Crystal_Cotti's Blog

'Tis the season to start an Austin City Council campaign. Here's who has announced they are running or are considering a run.

Mayor

Brewster McCracken - Definitely running

Lee Leffingwell - Probably but hasn't officially announced

Mike Levy - Maybe

Carole Keeton Strayhorn - Maybe

 

Place 1 (if Leffingwell runs for mayor)

Rick Cofer - Definitely running

Perla Cavasos - Filed campaign treasurer paperwork

Chris Riley - Definitely running

Place 2

Mike Martinez - Definitely running for re-election

 

Place 5

Bill Spelman - Definitely running

 

Place 6

Sheryl cole - Definitely running for re-election

 

Let me know if I'm forgetting anyone.

 

You have to love Austin city politics.  Austin Mayor Will Wynn isn't running again because he's term limited and the vacancy is causing a frenzy of activity. Mayor Pro Tem Brewster McCracken officially announced his campaign last week and put Lee Leffingwell in a difficult situation. Leffingwell is also considered a serious candidate but because voters just elected him to his second council term in May, he has to give up his seat in order to run for mayor. If he officially announces before January, it will trigger a special election that will cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. If he waits until after January, his seat will be filled as part of the already scheduled May election but he'll be behind McCracken  in terms of fundraising and media attention.

The solution...have your friends form a "Draft Lee Leffingwell for Mayor" political action committee and let them fundraise and send out press releases. (I've gotten five in the last week and half.)

It's kind of insincere since most city hall observers and consultants believe Leffingwell has already made up his mind to run and doesn't need to be "drafted".  But it's also a clever solution to a somewhat unique problem.

Mike Levy and Carole Keeton Strayhorn have also expressed interest  in the mayoral election.

A lot has changed in Council Member Randi Shade's life between this week's council meeting and last week's...she gave birth! Shade didn't waste any time getting back to work. She had her daugther, Emily Austin Shade Shell Friday September 26 but less than a week later she's at city hall for this week's council meeting. Now that's one tough momma!

  The media circus is packing up and clearing out of Denver this morning. On television the story is now John McCain's VP choice. Network news anchors are already reporting from Minneapolis, the site of the Republican National Convention. It's supposed to start Monday, the same day Gustav is projected to bear down dangerously close to New Orleans.

  It's amazing how fast the news cycle changes, but the beast must be fed.

  I've enjoyed covering a presidential convention as tiring as it was. Sitting inside the Mile High Stadium, home to the Denver Broncos, was a little bit like being inside a Barack Obama snow globe. Celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Kanye West were there and watching history unfold was unforgettable.

  But now it's time for me to move on as well. I'm heading back to Steamboat Springs for the weekend then it's back on to Austin, home sweet home.

  I just left the Invesco Field and this is the first time I've been able to blog today because I couldn't connect to the internet inside the stadium.

  I arrived at Invesco about 2:30pm and waited six hours to hear Barack Obama's speech.  I was pretty sure after waiting that long there was no way he was going to live up to all the hype. But he did.

  Obama hit it out of the park, but after all, this is what he does best. Before Obama took the stage, we heard from Bill Richardson, Al Gore and Joe Biden. One of my favorite segments of the evening, besides Sheryl Crow and Stevie Wonder, was hearing from real people talk about why they support Obama.

  Teresa Asenap from New Mexico talked about how her grandparents never learned to read or write but she went on to earn a doctorate in education.  Pamela Cash Roper told the world how she worked hard to open her own small business but couldn't afford healthcare insurance. Barney Smith from Indiana described feeling like a failure after the plant he worked at for 30 years suddenly closed and outsourced his job. He had one of the memorable lines from the night saying "We need a president who puts Barney Smith before Smith and Barney.

  A crowd of General and Admirals who support Obama came out next to bolster Obama's case he has the experience and judgement needed for complex foreign policy decisions.  I understand the political importance of such a show of support but it was not one of the most inspiring moments of the evening.

  For me, seeing Obama's life story  played out in the form of a mini documentary right before he came out to speak was moving.  Like many watching,  I could relate to the influences his grandparents and parents had on him.  I kept thinking how much he would have liked to have had his mother with him, alive and well watching her son accomplish something no other African American has so far in our history.

  When Barack Obama finally took the stage, he spoke eloquently about the promise of America. That anybody can accomplish anything if they're willing to work for it. He talked about the need for a different kind of politics and showed a good example by not questioning his opponents patriotism or character. We can agree to disagree without tearing each other down.

  Both Democrats and Republicans would do well to follow this example.

