVE FOLKS WHO ARE ONE EMERGENCY AWAY FROM BEING HOMELESS. AND SO WE NEED TO LOOK AT THIS AS A CITY ISSUE. IT'S NOT GONNA BE EASY. UM, BUT WE CERTAINLY CAN'T PIECEMEAL. THANK YOU, CANDIDATE. VELASQUE WE ADMIN PLEASE. YEAH, IT WOULDN'T MAKE SENSE TO, TO DO IT JUST IN DISTRICT FIVE BECAUSE THE DISTRICT'S SO BIG AND HAS INTEREST AS DIVERSE AS THE CITY ITSELF. IF IT GOES FROM BARTON SPRINGS TO IT'S ONION CREEK, IT'S PRETTY CRAZY. I, I AGREE WITH BILL ACTUALLY ABOUT THIS, THAT, THAT ESSENTIAL PLAN TO FIX THE CITY IS UTOPIAN IDEAL. THAT'S JUST RIDICULOUS. IT WILL NOT WORK. IT WON'T HAPPEN. I DO AGREE WITH STEPHANIE AND RYAN THAT UPZONING IS PROBABLY HEALTHY TO LOOK INTO AND TRY TO GET DONE AS, AS, AS, YOU KNOW, AS MUCH AS WE CAN. BUT THE REALISTIC TRUTH IS, IS THAT WE HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING THAT'S, IT'S POSSIBLE TO ACTUALLY WORK WITH THE VARIOUS NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS, OR THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN CUZ THE NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS ARE PROTECTED, UH, AND THEY CAN, THEY CAN ACTUALLY STOP THINGS FROM HAPPENING AND GOING FORWARD. AND SO THIS, THIS TAKES A LOT OF PRAGMATIC GRINDING AND THE REALISTIC TRUTH IS, IS NO SILVER BULLET SOLUTION. AND ANYONE WHO PROMISES YOU THAT IS, IS FRANKLY NOT BEING COMPLETELY FORTHRIGHT ABOUT WHAT CAN ACTUALLY BE DONE IN THIS REGARD. BUT YES, IT'S A PROBLEM AND WE NEED TO ADDRESS IT. THANK YOU, CANDIDATE ANDERSON. UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S AN INTERESTING QUESTION. I THINK, UM, THE BINARY OF, SHOULD IT BE A CITY ALL OR NEIGHBORHOOD SPECIFIC, UH, IS NOT THE RIGHT ANSWER OR QUESTION? THE ANSWER SHOULD BE BOTH. SO WE CAN HAVE MACRO POLICIES AND MACRO PRINCIPLES GUIDING OUR CITYWIDE CODE AND STILL HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY TO BE SPECIFIC TO EACH NEIGHBORHOOD AND ENGAGE EACH NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION. SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT MISSING MIDDLE, I WANNA BE CLEAR THE MISSING MIDDLE HOUSING IS NOT A PRICE RANGE, JUST NOT 200 TO 300,000. IT'S ACTUALLY A TWO OR THREE OR FOUR UNIT HOME. SO YOUR SINGLE FAMILY HOME, THE ONE THAT'S CURRENTLY IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD REMODELED TO HAVE TWO, THREE OR FOUR FAMILY MEMBERS IN IT. THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS THAT WE CAN HAVE MORE HOUSING THAT'S MORE AFFORDABLE AND INCREASE OUR INVENTORY FOR THE CITY WITH INCLUDING THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS AND PROVIDING A CITYWIDE PLAN. THAT GETS US TO WHERE WE NEED TO GO AT SCALE. I'M GONNA ASK A FEW, UH, HOUSING QUESTIONS WITH A LITTLE MORE SPECIFICITY. UM, AND WE'LL START WITH YOU CANDIDATE CRAIG, THE CITY'S STRATEGIC HOUSING BLUEPRINT CALLS FOR 60,000 AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS, EXCUSE ME, TO BE BUILT BY 2028, INCLUDING 4,000 UNITS IN DISTRICT FIVE. SO FAR ONLY 13% OF THOSE HAVE BEEN BUILT. SO PLEASE TELL US KIND OF SPECIFICALLY WHAT YOU WOULD DO TO ENSURE THAT DISTRICT FIVE CAN PROVIDE ENOUGH AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR EVERYONE. AND AS I SAID, CANDIDATE, CRAIG, WILL YOU START THAT? THANK YOU. THERE ARE OPTIONS THAT WE ARE GONNA BE COMING ONLINE FOR INSTANCE, UM, THE HOUSING AUTHORITY CITY OF AUSTIN IS LOOKING AT PROPERTIES IN O IN DISTRICT FIVE IN ORDER TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF, UH, AFFORDABLE UNITS THAT ARE AVAILABLE REMODEL. AND, UM, PARDON ME, AN EXPANSION OF EXISTING MULTIFAMILY THAT'S AFFORDABLE HAS HAPPENED THROUGH THE RAD PROGRAM WITH HACA AND WE'VE ADDED UNITS IN THAT WAY. AND WE CAN CONTINUE TO DO THAT. UM, I KNOW THAT FOR, AND FOR FACT, UH, THAT WE CAN GET 500 VOUCHERS WITHIN THE NEXT YEAR FROM HAKA TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF UNITS THAT PEOPLE CAN, UH, HAVE, THAT'LL BE SUPPORTED. UM, THERE ALSO, UH, WE'LL, I'LL GO AHEAD AND I'LL OPEN UP THE, THE, UH, THE PERMITTING DOOR HERE. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO IS WE CAN START TO ADDRESS THE PERMITTING BACKLOG ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING. SPECIFICALLY, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT ARE SPECIFIC TO THAT ISSUE THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED. UM, AND THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I LIKE THE TUNE BY THE WAY, CANDIDATE ALTER. THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM. YOU LOOK AT THE BLUEPRINT AND THE GOALS WE SET FOR AUSTIN, AND IT'S RED ARROWS ALL ACROSS THE BOARD. WE HAVE NOT DONE NEARLY WHAT WE HAD SET TO DO. IF YOU LOOK AT DISTRICT FIVE LAST YEAR, THE 30%, WHICH IS THE MOST HIGHLY [00:25:01] SUBSIDIZED, BUT HIGHEST NEED LEVEL OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING. WE, WE NEED AS A COMMUNITY. WE BUILT THREE UNITS LAST YEAR IN DISTRICT FIVE, NOT THREE PROJECTS, THREE HOMES THAT IS A FAILURE OF THIS COUNCIL. THAT'S A FAILURE OF OUR POLICIES. AND CLEARLY WHAT WE ARE