Forum Season Arrives: Austin Voters Get a Close Look at Their Council Choices
Austin’s 2026 council races move from press releases to live microphones this week.
Tonight, September 15, Austin PBS hosts two live tapings of ATX Decides: Austin City Council Candidate Forums, featuring candidates from Districts 1 and 3 ahead of the November 3 election.
Expect questions on the issues squeezing both districts: cost of living, displacement, transit, and what the next council should do differently.
The tapings follow Monday night’s housing forum at Assembly Hall, where all six District 1 candidates fielded questions on affordability, a potential $350 million housing bond in 2028, future mixed-income developments, and displacement in East and Central Austin — a district that has lost Black and Latino households for two decades.
What’s on the ballot
Half the council is up.
Voters in Districts 1, 3, 5, 8, and 9 will elect members to four-year terms, alongside two bond propositions totaling $295 million for parks and libraries and a slate of charter amendments.
Two seats are open.
Natasha Harper-Madison (D1) and Paige Ellis (D8) both hit Austin’s two-term limit. Ellis tried to bypass it by petition and collected more than 3,400 signatures, but the city clerk found her 62 short of the threshold. Three incumbents are defending seats: José Velásquez in D3, Ryan Alter in D5, and Zo Qadri in D9.
A skeptical electorate
Incumbents are running into a trust problem.
In November 2025, voters rejected Proposition Q — a tax-rate increase that would have raised roughly $110 million — by nearly two to one, forcing about $95 million in cuts. The defeat came amid Austin American-Statesman reporting on questionable council spending; Alter reimbursed the city for personal meals and other charges, and Mayor Kirk Watson conceded the spending stories likely contributed to Prop Q’s collapse.
The city’s own 2025 Community Survey captures the split. Overall quality-of-life satisfaction climbed to 67%, up from 52% in 2023. But only 16.2% said affordable housing was adequate for low- and moderate-income families, 21.9% approved of homelessness efforts, and 22.4% were satisfied with traffic flow.
Names to watch
In District 1, attorney Amber K. Goodwin has led fundraising by a wide margin, out-raising the rest of the field combined, with backing from Travis County Judge Andy Brown and gun-violence-prevention groups. She faces Steven Brown, Alexandria Anderson, Michael Nahas, Portia Riggins, and Misael Ramos.
In District 8, EMS commander and former Austin EMS Association president Selena Xie faces Austin Neighborhoods Council president Jeffery Bowen. In District 9, Qadri’s best-funded challenger pool includes former UT instructor Rich Heyman, running to his left on growth.
Mark your calendar
City- and League of Women Voters-sponsored panels continue: District 5 on September 17, District 9 on September 29, District 3 on October 1, and District 1 on October 15.
Sources:
- Community Impact, “Who’s running for Austin City Council? 5 races set for November election” (Aug. 18, 2026, updated Aug. 26) — https://communityimpact.com/east-austin/election/whos-running-for-austin-city-council-5-races-set-for-november-election/
- Community Impact, “Meet the candidates running for Austin City Council District 1” (Sept. 14, 2026) — https://communityimpact.com/east-austin/election/meet-the-candidates-running-for-austin-city-council-district-1/
- Community Impact, “Austin City Council candidates enter fall races with more than $1M on hand” (July 2026) — https://communityimpact.com/east-austin/election/austin-city-council-candidates-enter-fall-races-with-more-than-1m-on-hand-incumbents-hold-financial-leads/
- City of Austin, “Public Invited to Attend the 2026 Austin City Council Candidate Panels” — https://www.austintexas.gov/communications/news/public-invited-attend-2026-austin-city-council-candidate-panels
- City of Austin, Voter Resources — https://www.austintexas.gov/communications/voter-resources
- Austin American-Statesman, “Austin City Council to overhaul officeholder spending rules” (Nov. 21, 2025) — https://www.statesman.com/news/local/article/austin-city-council-overhauls-spending-21197240.php
- Austin American-Statesman, “Austin council tightens office spending rules but softens key limits” (Jan. 2026) — https://www.statesman.com/news/local/article/austin-council-passes-spending-rules-21309341.php
- Austin American-Statesman, “Following Prop Q’s collapse, Austin City Council slashes $95 million from budget” (Nov. 21, 2025) — https://www.statesman.com/news/local/article/austin-council-budget-cuts-prop-q-21192770.php
- Austin American-Statesman, “Austin traffic, trash and more: Residents rank city services” (2026 report on the 2025 Community Survey) — https://www.statesman.com/news/local/article/austin-community-survey-2025-city-services-22260820.php
- CBS Austin, “Austin survey shows quality of life up, but homelessness and traffic remain top concerns” (May 2026) — https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/austin-survey-shows-quality-of-life-up-but-homelessness-and-traffic-remain-top-concerns
- The Austin Bulldog, “Twenty-one candidates competing for council seats” (July 2026) — https://theaustinbulldog.org/twenty-one-candidates-competing-for-council-seats/
- The Austin Bulldog, “Field set for November Council election” (July 29, 2026) — https://theaustinbulldog.org/field-set-for-november-council-election/
- Austin Politics Newsletter, “A look at 2026 Council races” (Feb. 2026) — https://www.austinpolitics.net/a-look-at-2026-council-races/
- KXAN, “Meet Austin’s city council candidates for the November election” — https://www.kxan.com/news/your-local-election-hq/meet-austins-city-council-candidates-for-the-november-election/
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 against President Trump on Monday, blocking new mail-in voting regulations ahead of the midterm elections. By rejecting the administration’s challenge to a Boston federal judge’s preliminary injunction, the Court’s majority noted the government was “unlikely to succeed on the merits,” effectively eliminating any uncertainty over the rules taking effect this year. (KUT 90.5)
Austin has become the first U.S. city to secure funding from Airbnb’s new accelerator program, receiving $6.4 million for the 19-acre St. Johns redevelopment project in North Austin. According to Council Member José “Chito” Vela, the mixed-use development will feature over 500 housing units, including designated affordable housing options.
