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Budget Gives Stealth Pay Boost

Budget Gives Stealth Pay Boost

An obscure 2006 ordinance gives policy
makers same raise as the rank-and-file

by Ken Martin
© The Austin Bulldog 2014
Posted Wednesday September 10, 2014 3:05pm

The Austin City Council The Austin City Council yesterday adopted an annual budget of some $3.5 billion for Fiscal Year 2014-2015, with Mayor Lee Leffingwell casting the only “no” vote.

Tucked inside was a hidden pay bump for these elected officials.

The current incumbents will enjoy the 3.5 percent pay raise for just a few months, starting October 1. The raise will mainly benefit the newly elected mayor and 10 council members who are scheduled to take office when inaugurated at 6pm Tuesday January 6, 2015, in Council Chambers.

The mayor’s annual salary goes from $79,601 to $82,387, an increase of $2,786, by The Austin Bulldog’s calculations (the City’s public information office was not able to obtain an official figure from the Human Resources Department in time for this story).

The council members’ salaries rise from $67,695 to $70,064, an increase of $2,369 (also our calculation).

There was no public notice of the raises.

District Citizens Doing Due Diligence

District Citizens Doing Due Diligence

Districts 4 and 7 hosting websites for
independent review of candidates

by Joseph Caterine
© The Austin Bulldog
Posted Wednesday September 3, 2014 10:56am

Hopeful citizens are counting on Austin’s adoption of the 10-1 City Council system to result in grassroots candidates being elected this fall, while others are taking a more hands-on approach in deciding who represents their interests at City Hall.

The general election will be held November 4 and runoffs, which are expected in most contests, will be held December 16.

Citizens in two of the 10 geographic districts from which City Council members will be elected have organized and launched websites to vet the candidates that are running to represent these districts.

This grassroots attention to detail is underlined by the fact that only one person who lived in areas now designated as Districts 4 and 7— both located in North Central Austin—has ever been elected to the City Council, at least since 1971. This according to the mapping project covering 40 years of election history published by The Austin Bulldog August 4, 2011. That lone council member was Berl Handcox, who lived at 3108 Whiteway Drive, which is in District 7. Handcox, the first African American elected to the City Council, was elected in 1971 and reelected in 1973.

Eight candidates have filed for a place on the ballot in each of these districts.