DOING IS NOT WORKING. I HAVE CALLED FOR A FEW SPECIFIC ACTIONS THAT I THINK WOULD HELP THIS ON THE SITE PLAN PROCESS, WHICH MAKES THINGS INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE AND TAKE WAY LONGER THAN THEY SHOULD. I AM CALLING FOR A, AN EXPEDITED SITE PLAN PROCESS THAT WOULD BE FREE FOR ANY AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT THAT GETS THEM A CHEAPER OVERALL PACKAGE, BUT ALSO PEOPLE IN THE HOMES FASTER. I ALSO WANT US TO OFFER FEE REDUCTIONS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING. THANK YOU, CANADA WELCH, WHETHER YOU ARE A, UH, AFFORDABLE HOUSE HOME BUILDER, OR WHETHER YOU ARE A, UH, PRIVATE ENTERPRISE HOME BUILDER. I THINK WE ALL EXPERIENCE THE SAME DIFFICULTIES AND, UH, THAT IS THAT, UH, WE, WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH VERY, VERY ONEROUS, UH, BURDENSOME, UNNECESSARY RULES, FEES COSTS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH NEW CONSTRUCTION AND, UH, REMODEL. THEY NEED TO, THE CITY NEEDS TO SPEED THE INSPECTION PROCESS. WE NEED MORE WITH MORE AVAILABILITY WITH WORK ABLE TO BUILD THESE THINGS QUICKER. WE'LL HAVE MORE PROPERTIES. WE SHOULD LIFT THE ZONING AND IMPERVIOUS COVERAGE LIMITATIONS ALONG PRIMARY TRANSIT QUARTERS. AND, UH, I'M, I'M NOT ONLY CONCERNED THOUGH ABOUT NEW CONSTRUCTION AND, AND AFFORDABILITY FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE LOOKING FOR HOMES. I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THOSE THAT ARE IN EXISTING HOMES. I'M CONCERNED THAT WE RAISE THE TAXES TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT EVERY YEAR FOR PEOPLE WHO WERE SENIORS AND HANDICAPPED FOR, UH, UH, FINANCIALLY STRAPPED INDIVIDUALS. I THINK WE PLACE A TERRIBLE BURDEN ON, AND WE HAVE TO BE MORE, UM, RESPECTFUL OF THE IMPACT OF HIGHER AND HIGHER TAXES AND FEES. THANK YOU. UH, SAME TOPIC. I'M GONNA CHANGE THE SUBJECT JUST A LITTLE BIT OR THE TOPIC. UM, AND, UH, THIS TIME I THINK, UH, CANDIDATE VALE AS A WEB, IF YOU'LL ANSWER FIRST, A SUCCESSFUL DEVELOPER OF AFFORDABLE RENTAL UNITS IN AUSTIN TOLD US THAT THEY, WHEN THEY PROPOSE URBAN PROJECTS, THEY OFTEN FACE COMMUNITY FEARS OF DENSITY AND TRAFFIC YET BUILDING OUTSIDE THE URBAN CORE RESULTS IN SPRA, STRANGE RESOURCES AND CONTRIBUTES TO OUR TRAFFIC CONGESTION. SO HOW DO YOU PROPOSE TO RESOLVE ALL THESE CONFLICTS WHILE STILL DEVELOPING AFFORDABLE AREAS OR AFFORDABLE UNITS? YEAH, THERE'S NO SILVER BULLET SOLUTION. YOU REALLY CAN'T DO THAT. UM, IN A WAY THAT'S GONNA BE SUPER EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE. AND AGAIN, PEOPLE WHO TELL YOU THAT THEY'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO WITH THE ONE SIZE FITS ALL CENTRALIZED APPROACH ARE ESSENTIALLY NOT BEING HONEST. UH, THIS IS GONNA BE ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHERE WE NEED TO UP ZONE, WHETHER IT'S LONG TRANSIT QUARTERS OR NOT, AND BE REALISTIC ABOUT COMMUNICATING WITH NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS, A WAY THAT WE CAN ALLEVIATE THIS PROBLEM GOES BACK TO THE BUREAUCRATIC QUESTION THAT THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE AISLE THERE. AND, YOU KNOW, IT SHOULD BECOME, THERE'S NO SURPRISE TO ANYONE THAT BUREAUCRACIES ARE INEFFICIENT AND IN EFFECTUAL AND SLOW. UH, THE WAY TO HANDLE THEM THOUGH IS NOT NECESSARILY MAYBE TO LET DEVELOPERS PAY MORE MONEY INTO SOME EXPEDITED PROCESS AND EFFECTIVELY HOLD THEIR PROJECTS RANSOM, BUT MAYBE WE SHOULD ACTUALLY IMPLEMENT PROPER INCENTIVES WITHIN THE BUREAUCRACIES THEMSELVES AND HOLD THE PEOPLE THAT EXIST IN THE BUREAUCRACIES WHO ARE HUMAN BEINGS AS WELL, ACCOUNTABLE THROUGH CARROT AND STICK PROGRAMS TO ACTUALLY MAKE SURE THAT THEY WORK MORE EFFECTIVELY. IT'S LIKE IF YOU PAY THEM MORE MONEY, THEY'LL EFFECTIVELY GET YOUR PERMITTING PROCESS DONE FASTER. IT'S LIKE, WHY DON'T WE JUST DO THAT QUICKLY TO BEGIN WITH IT MAKES NO SENSE TO ME. THANK YOU. CAN WAS ON. OKAY. WILL YOU POSE THE QUESTION ONE MORE TIME? I WILL, UH, THE DEVELOPER OF AN AFFORDABLE RENTAL UNIT SAID THAT WHEN THEY PROPOSE PROJECTS, THEY FACE COMMUNITY FEARS OF DENSITY AND TRAFFIC. YET WHEN YOU BUILD OUTSIDE THE URBAN CORE, YOU GET SPRAWL RE STRAIN RESOURCES, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. SO HOW DO YOU PUT ALL THAT TOGETHER? YOU SOUND JUST LIKE ME WITH THE ADDED IN. THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND ACTUALLY I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK WITH A GROUP WHO DID A BUILD, UM, IN ZER. UM, AND THAT WAS A CONCERN. