Alexandria Anderson, a candidate for Austin City Council District 1, pairs strong community ties with a strategic approach to housing.
Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman
The meetings may be at Austin City Hall, but the work of being an effective council member begins in the district — talking with neighborhood groups, discussing potential housing developments, identifying areas where infrastructure is needed.
The six contenders for Northeast Austin’s District 1 seat all have admirable records of service in the community. We recommend Alexandria Anderson, who brings extensive experience as a neighborhood advocate focused on housing and quality-of-life issues.
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Anderson owns a health and wellness business and has held leadership roles with the Martin Luther King Neighborhood Association, the East MLK Contact Team, Austin’s Commission for Women and the city’s African American Resource Advisory Commission. The former University of Texas track star impressed us not only with the breadth of her advocacy but with her strategic approach to affordable housing.
She’s been researching where the city owns vacant land that could be used for affordable housing. She praised the recently opened Seabrook Square apartment complex, built with help from the city’s 2018 affordable housing bond and serving households earning between 30% and 60% of the median family income. The second phase of the complex includes units with wraparound services for people exiting homelessness.
Anderson also called for greater scrutiny of what the city gets out of projects using density bonuses, which allow developers to build more units in exchange for making some of them affordable.
“We’re not seeing what the outcomes are,” she told our Editorial Board. “We’re essentially putting something on the table and hoping that it’s going to work out.”
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Asked how Austin should preserve Black and Latino cultural institutions amid the city’s growth, Anderson said efforts must go beyond symbolic gestures like putting up murals.
“The right to return and the right to remain is something that’s really big and needs to be put into our policies when it comes to affordable housing or any development that’s going to be going forward,” she said, referring to policies that would help longtime residents afford to stay in gentrifying areas.
The strong field of candidates seeking to replace Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison made this one of our toughest endorsement calls of the year.
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Amber Goodwin, a former Travis County prosecutor and founder of the gun violence prevention nonprofit Community Justice, is a forceful advocate for public safety and economic opportunity. One of her priorities would be working with the city and private organizations to create an economic development fund for small businesses in the district.
“I do think District 1 in particular feels like they’ve been left behind,” Goodwin told our Editorial Board. “We feel like we also need wins. We need something to bring to City Hall, so we’re actually leading the discussions.”
Steven Brown, a healthcare professional and fourth-generation Austinite, is focused on preventing further gentrification by keeping tax bills in check and ensuring rezonings are done “through a social justice and racial justice lens” that ensures today’s residents are part of the district’s future.
ALSO READ: How we reach our endorsements — and why your vote is yours
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Misael Ramos, a Democratic Socialist, community organizer and former chair of the Blackland Community Development Corporation, brings impassioned advocacy on social justice issues and expertise in housing and zoning policies.
Rounding out the field are Portia Riggins, a third-generation Austinite with a background in accounting, and Michael Nahas, an economist focused on lowering housing costs.
Given Harper-Madison’s mixed attendance record over the past few years, some District 1 residents have felt underrepresented at City Hall. We believe this election will change that.
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District 1 voters have a slate of candidates eager to get to work. They deserve a representative who stays rooted in the community and ensures the work done at City Hall delivers for residents. Anderson’s record of neighborhood advocacy and practical approach to affordability make her the strongest choice in the Nov. 3 election.