Residents serious about scrutiny

Candidates Have Voting Records Too

2014  Candidates
1st#DR  Candidates
Mayor
199042140Stephen Ira “Steve” Adler
199055190Sheryl Nelson Cole
19942980Ronald J. “Ron” Culver
19901410Mary Catherine Krenek
199033150Michael William “Mike” Martinez
20061511David Martin Orshalick
19901814Todd Howell Phelps
20101123Randall Forrest Stephens
District 1
199033100Andrew Joseph Bucknall
20042462Michael Denard Cargill
199444017George William Hindman
199057200Ora Elliott Houston
20021030Christopher J. “Chris” Hutchins
2008610Norman Andes Jacobson
199049180DeWayne William Lofton
199035150Valerie Monique Menard
20021922Samuel Amechi “Sam” Osemene
District 2
20002370Delia Aileen Garza Voting History ***
NR000Michael James Owen
2004720Edward A. “Wally” Reyes Jr.
199443122John Charles Sheppard
District 3
199051190Susana Renteria Almanza*
199632110Mario G. Cantu
199025120Julian Limon Fernandez
20081141Christopher Lee Hoerster
20111050Shaun Dylan Ireland
20042880Fred L. McGhee
20081205Kent K. Phillips
199039141Jose Quintero Sr.
20101350Eric Javier Rangel
199058220Sabino Pio Renteria
2010800Ricardo Turullols-Bonilla
2008210Jose Antonio Valera
District 4
2012520Gregorio Eduardo “Greg” Casar
19983791Katrina Michelle Daniel
19902580Monica Ann Guzman
199048106Louis C. Herrin III
2010930Marco Mancillas
19961120Sharon Elise Mays
2010620Roberto Perez Jr.
19902251Laura Ann Pressley
District 5
20071770Daniel Lawrence Buda
2008905Jason R. Denny
19942354William David Floyd
19922630CarolAnneRose Kennedy
199054220Ann Elizabeth Kitchen
199641115Luis Miguel “Mike” Rodriguez
19904239David Craig Senecal
District 6
2012420James Timothy “Jimmy” Flannigan
2004300Mackenzie-Anne Kelly
2012302Lloyd Gordon “Pete” Phillips Jr.
20081780Matthew Duane “Matt” Stillwell
2014302Jay Byron Wiley
200143014Donald Shelly “Don” Zimmerman
District 7
199455210Jefferson Elmer “Jeb” Boyt
19902724Edwin Edgar “Ed” English
2004620Zachary Ray Ingraham
2002830James Anthony “Jimmy” Paver Voting History ****
199057210Leslie Howard Pool
1998840Pete A. Salazar Jr.
20061970Darryl Robert Wittle
2012630Melissa Ann Zone
District 8
20023015Rebecca Anne “Becky” Bray
199043160Eliza May
199049151Darrell W. Pierce
199442120Edward Scott “Ed” Scruggs
20101206Ellen Gale Troxclair
District 9
20032623Erin Kendra McGann
199057210Christopher John “Chris” Riley
200039120Kathryne B. “Kathie” Tovo
District 10
19902936Marjorie Presley “Margie” Burciaga
20041570Audrey Christine “Tina” Cannon
199054190Amanda Mayhew “Mandy” Dealey
19904347Sheri Perry Gallo
20111205Matthew Lamar “Matt” Lamon
19943380Jason Warren Meeker
19903984Robert Dartanian Thomas
200033210William Lee “Bill” Worsham
Legend
1st The earliest year in which the candidate voted.
# Total number of times voted in all elections
D Times voted Democratic primary
R Times voted Republican primary
NR Not registered to vote
* Almanza registered as Susie Almanza
** Have not voted in Travis County
*** Updated with data supplied by voter registrar 8/29/14
**** Updated with data supplied by voter registrar 10/20/14
+ District 6 Candidates Only
Flannigan, Phillips, Stillwell and Wiley totals for voting in Williamson County.

Kelly total for votes in Travis County, recently moved to Williamson County.

Zimmerman total for voting in Travis County.

All other districts and mayor’s race reflect voting only in Travis County.

Sources: Voter registrars
© The Austin Bulldog 2014
www.theaustinbulldog.org

 Candidates Have Voting Records Too

Some vote often, some don't vote much
and one candidate isn’t a registered voter

by Ken Martin
© The Austin Bulldog
Posted Friday, August 29, 2014 9:57am
Updated August 30, 2014 10:22am for Delia Aileen Garza’s voting history

When considering which candidates to vote for, we can examine the records of incumbent elected officials to see how their performance aligns with our own interests and values.

Sheryl ColeMike MartinezYet in this historic election that transforms the election of city council members—a transition from an at-large system in which all voters get to cast ballots for all council members, to a system in which council members are elected from geographic districts—just four incumbents are running. At most, only two of them can be elected.

Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Nelson Cole and Council Member Michael William “Mike” Martinez are running for mayor and they have six other opponents. Cole and Martinez have both been on the council since 2006.

Chris RileyKathie TovoCouncil Members Christopher John “Chris” Riley and Kathryne B. “Kathie” Tovo are running for the District 9 seat, as is newcomer Erin Kendra McGann. Riley has been on the council since 2009, and Tovo since 2011.

But what of the other 74 candidates running for mayor and council? None have held elective office. So aside from what these candidates say on the campaign trail, how do we judge their fitness for office?

The Austin Bulldog aims to provide information that assists voters in choosing which candidates are deserving of donations, volunteer efforts, and votes. To that end, this is the first in a series of articles that will offer filters through which the candidates fitness to serve will be assessed. This article will focus on how much the candidates have participated in democracy by exercising their right to vote.

The Austin Bulldog obtained records from voter registrars in Travis and Williamson counties that provide the voting history of each of the 78 candidates running for mayor and city council.

The adjacent chart indicates the year in which the candidates first voted in an election, the total number of times they have voted, and the number of times they voted in Democratic and Republican primaries or runoffs. Click on a candidate’s name to download the voting history obtained from voter registrars. (Note: Travis County computer records only go back to 1990, so these numbers will not reflect voting in prior years.)