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY DID REALLY WELL AND I APPRECIATE IS THEY, THEY PLANNED FAR IN ADVANCE TO START TALKING WITH NEIGHBORS AND THE COMMUNITY, AND THEY DIDN'T EXPECT PEOPLE TO COME TO THEM. I THINK OFTENTIMES WE SAY WE'RE DOING SOMETHING HERE'S OUR MEETING OR COME TO THIS EVENT AND, AND MEET AND GREET. THEY ACTUALLY WENT IN, THEY HAD TEAMS THAT WERE ON THE GROUND, UM, KIND OF LIKE, LIKE CAMPAIGNING AND FIELD WORK AND MET WITH NEIGHBORS WHO WERE GONNA BE AFFECTED WITH THAT AND BUILT A COALITION SO THAT THEY HAD PEOPLE IN THEIR CORNER WHO LIVED IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, WHO KNEW THE FACTS WHO HAD FOUR BULLET POINTS THAT THEY COULD SAY ABOUT THIS PROJECT THAT WAS COMING IN AND THAT MADE IT SO THAT THE COMMUNITY WAS PART OF IT. THEY DIDN'T FEEL LIKE SOMETHING WAS BEING PUT [00:30:01] ON THEM. UM, AND THEN THE BUILDER WAS ABLE TO BUILD A SUCCESS. UM, I THINK THAT I DO WANT PEOPLE TO RECOGNIZE THAT I DON'T WANT SKYSCRAPERS IN THE MIDDLE OF NEIGHBORHOODS, BUT I DO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE IN DIFFERENT AREAS OF TOWN. THANK YOU AND CANADA ANDERSON. YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND TERMS WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THESE THINGS. SO SPRAWL IS JUST CARS, ROADS, AND SINGLE FAMILY HOMES. SO WHEN WE LOOK AT DISTRICT FIVE, EVEN NEAR ZILKER, IT'S STILL SPRAWL. SO WHAT WE NEED AGAIN, IS THAT MISSING MIDDLE DEVELOPMENT. NOW, TO ANSWER THE QUESTION ABOUT WHAT TO DO WITH A DEVELOPER, WHO'S RUNNING INTO THESE PROBLEMS. UM, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, IT IS IMPORTANT TO GO TO THE COMMUNITIES AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS AND ENGAGE THEM JUST LIKE STEPHANIE BIZA WAS JUST MENTIONING NOW, AS FAR AS LIKE HOW TO JUGGLE THIS TRADE OFF BETWEEN DEVELOPING IN THE URBAN CORE AND DEVELOPING OUTSIDE. I ACTUALLY THINK PROJECT CONNECT IS A KEY SOLUTION TO THAT. SO THE WAY THAT WE SCALE UP AFFORDABILITY AND HOUSING IN OUR HOUSING INVENTORY IS TO HAVE MASS TRANSIT, NOT ROADS, THE BIGGER AND WIDER THE ROADS, THE, THE, YOU KNOW, WE BUILD, AS YOU KNOW, FROM I 35, IT JUST CREATES MORE TRAFFIC. WHAT WE NEED IS WALKABILITY. WHAT WE NEED IS BIKE, BIKE LANES, AND WHAT WE NEED IS TRANSIT WE'VE. UM, WE HAVE A LOT OF REPRESENTATIVES HERE IN THE ROOM AND LISTENING TONIGHT FROM NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS. SO THERE WAS A QUESTION THAT CAME IN AND I THINK WE'RE GONNA STICK WITH THAT TOPIC FOR A MOMENT. AND WE'RE GONNA START, WE'LL START WITH THIS GROUP. AND WE ARE BACK UP TO THE TOP FOR CANDIDATE ALTAR. THE TERM NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTER COULD BE A EUPHEMISM FOR RACISM AND CLASSISM. AND TO SOME, IT MAY SOMETHING ENTIRELY DIFFERENT TO THEM. HOW DO YOU DEFINE NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTER AND HOW DO MULTI-FAMILY BUILDINGS CONTRIBUTE TO, OR DETRACT FROM IT? A NEIGHBORHOOD IS, IS WHAT WE MAKE IT IT'S, IT'S WHAT WE WANT IT TO BE. AND I THINK THAT A DIVERSITY WITHIN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS IN TERMS OF BOTH THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE, BUT THE HOUSING THAT IS OFFERED SO THAT YOU CAN ACHIEVE THAT DIVERSITY OF PEOPLE IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE LACKING IN TOO MANY OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. IT'S WHY I HAVE THE PLAN THAT I HAVE, BECAUSE WE NEED TO CREATE THOSE OPPORTUNITIES FOR EVERYBODY EVERYWHERE IN ALL OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. WE CAN'T JUST DRAW WALLS AROUND OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND SAY, THIS IS HOW OUR NEIGHBORHOOD HAS BEEN FOR A HUNDRED YEARS, AND THIS IS HOW IT'S GONNA BE FOR THE NEXT HUNDRED YEARS. YOU CAN HAVE MULTI-UNIT HOMES. AND IN FACT, IN MANY OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT OFTEN RESIST ANY KIND OF, UM, ANY KIND OF BUILDING, THAT'S NOT A SINGLE FAMILY HOME, THEY HAVE SOME MULTI-FAMILY HOMES THAT FOR SOME REASON HASN'T DESTROYED THE NEIGHBORHOOD YET. AND SO I THINK WE REALLY CAN DO BETTER AS A CITY. THANK YOU, CANDIDATE WELCH. WELL, AS IT RELATES TO DISTRICT FIVE, I MEAN, I'VE LIVED IN THE DISTRICT FOR 38 YEARS. I KNOW EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD I'VE WALKED THEM IN THE PAST, UH, FOR OTHER CAMPAIGNS. AND, UH, I WOULD JUST SAY THAT I, I CANNOT FIND A, A SINGLE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT ISN'T DIVERSE, UH, IN TERMS OF ITS, UH, THE NATURE OF PEOPLE'S RACE, WHETHER THEIR RELIGION, UH, THEIR SEXUAL PREFERENCE, THEIR ECONOMIC STATUS. AND I THINK THE DESIGN OF NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE THEY'VE PROVIDED IN SOME CASES, SOME MULTIPLEX, DUPLEX, AND THEN THEY MOVE INTO THE SINGLE FAMILY HAS WORKED WELL. SO I REJECT THE IDEA THAT IT WOULD EVEN BE, UH, THAT, THAT, THAT SOME TYPE OF EXCLUSIONARY RACISM EXISTS THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY. IT DOESN'T, IT'S THE MOST WELCOMING, WONDERFUL DISTRICT, WHICH IS WHY WE'VE LIVED HERE 38 YEARS. IT'S THE BEST PART OF AUSTIN AND IT'S, AND IT IS VERY DIVERSE, VERY WELCOMING AND VERY OPEN TO EVERYONE. AND I WANT TO KEEP IT THAT WAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, CANDIDATE CRAIG, THANK YOU FOR THIS QUESTION. UM, TO ME, NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTER IS WHAT IS INSIDE THE HEARTS AND THE ARMS OF THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE. AND I KNOW WE'VE BEEN PICKING ON ZILKER A LITTLE BIT, BUT