  Day Four of the DNC started this morning for me at the Texas delegate breakfast at the Red Lion Hotel in Aurora, about nine miles away from Denver. It feels much further away than that and I'm told the battleground state delegations get the best hotels. Since Texas has been written off as a solidly Red State, we get the shaft when it comes to hotel location. Oh well.
 
Kirk Watson, Rafael Anchia and Rick Noriega were just a few of the Texas politicians on hand at the delegate breakfast. But it was Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee that brought the house down. She preached passionately about  voter suppression and accused the Republicans of trying to keep voters from the polls with unnecessary identification requirements.  Congresswoman Lee said Republican backed legislation would have required a passport or a birth certificate to vote but was defeated before it became law. State Rep. Rafael Anchia compared the legislation to a modern day poll tax..
 
  This will continue to be a hot issue especially with so many new voters expected at the polls in November.

Bill Clinton still has it. Moments ago he gave a spirited speech that both united his par;ty behind Barack Obama and criticized the Republicans. You could feel the strength and energy of Bill Clinton's popularity and his influence eight years after he left office.  Many convention attendees with floor passes couldn't get in because it was so packed.

One of Clinton's comments that drew the loudest applause was when he talked about the power of America's example rather than the example of our power. This was a direct hit on eight years of Republican leadership and premptive military action in Iraq.  This kind of criticism is the most effective given the unpopularity of the Iraq War now.

Clinton held back tears when he started talking about being elected president in 1992.  He said Republicans criticized him for being too young and inexperienced to lead the country, followed by "Sound familiar?" Clinton repeatedly reminded the audience that he believed Barack Obama was ready to lead and fulfilled his promise to unite the Democratic Party.

Newly named Vice Presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks at 8pm and has a tough act to follow.

  Hillary Clinton has shown herself to be a team player.  A few moments ago she made a motion to suspend the DNC rules and nominate Barack Obama by acclaimation.  Basically, Clinton delegates who were unwilling to support Obama will not have their votes counted.  Clinton's motion was passed by a two thirds vote of delegates although in all fairness, those who opposed the motion weren't really given the chance to be heard.

  The Democrats avoided a divisive and damaging roll call vote. It would have been a disaster if a significant percentage of delegates did not vote for the presumptive nominee, in this case Obama

  The fact that Hillary herself made such a motion shows she is doing all she can to unite the party behind Obama. This is probably one of the hardest things she's had to do considering how much she wants to be president.

  Perhaps her time will come.

  A mostly symbolic process is taking place at the DNC right now. Each state delegation is announcing their selection for president.  Once Barack Obama reaches the magic number of 2,210 he will officially become the presidential nominee for the Democratic Party, thus making history as the first African American Presidential Nominee.

  The big question is will the party be unified behind Obama or will disgruntled Hillary Clinton supporters divide Democrats?  Hillary has released her delegates to vote for Obama but the fear is enough of those delegates will refuse to do so. 

  As of 4:40pm, Obama had 1,549 delegates. Everyone seems to be waiting to see what Hillary's home state of New York will do.  As one Fox Correspondent put it, expect to see some "Clinton Choreography".

  Despite a convincing speech Tuesday night, questions still linger about whether Clinton really wants Obama to win the presidency.  One former Clinton staffer told me "She doesn't want to have dinner with Obama, but she does want him to win."

We shall see.

  Denver is all about the Democrats right now.  Visitors are greeted with DNC signs from the moment they enter the city limits and on almost every street corner downtown you can find vendors peddling anything Obama. The main public gathering place is 16th Street where one opportunistic entrepreneur is driving a truck around downtown trying to  sell plastic water bottles with Obama figurines inside. Anything for a buck right? And there's no doubt the DNC is a big money maker for a lot of people here in Denver.

But in this Obama Love Fest, there are also McCain supporters in Denver reminding everyone Obama is not the only game in town.

As I arrived in downtown Denver, a gang of motorcyclists started honking their horns. At first I thought I had cut someone off, but all the commotion had nothing to do with me and everything to do with McCain. These tough-looking guys and gals were holding anti Obama signs that read things like "Nobama" and "Change We Can't Believe In." Not exactly original slogans but they made their point.

That's not the only commotion outside the Pepsi Center. Protestors are having a field day with all eyes on Denver. Several protests are held daily and the subject matter focuses on everything from abortion to Hillary. Some protestors don't even have a reason, they're just here because they can be.

Despite those trying to cause chaos, law enforcement officers appear to be keeping things under control. But they don't get all the credit. I think the relative peace here is a testament to the American political system. We can disagree with each other without resorting to violence. Hopefully, I haven't spoken too soon.

