Austin, Texas – Austin City Council Member Bill Spelman announced today that he will seek reelection to his Place 5 seat. “Like many of us, I’ve lived in a lot of places,” Spelman said. “My family chose Austin because it’s the best place in America to live. I intend to help keep it that way.”
The biggest threat to Austin’s quality of life is affordability, Spelman said. “Austin’s economy may be doing better than most cities’, but wages are still flat and jobs are still scarce. We need to be sure we’re stretching our tax dollars just as far as they can go, to provide residents with the best city services at an affordable cost.”
Spelman’s redesign of the budget process – providing more information to the public early in the budget process – was developed with that in mind. Spelman has also been critical of spending and rate increases in the electricity and water departments.
In addition to affordability and value-for-money, Spelman has made collaboration a signature issue of his term on the City Council. “We can’t solve our common problems when we’re not willing to work with each other,” Spelman said. “My approach to historic preservation, downtown community benefits, and transportation has shown that, when we get everyone talking, we can come up with smarter, better solutions.”
Spelman is a Professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, where he teaches courses on urban policy and public management. He serves on the Audit and Finance, Emerging Technology, and Judicial committees of the city council, the City of Austin Employee Retirement System Board of Directors, and the Texas Municipal League Board of Directors. Spelman is also a member of the Public Safety and Crime Prevention Committee of the National League of Cities.
Spelman also announced his reelection team, headed by Jim Wick, Shawn Badgley, and long-time political gurus David Butts and Mark Yznaga. His treasurer will be Martha Smiley. Spelman will hold a campaign kick-off party in December (date to be announced).
The 2012 Austin municipal elections will take place on May 12.