I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND CONTINUE TO DO THIS BECAUSE I THINK THAT GETS UNFAIRLY. IT GETS A BAD RAP UNFAIRLY. I HAD THE PRO THE PRIVILEGE OF WORKING WITH, UH, THE ZER NEIGHBORS, THE HO THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN, AUSTIN, UH, STAFF. AND WE INCREASED THE NUMBER OF AFFORDABLE UNITS IN THIS CITY CENTER, HIGH OPPORTUNITY NEIGHBORHOOD FROM 40 TO 120 AND UPGRADED THE QUALITY OF ALL OF THOSE AFFORDABLE UNITS. AND THOSE NEIGHBORS ARE EXACTLY THAT. THE, WHEN YOU GO TO ELEMENTARY, YOU CAN'T TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE KIDS WHERE THEY LIVE. THEY ARE, THE [00:35:01] NEIGHBORS DID THE SAME THING. I, I HAD THE FORTUNATE, UH, EXPERIENCE OF DOING THE SAME THING DOWN IN FAR SOUTH AUSTIN. WE GOT AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING COMPLEX DONE ON THE, UH, EDGE OF A NEIGHBORHOOD. WE WERE ABLE TO GET, UH, 19 ACRES DONATED TO THE CITY AND UPGRADES TO THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND WELCOMED BY THE NEIGHBORHOOD. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. I'M GONNA ANSWER THE QUESTION A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY. UM, AND WE'RE GOING TO START WITH, UH, CANDIDATE ANDERSON HISTORICALLY GOING BACK INTO THE LATE 1920S, THE, THE CODES OF AUSTIN DID PUSH CERTAIN POPULATIONS ACROSS I 35. SO WE HAVE A DIVIDING LINE THAT WAS CODIFIED BACK MANY, MANY, MANY YEARS AGO. SO IN THINKING U THREE OF THE ENTIRE CITY, NOT, NOT JUST THIS DISTRICT, THE TERM NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTER COULD BE A EUPHEMISM FOR RACISM AND CLASSISM TO SOME AND SOMETHING ENTIRELY DIFFERENT TO OTHERS. HOW DO YOU DEFINE NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTER THINKING OF THE ENTIRE CITY AND THE NEIGHBORHOODS OF WHICH IT'S MADE AND HOW DO MULTIFAMILY BUILDINGS CONTRIBUTE TO, OR DETRACT FROM THAT CHARACTER THAT'S THERE NOW? I REALLY APPRECIATE THE QUESTION. UM, IN FACT, IF YOU GO TO MY WEBSITE RIGHT NOW, YOU CAN GET OUT YOUR PHONE ANDERSON FOR AUSTIN.COM AND YOU GO TO MY HOUSING AND INFRASTRUCTURE PAGE. I HAVE MAPS OF THIS VERY PHENOMENON HAPPENING FROM 1920 UNTIL TODAY, WHERE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES WERE PUSHED OUT OF AUSTIN'S EAST SIDE. THAT WHAT YOU'RE SPEAKING TO ACTUALLY HAPPENED IN THE 1920S, WHERE THERE WAS TAXATION AND MONEY GIVEN TO BLACK FAMILIES, TO GET THEM TO MOVE OUT OF CENTRAL AUSTIN TO THE EAST SIDE NOW RE REGARDING LIKE THIS DISCUSSION AROUND DIVERSITY AND WHETHER WE ARE DIVERSE OR WE'RE NOT DIVERSE, WHETHER THERE IS RACISM OR THERE ISN'T RACISM, WHETHER THERE'S ANY OF THAT. WHAT I WANT TO MAKE CLEAR IS THAT YOU LISTEN TO AND BELIEVE PEOPLE WHEN THEY SAY THEY'RE OPPRESSED AND THEY'RE HURTING AS A GAY PERSON. WHEN I HEAR THE WORDS LIKE SEXUAL PREFERENCES, A LOT OF TERRIBLE THINGS COME TO MIND. SO I WANT TO SAY WHEN PEOPLE SAY THAT THEY'VE BEEN OPPRESSED, LISTEN TO THEM, UM, BUT TO REALLY ADDRESS, OH, SORRY. I'M OUT OF TIME. ONE MINUTE IS SO SHORT. YOU KNOW, WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THIS AS A TY SIDE DISCUSSION, YOU KNOW, THANK YOU, UH, CANDIDATE BAAN. THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. UM, WHEN I HEAR THE, THE WORD NEIGHBORHOOD, WHAT I THINK MAKES A NEIGHBORHOOD ARE THE PEOPLE. UM, BUT WITH THAT IS THE OPPORTUNITY. UM, AND SO THAT'S OPPORTUNITY TO GET TO PARKS OPPORTUNITIES TO RIDE YOUR BIKE SOMEWHERE. THAT'S SAFE, UM, OPPORTUNITIES TO HAVE PUBLIC TRANSIT AND GOOD SCHOOLS, BUT WE NEED THAT OPPORTUNITY FOR EVERYBODY. AND SO WE CAN'T LET A FEW PEOPLE DECIDE WHAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD OPPORTUNITY CAN BE FOR THE CITY. AND SO THAT'S WHY IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE COME OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY, THAT WE TALK ABOUT ALL OF THESE THINGS. AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT LIKE THE RACIST PAST OF AUSTIN, IT'S TRUE. MY DAD USED TO LIVE BY UT, UM, AND THEN SLOWLY AND SLOWLY, FAMILY GOT PUSHED FARTHER AND FARTHER SOUTH. I'M A PROUD SOUTH AUSTINITE, BUT THAT WASN'T BY DESIGN. THAT WAS BECAUSE FOLKS IN MY FAMILY WERE PUSHED OUT WHEN DOWNTOWN BECAME A MORE INTERESTING, UH, TO BE. SO WE NEED TO REALIZE THAT WHEN PEOPLE SAY THAT THERE ARE ISSUES, THERE ARE THANK YOU, CANDIDATE VELAZQUEZ, WEGMAN. YEAH. SO I, I LIVE IN ZER AND, UH, I THINK THAT I, I MET LIKE ONE OTHER ME, I'M MEXICAN. I MET LIKE ANOTHER MEXICAN A COUPLE, UH, WEEKS AGO. SHE LIVES A FEW BLOCKS DOWN. WE SHE'S ALSO FROM LOS ANGELES ORIGINALLY, WE WERE MARKING UPON HOW IT'S THE WHITEST WHITEST AREA WE'VE EVER LIVED IN . AND IT'S, IT'S NOT LIKE, IT'S, IT'S REALLY FUNNY TO SAY THAT IT'S DIVERSE. THE CITY'S NOT DIVERSE. AND HISTORICALLY SPEAKING, IT'S DONE OBVIOUSLY TERRIBLE THINGS THROUGH ITS POLICY, EMINENT DOMAIN, AND OTHER SORTS OF HORRIBLE SITUATIONS THAT, UM, HAVE LED TO CONSEQUENCES THAT WERE NOT DESIRABLE FOR ANYONE THAT SAID IT'S REALLY, REALLY DANGEROUS TO START PROJECTING, UH, THESE KINDS OF BAD INTENT ONTO