It looks like the field running for the District 7 Austin City Council seat is about to get a new—and far different kind of candidate.
Attorney Gary Lynn Bledsoe, 71, says he is seriously considering running for the District 7 seat currently occupied by Leslie Pool, who is term-limited.
As president of the Texas NAACP since 1991, Bledsoe is a towering figure in civil rights, the recipient of numerous awards for his decades of service. But he has lived in Austin all that time and been involved in serious local issues.
Before being elected as president of the state organization, as an attorney for the NAACP in Austin in 1988 he was involved in a landmark racial discrimination case against the Texas Department of Public Safety. That case dismantled barriers that had prevented minorities and women from becoming Texas Rangers.
He got deeply involved in the infamous 1995 Cedar Avenue incident, which The Austin Chronicle described as one of the top stories of the year:
“Ira and Charmaine Bedford’s Valentine’s Day party certainly didn’t turn out to be the traditional neighborhood celebration it was known to be: Austin police responded to Ira Bedford’s 911 call regarding a gang member with a gun spotted outside the party, and by the time the evening ended, a virtual police ‘riot’ occurred, with 68 police officers closing off the street and using mace and cattle prods on party goers and neighbors. The incident led to an investigation by the U.S. Justice Department, and the creation of a neighborhood/police relations task force to deal with racial tensions in the area.” Bledsoe’s involvement led to a settlement including reforms in how police abuse cases are handled and creation of a scholarship program to help minority youth go to college.
If Bledsoe declares for District 7 he will be the sixth candidate in that race. Those already in are Edwin Bautista, Pierre Nguyen, Adam Powell, Todd Shaw, and Mike Siegel. The Bulldog profiled Siegel, Nguyen, and Bautista last October, before Powell and Shaw jumped in.
If he runs and is elected Bledsoe would achieve a historic milestone as the second Black on the council, along with Natasha Harper-Madison in District 1, whose term ends in 2026. The first Black elected to the city council was Berl Handcox (not counting Scipio Thompson, elected alderman in 1873, when the city population was 4,428). Handcox was elected in 1971 and reelected in 1973. Since then the council has always hand one—but only one—Black member at a time.
Why considering this race?
In an exclusive interview Tuesday, Bledsoe told the Bulldog, “I’m not ready to announce yet, but I’m looking at what we can do to bring people together and ensure we have a government that makes good, common-sense decisions and is responsive to the people. In some ways, the political arena can help with those issues when we have the right kind of moral voice that’s going to be heard and considered upfront for public policy.”
Bledsoe said that for a long time he has wanted to create a “good peoples’ roundtable” that would bring together people with divergent interests to work on solutions that they can agree on by taking the issues out of the political arena.
One example: “Most people want to control the consequences of climate change. Last year there were 40 days over 105 degrees. We don’t need to have public policies that exacerbate that problem.”
If elected, Bledsoe said, “I want to work with all people to make this city the best it can be. I don’t want to make public policy in a vacuum. Austin’s a beautiful place that people want to move to because of the quality of life. We need to step back and address issues affecting our quality of life.”
“I think that what I’m offering is…a more balanced vision and an ability to look at initiatives and move in the right direction—not with the political wind—to stand strong against the wave. I’ve shown that I can stand against the wave. Sometimes we need that person and speak truth to power.”
Long service with NAACP
Bledsoe was born and raised in Odessa. At the University of Texas at Austin he earned his bachelor of arts degree in government with special honors in August 1973 at age 20. In May 1976 at age 23 he graduated with a doctor of jurisprudence degree from the university’s law school and was class president.
Immediately after law school Bledsoe said he founded the Austin Urban League, Austin Black Democrats, and State Black Democrats. He went on to serve with the Austin NAACP 1987-1991 and was then elected president of the Texas NAACP. The organization has 105 adult chapters throughout the state as well as more than 20 youth chapters, he said. Since 2003 he has served on the NAACP’s national board. He formerly chaired its Criminal Justice Committee. He currently heads the NAACP’s national committees for Legal and Housing, and is vice chair of the committee for Environmental and Climate Justice.
As for speaking truth to power, Bledsoe has been outspoken at the State Capitol on numerous occasions. For example in the 2023 session of the legislature he forcefully opposed Senate Bill 7, known as the Election Integrity Act.
The Dallas Examiner on March 25, 2023, reported: “Make no mistake, these bills are anti-Black and anti-Latino,” said Gary Bledsoe, President of the Texas NAACP. “We’re talking about everything from the continuation of suppressing voting rights to eliminating programs in Texas colleges and universities that help recruit, retain and support African American students as well as other students of color.
“The intent of state leadership in pushing these bills is to establish a permanent underclass of citizenship for Black and Brown people without regard to your talent or education,” he said.
In 2024 Bledsoe spoke out during an April 29th rally sponsored by the Texas State Employees Union opposing UT’s firing of 60 staffers affiliated with programs involving diversity, equity, and inclusion.
In addition to his civic duties with the NAACP, as a private attorney Bledsoe specializes in public interest, employment and civil rights law.
Bledsoe has lived in his current homestead in District 7 since 1983.
This story was updated at 9am June 29, 2024, to correct Bledsoe’s age and committee positions on the NAACP’s national board of directors.
Trust Indicators: Trust indicators: Ken Martin’s first article about an Austin election was published by Third Coast magazine in January 1982. His cover story in that publication about mayoral candidate Ron Mullen was published in March 1983.
Wow! Just what we need right now in our Nation and the Austin City Council is a credentialed Democrat racist in power.
And on top of that, someone wanting to relive past decades and not understanding what is politically going on in America right now. And that is the Democrat-Communist Party takeover of America, which has nothing to do with color.
Gary Bledsoe impressed me a long time ago as one of the great examples of public service and character, no matter where you live. Glad to hear about his run for city council.
Ken, I didn’t hear much of a D7-specific agenda from ole Gary. Literally every single current council member constantly yaps about equity, social justice, climate change… how is Gary in any way distinguishable? Does he think there’s not enough political outgassing on these topics? Meanwhile the quality of basic city services constantly seems to spiral downward and he doesn’t seem to have much to say about that, but good luck fighting climate change in District 7. Still, Gary could be a trade up from people like Marxist Mike Siegel. The concern is that he’s just looking for a job that he can hold while he “retires in place”. D7 voters beware.
Thanks for your comments, Steve. I probably should have made clear that this piece was meant to be just a brief introduction for a potentially significant candidate. If Bledsoe actually enters the race, in due time I will be following up with our usual in-depth background investigation that addresses his position on all of the major topics of concern to voters.