  After four days of fun with my 19 month-old in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, I'm on the road to Denver. It's a four hour trip south from where I was enjoying a vacation in the mountains with my daughter and husband at his uncle's ranch 25 minutes west of Steamboat.

  You might wonder why I would voluntarily choose to leave a stress-free vacation with my family to attend the chaotic work envionment at the Democratic National Convention. I'm asking myself that question right now. Here's the conclusion I've come to...it's history in the making and there's no telling when I might have a chance to be a part of something like this again. As a local television reporter, I've never had the opportunity to cover a national political convention. I'm curious about what it's like behind the scenes, what are my counterparts from different stations and markets going through to get their stories on the air? That curiosity combined with the opportunity to hear the first African American presidential candidate accept his party's nomination and to witness the first female presidential candidate be recognized for winning more primaries and caucuses than any other woman, was just too much to pass up.

Television journalists take a lot of hits for being too sensational and not substantive, some of that criticism is justified. But most of the reporters I know, myself included, have a burning desire to witness history, process it, find the inspiration and then share it with their viewers.

So for the next two days I'll be blogging about what I'm seeing, hearing and experiencing at the Democratic National Convention. I don't have a photographer, it's just me and my laptop. I hope after reading my entries you'll get a better idea of what it's like here, beyond the orchestrated prime time speeches and 60 second live interviews.

But don't worry, when the convention is over, I'll head back to Steamboat for a few more days of fun.

That's what City Manager Marc Ott has...somehow he and his staff have managed to freeze vacant positions and cut city services without having a negative impact on city services or so they say.

As newly elected Council Member Randi Shade points out, the only way that's possible is if the city was overstaffed to begin with. For the record, I don't doubt there was some fat in the Austin budget and Ott has already proven he's not afraid to cut it.

The most controversial proposed cuts are in road maintenance, libraries and parks in the form of 24 frozen vacancies.

But before we start targeting basic city services for the cutting block, shouldn't we look at pet projects first? City staff know what they are but none were mentioned in the proposed budget. Let's get those out in the public and then have a full discussion about which ones we can do without.

The summer break is over for Austin council members...their weekly marathon meetings resume this Thursday. And what better way to say "Welcome Back" than with the city manager's proposed budget.

Consider this round one of budget deliberations. This is Marc Ott's first proposed budget as the Austin City Manager so expect it to be under the microscope. After he makes his recommendations, city council members get to have their say. A few public meetings later, the council votes, typically in mid-September to approve the budget which goes into effect October 1.

This year the council has about a $25 million gap to fill. Ott has directed all city departments to cut $600,000 from their budget without significantly impacting city services. It will take some budget magic to accomplish that but so far Ott has been able to contain any significant opposition. A proposal to not fund the city's Housing Trust Fund is the only one to attract any outcry from the public. (Although  rumors are flying firefighters aren't happy about a proposal to close downtown fire stations on the weekend on a rotating basis...we'll let you know if that makes it into the final draft, it seems doubtful based on the political cost the city would face)

Alas, it seems social service organizations are more worried about not getting a 10 percent increase in city funding rather than any actual cuts. A concern like that doesn't seem to mobilize the troops the way cuts would so I'm predicting very few budget fireworks. Hopefully, I'm wrong.

Today Chief Art Acevedo caused a stir when he said Travis County is easy on criminals compared to Williamson County.  While this may offend some judges and juries, he's simply saying what most people think.  The criminal justice system in any county is a representation of the people who live there. Our values guide jury decisions to convict and the length of sentences. In Travis County, many pride themselves on being the liberal oasis of the state and the number of drug convictions reflects that.

Many criminal justice reformers complain our country's jails are too crowded as it is with minor drug offenders, while violent criminals are still on the streets. 

Crime is up in Austin but so far I have not heard a convincing argument that throwing more pot heads in jail for longer sentences will do anything to reduce crime in Austin.

It appears the Austin City Hall has a gnat problem. Specifically, the city clerk's office, although the pesky pests have made their way up to the Mayor's office as well.

Here's why...Austin Java has space at city hall and so does their dumpster. The gnats like whatever is in that dumpster. No surprise there, but because city hall is a "green building" there's all sorts of restrictions on the use of pesticides. The "natural" pesticide that is allowed isn't getting the job done, so the gnats keep increasing their force.

The city clerk's office is very close to the dumpster so they're feeling the brunt of the bugs. Some of the employees have brought fly swatters to work, what could be more natural then going after the nats with your own two hands?

Now that's going green!

But honestly, couldn't we bend the rules just this once and get some real pesticides? I even saw the gnats buzzing around when I had lunch at Austin Java this afternoon. Enough is enough.

Do something soon or else John Kelso will have a field day with this story.