San Marcos Councilwoman Amanda Rodriguez told the Caldwell-Hays Examiner that “given state concern and potential pending legislation to address Flock and other ALPRs – as well as community and council concern – the city has decided to pause any consideration on ALPR technology indefinitely.”
Austin police are asking for the public’s assistance with identifying a suspect in connection to a Collision Involving Injury case that occurred last month. (Austin Police Department)
He was last seen wearing a long sleeve t-shirt, a baseball cap, and sunglasses.
CapMetro‘s Board of Directors will review the proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2027 on September 28. If approved, the budget will be effective on October 1.
A public hearing will be held tomorrow night.
Carolyn Osborn, noted author, journalist and educator, died Saturday after a fall at her Austin home. She was 92. Osborn is credited with conceiving the Texas Book Festival. (Austin American-Statesman)
A brush fire in Bastrop County, dubbed the Lonesome Fire, was last reported at nearly five acres with containment at 90%.
A larger blaze in Manor in Travis County, the Lockwood Fire, was over twenty acres early Monday but has since been fully contained.
The number of active wildfires in Texas grew Tuesday.
BUNDY ROSS FIRE
HYDRA FIRE
TEXAS DROUGHT MONITOR
WEATHER
MONDAY’S HIGH / LOW TEMPERATURES
AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CAMP MABRY
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
Relentless storms are slamming parts of the Midwest and Central Plains Tuesday as a stalled weather pattern fuels a weeklong flash flood threat that will last through Friday. A Level 2 out of 4 risk of flash flooding stretches across a corridor from Amarillo, Texas, across Missouri to northern Indiana.
A coalition of Texas landowners along the U.S.-Mexico border are fighting the Trump administration’s plan to seize private property for border wall construction in several counties in the Big Bend region.
Governor Abbott on Monday directed the Texas Water Development Board to penalize data center reporting failures.
Also on Monday, the governor announced that Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Guadalupe, Kendall, Medina and Wilson counties have been added to the federal disaster declaration for August storms, providing recovery resources for homeowners, renters, and businesses.
Texas confirmed its first New World screwworm (NWS) case in six decades on June 3, 2026 — a three-week-old calf in Zavala County with an umbilical lesion. Since then, federal and state partners have worked jointly in the infested zone to conduct animal and fly surveillance and epidemiological investigations.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officials say they have investigated 10,854 animals statewide.
A 17-year-old San Antonio teenager who was the subject of an AMBER Alert earlier this month has been found dead, and police are investigating his death as a homicide. (KSAT-TV)
TEXAS TEN MOST WANTED
A controversy surrounding Republican Railroad Commission nominee Bo French is highlighting divisions within the Texas GOP as the November election approaches. Scott Braddock, editor of the Quorum Report, breaks down the politics of Texas and why French’s social media post is creating so much controversy.
Episode from September 14, 2026)
With conservative culture war architect Karl Rove now turning on GOP Texas Railroad Commission nominee Bo French, we’re getting an update on where the line between open racism and more private racism now lies for Texas conservatives. And we do hope that the grownups surrounding Texas Longhorns star QB Arch Manning will have a word with him about whether or not violence against women is a laughing matter.
Online racist attacks targeting South Asian students at the University of Texas at Austin sparked disappointment—though not surprise—among the student body. The abuse followed a Sunday X post by Bo French, a Republican Texas Railroad Commission candidate, who posted a photo of the celebrating students alongside comments alleging the “displacement” of white Americans. (Texas Tribune)
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the rollback of Biden-era greenhouse gas standards for power plants at a press conference in Houston during a G20 energy conference on Monday. The elimination of the standards could have sweeping impacts for Texas, which lead the country in carbon emissions from power plants in 2025. (Houston Public Media)
The State Fair of Texas will hold sensory-friendly days for families who want a calmer environment.
SPORTS
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Arch Manning is having a week.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19
The Texas Longhorns prove they can win big, outlasting Ohio State with late-game heroics and revamped ground attack. Has Steve Sarkisian finally silenced his doubters and positioned Texas for a CFP run?
Game time has been set for the Texas/Tennessee game in Knoxville in two weeks.
MLB: Both Texas clubs got a rare night off Monday, but there’s no time to rest now.
With the Astros clinging to a one-game lead over the Rangers in a suddenly wide-open AL West, Houston and Texas are back on the diamond tonight — and every game left counts.
With fewer than two weeks remaining in the regular season, neither team can afford a letdown as they jockey for position in a division race that’s gone down to the wire.
NFL: Sunday’s night’s embarrassing loss to the Giants was bad, writes The Dallas Morning News‘ Calvin Watkins, but it’s not quite time for the Dallas Cowboys to hit the panic button.
“Let’s be honest—the Texans weren’t good enough when it mattered most. They had opportunities to take control, but Buffalo proved it was the stronger and more composed team. Houston didn’t lose because of the officials; it lost because it failed to finish the job.” — FOX Sports NFL analyst Tom Brady
No panic buttons in Houston after their collapse against Buffalo Sunday, but fans are upset by comments by Tom Brady after the loss.
Andrew Callaghan travels to the Texas Hill Country to investigate the decline of a unique German dialect. Through interviews with the remaining speakers and visits to local heritage sites, the exploration delves into the historical, social, and economic factors contributing to the shift toward linguistic assimilation in America.