PEOPLE, MODERNLY, WHERE WE ARE NOW IN 2022. I THINK THAT TO SAY, TO, TO, TO ASSUME THAT SOMEONE'S RACIST BECAUSE THEY WANT TO PRESERVE THE CHARACTER OF THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, IS, IS A DANGEROUS GAME TO PLAY. AND THEY VILIFIES ALL SIDES AND IT DOESN'T ALLOW US TO REALLY COME TO THE TABLE TO, TO TRY TO ACTUALLY FIGURE OUT HOW TO BEST SOLVE THE PROBLEMS THAT THESE NEIGHBORHOODS IN OUR CITY ARE, IS FACING. AND IT'S JUST, IT'S NOT A GOOD IDEA. SO WE HAVE TO RECOGNIZE HOW BAD HISTORY WAS, BUT NOT CONTINUE TO BRING IT INTO THE, INTO THE PRESENT. OKAY. ARE YOU READY FOR A POLICE QUESTION? UM, THE AUSTIN CITY COUNCIL RECENTLY PASSED ONTO THE VOTERS NEXT MAY THE ORDINANCE THAT WOULD'VE REMOVED THE [00:40:01] OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT EMPLOYEES FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT'S BENEFIT AND SALARY SYSTEM, AND TO ESTABLISH IT AS AN ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE, ALTHOUGH COUNCIL COULD HAVE APPROVED IT, IT WOULD'VE ALLOWED THE POLICE OVERSIGHT OFFICE INDEPENDENTLY TO EXAMINE COMPLAINTS AGAINST OFFICERS TO HAVE GREATER ACCESS TO INTERNAL DISCIPLINE RECORDS AND OFFICERS CAMERA FOOTAGE, AND ALSO TO HAVE MORE POWER TO SUGGEST DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS TO THE POLICE. CHIEF. THE QUESTION IS PHILOSOPHICALLY, DO YOU THINK PASS IT ONTO THE VOTERS WAS A GOOD THING, OR DO YOU THINK THEY SHOULD HAVE JUST PASSED IT THEN AND CANDIDATE? WELL, YOU CAN START, I DON'T THINK THEY SHOULD HAVE PASSED IT. UM, AND I PUT IT ONTO THE VOTERS. I, I THINK WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WE'RE CONTINUING TO LAY THE BURDEN OF, UH, SERVICE BY OUR, UH, POLICE OFFICERS, UH, A VERY, VERY HEAVY BURDEN ON THEM BY PAINTING 'EM ALL WITH ONE BRUSH. I, I DON'T WANNA BE PAINTED WITH A SINGLE BRUSH. NOBODY DOES. AND THERE ARE A FEW BAD APPLES IN EVERY BUSINESS, IN EVERY, EVERY ENVIRONMENT THAT WE'RE IN AND THOSE NEED TO BE CALLED OUT. AND THAT'S WHAT THE, UH, THE GROUP IS SUPPOSED TO BE DOING. ACCOUNTABILITY IS SOMETHING THAT THE COUNCIL BRINGS TO THIS PROCESS. AND WHEN WE GO IN AND WE REVIEW AND, AND TALK WITH THE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN CHARGE OF IT TODAY, THEY SHOULD TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEMS. AND I THINK THEY HAVE BEEN, I THINK WE HAVE A GOOD FORCE. I I'VE, I'VE RIDDEN WITH THEM. I I'VE DONE RIDEALONGS AND I'M IMPRESSED. THESE ARE QUALITY PROFESSIONAL PEOPLE. WE NEED MORE, AND THEY WERE LESS WILLING TO COME HERE OF QUALITY BECAUSE OF THE BURDENS THAT WE'RE PLACING ON WITH SUCH TREMENDOUSLY INTRUSIVE OVERSIGHT. SO THANK YOU, UH, CANDIDATE ALTER. SO ONE OF THE POINTS OF DISCUSSION ON WHY IT WAS PUSHED BACK WAS A FEAR THAT IF WE PASSED IT AS A COUNCIL, THAT THE LEGISLATURE WOULD COME IN AND PREEMPT IT AND, AND HAVE THAT POLICY BE STATEWIDE, WE CAN'T AS A CITY, MAKE DECISIONS BASED ON WHAT WE THINK THE LEGISLATURE IS, OR IS NOT GONNA DO TO US. THE LEGISLATURE IS GOING TO ATTACK AUSTIN, NO MATTER WHAT WE DO, IT'S JUST EASY POLITICS. AND SO, AS SOMEONE WHO'S WORKED THERE FOR A LONG TIME, I CAN TELL YOU, THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A REASON WHY AUSTIN IS THE WORST AND NEEDS TO BE PUNISHED. UM, BUT I THINK THAT THE OVERSIGHT ACT IS GOOD POLICY THAT WE NEED TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, BOTH OFFICERS AND THE PUBLIC NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN THERE IS EITHER MISUSE OF FORCE OR NOT JUST ANY ACTION THAT IS TAKEN WITH REGARD TO A POLICE RESPONSE, THOSE ACTIONS ARE GOING TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. AND THIS ACT, I THINK WOULD'VE DONE THAT CANDIDATE. CRAIG, THANK YOU 100%. I BELIEVE THAT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN PASSED. UM, THERE'S NO REASON TO CONTINUE TO COUPLE THAT WITH THE BENEFITS PACKAGE, UM, THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT NEEDS TO HA BE INDEPENDENT AND AUTHORIZED UNTIL THERE IS CONFIDENCE IN OVERSIGHT OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A CERTAIN LEVEL OF DISTRUST. THERE WILL CERTAIN CERTAINLY BE, UM, LOOKS A SCAN AND THAT DOES, THAT'S NOT HELPFUL FOR OUR COMMUNITY OFFICERS THAT I HAVE WORKED WITH, WHETHER IT'S IN THE DISTRICT REPS, UH, ARE, UM, JUST IN RIDE, ALONGS ARE HERE TO SERVE. THEY NEED TO BE, THEY NEED TO BE OUT IN FRONT AS SEEN AS SERVANTS AND NOT FEEL LIKE, AND NOT HAVE THE PUBLIC FEEL LIKE THEY'RE BEING PROTECTED OR SHIELDED WHEN THERE IS THAT TRUST AND CONFIDENCE IN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, THEN YOU'LL HAVE MUCH MORE COMMUNITY COOPERATION AND A DIFFERENT, UH, RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE COMMUNITY AND THE POLICE. OKAY. I'M NOT SWITCHING ON THE OTHER THREE, SAME QUESTION CANDIDATE ON, DO YOU MIND? REATING THE QUESTION? UH, IT WAS, EXCUSE ME. IT WAS WHEN THE CITY COUNCIL, UH, INSTEAD OF PASSING, UH, REMOVING THE OFFICE OF POLICE OVERSIGHT FROM THE POLICE DEPARTMENT'S BENEFIT AND SALARY SYSTEM AND TO ESTABLISH