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The nonprofit EverGreenAustin hosted two Austin city council candidate forums earlier this month for Districts 1 and 3, and for Districts 5, 8, and 9.
Event organizer Katie Gay said that EverGreen invited every candidate listed for these offices on the city ballot to participate but that not all of them showed up.
The Sept. 15 forum at St. Edwards University first featured three candidates seeking to replace retiring District 1 Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison: Portia Riggins, Steven Brown, and Alexandria Anderson.
Historically, District 1 has faced systemic issues with inequity, economic displacement and inadequate infrastructure. It has had fewer opportunities, less greenspace, and more environmental problems.
District 1 faceoff
“We have communities that deserve investment, but development shouldn’t create environmental and infrastructure costs that existing residents ultimately end up paying for,” candidate and lifelong district resident Portia Riggins said at the forum. “We should strengthen environmental review, protect critical natural areas, and evaluate water, drainage, tree canopy, and infrastructure impacts before major developments are approved.”
“Running things by the wisdom of the community is the number one priority,” said candidate Steven Brown, who has been active on the Givens Park Working Group.
“There should be nothing done without bringing the community into every decision,” he added. “I will lead with an equity-first, preservation perspective… One of the things we need to make sure that we do is hold city council accountable.”
Candidate Alexandria Anderson said she gained experience addressing environmental issues as chair of the Martin Luther King Neighborhood Association.
“For me, green vitality is one of my six pillars,” she said. “When I’m thinking about any development that comes to my area, I’m thinking about – specifically – where new people work, where they live, where they learn,” Anderson said.
“District 1 has historically been underfunded, underserved, she said. “So I think it’s diversifying our parks funding strategy and leaning more into our philanthropic arm and leveraging the private entities that are coming into our city to be able to help fund it.”
District 1 candidates who were invited to the forum but did not attend were Ambert Goodwin, Michael Nahas and Misael Ramos.
District 3 faceoff
District 3 Council Member José Velásquez is seeking reelection but did not attend the forum. But challengers Neha Shah and Gavino Fernandez turned out.
Three-time council candidate Gavino Fernandez, who has been active with the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), pointed to East Austin’s Dog’s Head development in arguing that landowners must have a say over development. “I feel that as we grow, and as developers come in, like I call it ‘the dead dog plant,’ they need to have landowners at the table,” Fernandez said.
“It’s also a matter of education. Education about the principles and the need for us – the importance for us – to protect our green space, especially in the urban area,” Fernandez added.
A New Delhi-born naturalized U.S. citizen, Shah laid out some of her priorities if elected to council. “Thinking about fees we collect for parkland dedication, making sure we’re thinking about climate, equity, social justice, making sure we look at climate priority neighborhoods that are especially suffering the consequences of neglected investment over time.”
“We spend millions in a way that is reactive (on) climate infrastructure rather than proactive climate infrastructure,” Shah said.
The other District 3 invited candidates who did not attend were Eduardo Romero and Brock Skinner.
“Green-infused city”
Members of forum host EverGreenAustin believe that local climate resiliency requires sustainable management of greenspace.
“We have heard city leadership say parks don’t bring taxes, development does,” said Evergreen event organizer Katie Gay. “But green in Austin does not mean paper money, even though it can often seem like it. Green in Austin is the park in your neighborhood, the protected greenbelt, the impervious cover around the trail, a reality ironic enough to be mirrored in our new $1 million city logo.
Gay said that many candidates promise a more sustainable future for the city, which often gets pushed to the backburner as the Austin City Council prioritizes harmful development over greenspace.
“We’ve watched development bypass our environmental commissions, and seen highway expansion encroach on a beloved food forest,” Gay said.
As Austin’s population continues to grow faster than its natural spaces, Gay wants to know how its political leaders will protect the city’s unique natural environment.
“What we really need,” she said, “is to reignite Austin’s green consciousness – especially in our city leaders – in our green-infused city.”
AFP intern Beja Fusco is a senior at Austin High School, where she’s head photographer of the Comet Yearbook. She has received awards from the Texas Association of Journalism Editors and competed in editorial writing.
