I think every voter needs to decide for themselves rather than blindly trusting a party or an organization. If we want to restore Austin to the people, we need Council Members who are not afraid: + to bring real-world experience and face off against career politicians + to treat the office as an act of service to the community rather than a launchpad for higher office + to do right by their constituents, even at the cost of their political future + to state their positions clearly, honestly, and consistently + to push back on the bureaucracy and dig into why we’re taking a business-as-usual approach when better options are now available + to nurture a whistleblower culture and elevate employees who put the best interests of the city and taxpayers first + to properly vet board and commission recommendations against constituent feedback + to vote no on items that haven’t been given adequate time for review or public input + to vote no on policy that hasn’t fully considered unintended consequences + to vote no on contracts that haven’t had an open bidding process with adequate time and solicitation to attract multiple bids from qualified vendors + to vote no on contracts when performance expectations are not clearly stated upfront + to cancel service contracts with vendors who fail to deliver results and re-bid those contracts so intended recipients actually receive the benefits + to honor taxpayers as stakeholders and act as stewards of the city, ensuring public dollars achieve real results and leaving Austin better and more authentically itself By these measures, I can’t recommend a full slate. Some contests simply lack anyone capable of meeting these standards. By these measures, I believe @StevenforAustin (D1), @Bowen4Austin (D8), and @katiekam4austin (D9) are our best hopes for Austin. And you should decide for yourself.