In Austin, SMD proponents claim that a new electoral scheme will (1) improve the delivery of public services by creating geographic representation, (2) increase the proportion of Latinos elected to the City Council, and (3) address relatively low voter turnout rates. Pro-SMD arguments are often theoretical or anecdotal; luckily, empirical …
[MORE]Over at Burnt Orange Report, there's a discussion afoot about the pros and cons of moving our May municipal election to November. No one seems to dispute that the number of people voting for local office holders would increase if we reduce the overall number of elections and coordinate with …
[MORE]The Statesman recently highlighted an increase in homicides from 22 in '09 to 37 in '10. While the piece provided a compelling visualization with the long-term count of homicides in Austin, it did not provide data that adjusted for the city's population growth. In the chart below, I provide the …
[MORE]The City Council is trying to decide whether or not to provide relocation incentives to LegalZoom, an online legal form provider.
Here are the deal details. The City pays out $20,000 for ten years for a nominal total of $200,000. The state's recruitment- and talent poaching-focused Texas Enterprise …
[MORE]Katherine Gregor writes another excellent and detailed profile of Austin's comprehensive planning process. This quote by one of the members of the plan's citizen advisers stuck out:
[MORE]The risk now is that the task force – rich in community activists but weak on the business community – will become mired in questions …