IT AS AN ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE, UH, BUT THEY PASS IT ONTO THE VOTERS RATHER THAN PASS IT ITSELF. AND THE OVERSIGHT, WHAT THEY WOULD'VE DONE WAS GIVE THE POLICE OVERSIGHT OFFICE, THE, UH, ABILITY TO EXAMINE COMPLAINTS, AGAIN, OFFICERS TO HAVE ACCESS TO INTERNAL DISCIPLINE RECORDS AND OFFICERS CAMERA FOOTAGE, AND TO GIVE THEM MORE POWER, TO SUGGEST DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS TO THE POLICE CHIEF. YEP. THANK YOU. SORRY. AFTER HEARING EVERY, WOULD YOU HAVE VOTED TO APPROVE IT OR WOULD YOU HAVE OR NOT, OR WOULD YOU PASS IT ON? ABSOLUTELY. I WAS THERE THAT DAY, UM, AT CITY HALL AND I WOULD'VE VOTED TO PASS, PASS IT. [00:45:01] UM, I KNOW THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE, UM, WANTED TO PUT IT INTO MAY BECAUSE OF THE LEGISLATURE. BUT I THINK AS A CITY COUNCIL, WE NEED TO STAND UP FOR THE AUSTINITES AT THE TIME THAT WE CAN, AND THEN WE CAN FIGHT THE OTHER FIGHT AS IT COMES, COMES TO PLAY. WE HAVE, UM, A LOT OF TRUST ISSUES WITH POLICE AND WE CERTAINLY HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY AND WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT THAT. AND THIS WAS A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE WERE ACTUALLY ABLE TO COME TOGETHER, EVEN FOLKS WHO VOTED AGAINST IT TO, TO MOVE IT TO MAY, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, VILLA, AND, AND SOME OTHERS. UM, THE REASONING WAS AGAIN BECAUSE OF THE LEDGE. AND I DON'T THINK THAT WE SHOULD LOOK AT WHAT THE LEGISLATOR IS THINKING LEGISLATURE AND HAVE THAT BE A REASON WHY WE DON'T FIGHT FOR OUR AUSTINITES WHEN WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO CANDIDATE BOSS, CASE, WE, I THINK AT THE CORE OF THIS ISSUE IS A QUESTION THAT A LOT OF AUSTINITES WHEN I ASK THEM THE QUESTION, DO YOU FEEL REASONABLY CONFIDENT THAT WHEN YOU CALL THE POLICE, THEY'LL COME ANSWER YOUR CALL. IF THERE'S AN EMERGENCY, A LOT OF AUSTINITES DO NOT FEEL THAT WAY. AND THERE'S A MAJOR, MAJOR SHORTAGE OF POLICE OFFICERS IN THE CITY. THERE'S TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF VACANCIES AND A LOT OF REALLY QUALIFIED PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO COME WORK HERE BECAUSE OF THE FEELING THEY HAVE ON THE POLICING SIDE OF FEELING LIKE THE CITY'S HOSTILE TO THEM. I THINK WE SHOULD FEEL REASONABLY. WE SHOULD HAVE THE EXPECTATION OF BEING PROTECTED BY THE POLICE FORCE. OF COURSE, WE HAVE TO HOLD BAD POLICE ACCOUNTABLE WHEN THEY ACT OUT IMPLEMENTING ON FROM A HIGH LEVEL, ALL THESE SORT OF OVERSIGHT REGULATIONS AND POLICIES DOES NOT HELP, UH, THE SITUATION. IT ACTUALLY MAY EVEN STRAIN IT IN THE LONG RUN BECAUSE THERE'S SECOND AND THIRD, FOURTH ORDER CONSEQUENCES THAT OCCUR WHEN YOU JUST KIND OF PASS A POLICY. THAT SOUNDS GOOD ON ITS FACE. AND DOESN'T LEAD TO THE CONSEQUENCES THAT YOU WANT. AND, UH, THIS IS, THIS IS PROBABLY ONE OF THOSE TIMES. AND, UH, IT'S UNFORTUNATE THAT THAT'S THE CASE. CANDID ANDERSON. THANK YOU. I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY POLICE QUESTIONS. I WILL SAY VERY FIRMLY THAT POLICE REFORM IS PART OF MY PLATFORM. UM, THERE IS AN APARTHEID SYSTEM WITHIN POLICING ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. THIS IS NOT SPECIAL TO AUSTIN. THIS IS HAPPENING EVERYWHERE. AND SOME PEOPLE FEEL SAFE WITH THE POLICE AND THEY TRUST THE POLICE AND OTHER PEOPLE DO NOT. SO TO PAINT A BROAD BRUSH AND SAY, WE ALL TRUST THE POLICE, OR WE ALL DON'T, THERE'S DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES WITH THE POLICE BASED OFF OF YOUR INCOME, YOUR RACE, YOUR SEX, YOUR GENDER EXPRESSION, YOUR SEXUAL IDENTITY. SO I WANT TO MAKE THAT CLEAR. FIRST, I WOULD HAVE VOTED FOR THE BILL. I WOULD NOT PASS IT ONTO THE VOTERS IN MAY BECAUSE THE PEOPLE MOST AFFECTED BY THE POLICE ARE THOSE WHO DON'T HAVE THE LUXURY TO GO VOTE ALL THE TIME. IT'S OUR JOB AS A COUNCIL MEMBER TO VOTE FOR THINGS FOR THE PEOPLE NOT PASS 'EM ON TO THEM. THANK YOU. WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR ONE MORE FULL SET OF QUESTIONS. UM, BUT I DO WANT A ONE WORD ANSWER. OH NO. OKAY. ONE WORD. OKAY. I WANT YOU TO DESCRIBE YOUR CHARACTER WITH ONE WORD, WHOA, OR A SKILL. YOU CAN DO ONE SKILL OR ONE CHARACTER, AND I'M GONNA START IN THE MIDDLE WITH CANDIDATE BAAN INTEGRITY, CANDIDATE CRAIG, HEART CANDIDATE WELCH. MINE GETS STOLEN. INTEGRITY. IT'S A GOOD ONE. CANDIDATE ALTER THOUGHTFUL CANDIDATE, ANDERSON EMPATHY, CANADA VELASQUE WE SINCERE, I DIDN'T, THAT'S NOT HARD. ISN'T WOULD IT BE, I REALLY WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO THE CANDIDATES VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE. CAN YOU ALL GIVE THEM A WONDERFUL ROUND OF APPLAUSE? I ALSO WANNA SAY A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S TECH TEAM. THEY PUT ALL OF THIS TOGETHER. THEY SET UP ALL OF THESE CHAIRS, ALL OF THESE WIRES AND TO THE INTERPRETERS THAT ARE BEHIND THE SCENES AND TO THE PEOPLE THAT ARE RECORDING EVERYTHING. SO YOU ALL CAN WATCH IT AGAIN. I REALLY WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU FOR DOING WHAT YOU DO. UM, IN MY INTRO TONIGHT, I TOLD THESE CANDIDATES THAT THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO AFFECT CHANGE, BUT IT'S YOU THE VOTERS OF DISTRICT FIVE WHO HOLD THE POWER IN OUR DEMOCRACY, YOU HAVE THE PRIVILEGE TO ELECT A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THIS GROUP OF PEOPLE, AND THEN YOU HAVE THE OBLIGATION TO HOLD [00:50:01] THEM ACCOUNTABLE. ONCE THEY'RE IN OFFICE, THE LEAGUE ENCOURAGES ACTIVE PARTICIPATION FROM EACH OF YOU TO AID IN YOUR DECISION. OUR NONPARTISAN VOTERS GUIDE FOR THIS ELECTION WILL BE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT WWW L WV AUSTIN.ORG. IT'S IN ENGLISH, SPANISH, VIETNAMESE, AND MANDARIN. THE PRINTED GUIDE WILL BE DISTRIBUTED IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH ONLY AT THIS TIME TO MANY LOCATIONS AROUND TOWN, INCLUDING OUR WONDERFUL CITY OF AUSTIN LIBRARY SYSTEM EARLY VOTING BEGINS MONDAY, OCTOBER 24TH AND ENDS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH, ELECTION DAY IS NOVEMBER THE EIGHTH. NOW THE DEADLINE TO REGISTER TO VOTE IN THIS ELECTION. IF YOU'VE JUST MOVED HERE IS OCTOBER THE 11TH. WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR ATTENTION FROM WHEREVER YOU'RE LISTENING AND WATCHING. AND I'D LIKE TO NOW GIVE EACH OF YOU CANDIDATES, UH, ONE MINUTE TO TELL THESE VOTERS WHY THEY ARE GONNA VOTE FOR YOU, BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE WANNA END ON. I'M DOING MY CLOSING, BUT I WANT THEM TO REMEMBER YOU. SO WE'RE GONNA GIVE YOU ONE MINUTE EACH TO MAKE A CLOSING STATEMENT. AND I THINK WE BEGAN WITH, UH, WE'RE GONNA GO, LET'S GO BACKWARDS AND LET'S START WITH AN, WITH, UH, CANDIDATE ANDERSON FOR YOUR ONE MINUTE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND THANK YOU EVERYBODY AGAIN FOR COMING OUT AND FOR HEARING US, THIS IS NOT EASY. IT IS A LOT OF WORK AND I RESPECT ALL THE PEOPLE UP HERE FOR THE CAMPAIGNS THAT WE'RE RUNNING. UM, AGAIN, MY NAME IS BRIAN ANDERSON. YOU CAN FIND MY INFORMATION ON ANDERSON FOR AUSTIN.COM AND FIND ME ON THE SOCIALS. UM, I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT IF I COME ACROSS TOO STRONGLY, IT'S BECAUSE I CARE A LOT ABOUT PEOPLE AND ABOUT THIS TOWN AND ABOUT OUR FUTURE, THERE IS A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY AHEAD FOR AUSTIN. A LOT OF THIS CHANGED AND A LOT OF THIS GROWTH MEANS OPPORTUNITY. AND I HAVE BOTH THE EXPERIENCE OF SOMEONE WHO GREW UP IN A MIDDLE CLASS, FAMILY, WORKING FAMILY, PARENTS THAT DIDN'T GO TO COLLEGE AND I MADE IT TO COLLEGE. I DID WELL. I WENT TO JOHNS HOPKINS FOR GRAD SCHOOL, GRADUATED IN 2021. AND I DON'T THINK ANY OF THAT IS A BAD THING TO HAVE WORKED THAT HARD, TO GET TO WHERE I NEED TO BE. AND I HAVE A LOT TO OFFER THE CITY. I HOPE YOU'LL FOLLOW MY CAMPAIGN SO THAT YOU CAN SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TOGETHER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, CANDIDATE VELASQUEZ. WEBB. YEAH, I THINK MY VIEWS ARE DIFF DIFFERENT FROM A LOT OF THE OTHER CANDIDATES HERE IN THAT. I ACTUALLY DON'T THINK WE SHOULD BE FORCING IDEAS DOWN PEOPLE'S THROATS THAT WE SHOULD ACTUALLY BE TAKING PEOPLE'S BOATS, BOATS INTO ACCOUNT AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE AUSTIN ACTUALLY WANTS. IT'S WE ARE AFTER ALL LIVING IN A DEMOCRACY. AND TO THE EXTENT THAT YOU GUYS LOOK, IF THERE WERE 10, UH, CITY COUNCIL PEOPLE CURRENTLY THAT WERE OUTSIDERS, I WOULD SAY VOTE FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS AN INSIDE TRACK INTO THIS FIELD. I'M REALLY SOMEONE WHO WILL REPRESENT A FRESH PERSPECTIVE. AND I'M AT THE END OF THE DAY ONLY RUNNING TO BE ONE OF 11 VOTES, INCLUDING THE MAYOR. SO, UM, WHAT I CAN BRING TO THIS CITY COUNCIL SITUATION ISN'T NECESSARILY SILVER BULLETS. IT'S NOT GONNA BE UTOPIA. IT'S GONNA BE TRYING MY BEST TO BRING A VERY SINCERE AND FRESH OUTLOOK TO A SYSTEM THAT HAS BEEN, FRANKLY, NOT DOING THAT GREAT FOR US. AND IF YOU GUYS ARE SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THE DIRECTION THE CITY'S GOING, GOING IN, I'M NOT YOUR CANDIDATE, I'M SOMEONE WHO'S GONNA REPRESENT SOMETHING DIFFERENT. AND, UH, I ALSO AGREE THOUGH THAT, UM, IT IS A LOT OF WORK TO DO THIS, SO IT'S, IT'S GREAT TO SEE EVERYONE HERE AGAIN FOR LIKE THE THIRD TIME THIS WEEK. THANK YOU, CANDIDATE. BAAN THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK Y'ALL FOR BEING HERE TODAY. AND FOR SPENDING THIS LITTLE BIT OF TIME WITH US ARE REALLY APPRECIATE IT. UM, THERE WAS A POLL THAT CAME OUT RECENTLY THAT SAID THAT AUSTINITES DID NOT LIKE THE DIRECTION THAT THE CITY WAS GOING. AND, AND I FEEL THAT WAY TOO. I THINK THAT AUSTIN NEEDS A FRESH PERSPECTIVE. SOMEBODY WHO'S NOT A CITY HALL, INSIDER SOMEBODY WHO'S BEEN A PART OF THE COMMUNITY AND WANTS TO BRING THAT VOICE TO CITY HALL. WE ALL HAVE LOTS OF EXPERIENCE, UM, AND THERE'S ROOM FOR ALL OF OUR IDEAS, BUT THERE'S ALSO A NEED FOR COMMUNITY IDEAS. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S IMPORTANT IS TO HAVE A CHAMPION WHO CAN TAKE THE PLANS AND POLICIES THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AND GET THEM ACROSS THE FINISH LINE FOR THE PEOPLE. UM, I'M A PROUD MOM'S DEMAND. ACTION, MAMA. I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S ANY MAMAS IN THE ROOM, BUT ONE OF THE SAYINGS IS THAT THERE'S MOMS EVERYWHERE AND THERE ARE MOMS EVERYWHERE. AND THAT FIGHT THAT I TOLD YOU ABOUT EARLIER FOR MY FOUR YEAR OLD AND MY SEVEN YEAR OLD THAT'S IN THAT FIRE. THAT'S IN MY BELLY. THAT'S GONNA COME OUT FOR MY COMMUNITY. SO I URGE YOU AGAIN TO FOLLOW ME AT STEPHANIE FOR AUSTIN ON FACEBOOK OR INSTAGRAM AND CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE, STEPHANIE BISAN.COM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, CANDIDATE CRAIG. I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK ON PROJECTS FOR, FROM, UH, ADDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING, TO HAVING A HEALTHCARE RESPONSE, TO MENTAL HEALTH CRISES AND IMPROVING CITY SERVICES, AS SATISFYING AS ALL. THAT IS THE REAL REASON THAT I'M IN THE RACE IS TO [00:55:01] ANSWER THE CALL TO SERVE. IT'S A CALL THAT I'VE BEEN ANSWERING FOR DECADES, AND IT'S A CALL THAT I WILL ANSWER FOR MY LAST BREATH. AND IN THIS HONORABLE SERVICE, I HAVE LEARNED THROUGH THIS CALLING THAT THE BEST POLICY COMES NOT FROM A PERSON IN AN OFFICE, BUT FROM TRUE INCLUSIVE COLLABORATION ACROSS THE COMMUNITY. THAT COLLABORATION DOESN'T NECESSARILY ALWAYS IN AN AGREEMENT, BUT I CAN TELL YOU WHAT PEOPLE HAVE SAID AND WILL CONTINUE TO SAY ABOUT ME IS THAT THEY HAVE BEEN HEARD, THEY'VE BEEN RESPECTED, THEIR VIEWPOINTS WERE VALUED. AND IF WE DIDN'T AGREE, IT WAS NOT BECAUSE THERE WAS NO ATTEMPT TO REACH A COMMON GROUND. THAT IS HOW THE DISTRICT FIVE OFFICE WILL CONTINUE TO OPERATE. AND I HOPE THAT YOU'LL CONSIDER THAT WHEN YOU, UH, LOOKED AT YOUR CHOICES AND I WILL HUMBLY, UH, ASK FOR YOUR SUPPORT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, CANDIDATE WELCH. YEAH. THE LAST QUESTION YOU ASKED THAT WE ANSWERED FULLY, UH, REALLY RAISED SOMETHING IN MY MIND. UM, HIGH DEGREE OF INTEREST IN INTRUSIVE SCRUTINY OF OUR POLICE FORCE, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THERE'S VERY LITTLE INTEREST IN REQUIRING THAT OUR CITY HAVE INDEPENDENT AUDIT OF OUR 5 BILLION BUDGET AND OPERATIONS THAT BLOWS MY MIND. BUT WHAT I PLEDGE THAT I CAN DO FOR YOU IS GIVE YOU A SAFER COMMUNITY, UH, GIVE YOU BETTER TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS, WHICH INCLUDE WIDER ROADS, UH, UH, AND, UH, SAFER ROADS, CLEANER AND MORE PLENTIFUL WATER AND RELIABLE ELECTRICITY. AND, UH, I WILL WORK TO ENFORCE THE CAMPING BAN, MAKE AUSTIN SAFE, AGAIN, REDUCE OUR TAX BURDEN, MAKE AUSTIN AFFORDABLE AGAIN. KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD, CUZ I LOVE IT AND SAVE LIVE MUSIC PLEASE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, CANDIDATE ALTER. THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH FOR COMING OUT. YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ASK ME WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU DO THIS? MY WIFE ASK ME THAT QUESTION EVERY DAY. SO, YOU KNOW, I, I DO IT BECAUSE I CARE BECAUSE I HAVE A THREE YEAR OLD DAUGHTER AND A ONE YEAR OLD SON AND I WANT THEM TO BE ABLE TO GROW UP HERE. I DO IT BECAUSE I THINK IT'S TIME FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS TO BE AT THE TABLE AND SHAPE AUSTIN'S FUTURE. YOU KNOW, IT'S TIME WE ASK OURSELVES, WHAT DO YOU WANT AUSTIN'S FUTURE TO BE? AND WHO DO YOU TRUST TO GET US THERE? I KNOW I WANT AUSTIN'S FUTURE TO BE A PLACE WHERE EVERYONE CAN AFFORD TO LIVE IN ALL OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. I WANT IT TO BE A PLACE WHERE YOU HAVE REAL OPTIONS TO GET AROUND THAT DON'T INVOLVE JUST GETTING IN YOUR CAR AND SITTING IN TRAFFIC. I WANT IT TO BE A PLACE WHERE EQUITY IS A FOUNDATIONAL PILLAR OF WHO WE ARE AND HOW WE MAKE OUR DECISIONS. I WANT IT TO BE CLEAN. I WANT IT TO BE SAFE AND I WANT IT TO BE WELCOMING FOR EVERYONE. THIS AUSTIN IS WITHIN REACH. IF WE ELECT THE RIGHT PERSON AND I WOULD OFFER THAT I AM THAT CANDIDATE CANDIDATES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME THIS EVENING. AND, AND A NOTE TO THOSE OF YOU THAT AREN'T SUCCESSFUL THIS TIME RUNNING FOR COUNCIL. NOW, I'M NOT GONNA SAY THERE'S ALWAYS NEXT TIME, BUT THERE ARE PLENTY OF BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS WITHIN THE CITY OF AUSTIN THAT NEED YOUR EXPERTISE. AND THIS DISTRICT HAS A TOUGH CHOICE TO, TO ELECT ONE OF YOU TO REPRESENT THEM AND THE SAME THING TO ALL OF YOU IN THE AUDIENCE. AND ALL OF YOU LISTENING, THE COMMISSIONS AND BOARDS ARE MADE UP OF PEOPLE JUST LIKE US, UH, THE USE AND MES OF THE WORLD. AND YOU, WHOEVER WINS A SELECTION ARE GONNA HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO CHOOSE THOSE PEOPLE TO HELP YOU GUIDE THIS CITY OF OURS. SO I WANNA JUST THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND SAY GOODNIGHT TO ALL OF YOU AND GOOD LUCK. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.