A significant number of these candidates—27 in all—have been voting since at least 1990.

Who’s most vested in voting?

Nine candidates have voted in more than 50 elections, including primaries, primary runoffs, and general elections. These include:

• Mayoral candidate Sheryl Nelson Cole (55 times).

• District 1 Ora Elliott Houston (57).

• District 3 siblings Susana Renteria Almanza (51) and Sabino “Pio” Renteria (58).

• District 5 Ann Elizabeth Kitchen (54).

• District 7 Jefferson Elmer “Jeb” Boyt (55) and Leslie Howard Pool (57). Boyt’s total is all the more remarkable because his first vote was cast in 1994, while all the others go back to 1990.

• District 9 incumbent Chris Riley (57).

• District 10 Amanda Mayhew “Mandy” Dealey (54).

In stark contrast, some candidates have not voted with great regularity. For purposes of this analysis, any candidate who has voted in one-third or fewer elections than the candidates who have been voting most frequently may be said to have very low participation. These include:

Mayoral candidates Mary Catherine Krenek and Todd Howell Phelps both started voting in 1990, yet Krenek has voted just 14 times since then, Phelps 18 times.

District 3 candidate Jose Antonio Valera first voted in 2008 but only voted twice, while District 6 candidate Matthew Duane “Matt” Stillwell, who also voted for the first time in 2008, has cast ballots in 17 elections.

Political party affiliations

Our earlier investigation (City Elections Are Nonpartisan, Right?) detailed how the Travis County Democratic Party is providing significant assistance to candidates for mayor and city council, if those candidates are deemed sufficiently Democratic and willing to be identified as such in this election.

However, that article was published before the field of candidates was made final at the close of business August 18—the filing deadline for a place on the ballot. Nine individuals who showed intent to run by appointing a campaign treasurer dropped out by not filing for a place on the ballot.

Seven other people waited until the filing deadline to appoint a campaign treasurer and apply for a place on the ballot. And a few more did so within the last week of the filing period.

Now that the ballot is officially set, a fuller examination indicates that 19 of the candidates actually running appear to be Republicans. This assessment is based on voting histories that indicate they either voted exclusively in Republican Party primaries or did so a majority of the times they cast ballots in primaries or runoffs. These include:

• Mayoral candidates Todd Howell Phelps and Randall Forrest Stephens.

• District 1 George William Hindman.

• District 3 Kent K. Phillips

• District 5 Jason R. Denny, Luis Miguel “Mike” Rodriquez, and David Craig Senecal.

• District 6 Lloyd Gordon “Pete” Phillips Jr., Jay Byron Wiley, and Donald Shelley “Don” Zimmerman.

• District 7 Edgar Edwin “Ed” English

• District 8 Rebecca Anne “Becky” Bray and Ellen Gale Troxclair.

• District 9 Erin Kendra McGann

• District 10 Marjorie Presley “Margie” Burciaga, Sheri Perry Gallo, Matthew Lamar “Matt” Lamon, Robert Dartanian Thomas (not because he voted in more GOP primaries but because in 2012 he ran for state representative as a Republican against incumbent Democrat Donna Howard), and William Lee “Bill” Worsham.

A couple of other candidates show an even split in votes cast in GOP and Democratic primary elections: mayoral candidate David Martin Orshalick (one each) and District 1 candidate Samuel Amechi “Sam Osemene (two each).

All other candidates appear to be Democrats or lean toward that party preference, based on their voting in primary elections.

Candidate criteria minimal

Aside from ambition, a candidate doesn’t need much to meet the basic qualifications to run for elective office in the City of Austin.

Article II, Section 2 of the Austin City Charter prescribes the basic criteria. All candidates must have resided continuously in the state for 12 months and in the city for six months immediately preceding the regular filing deadline for a place on the ballot (in other words, they were required to have taken up residence in Austin by no later than August 18, 2013).

Candidates for a city council district must also have resided in the district from which they are seeking election for six months immediately preceding the filing deadline (by no later than February 18, 2014).

While meeting these criteria—in addition to paying a filing fee or submitting signatures in lieu of filing fee—is all that’s needed to get on the ballot, voters might like to know that candidates have been around town for a while and thus have had opportunities to be more familiar with the city and the issues important to its citizens.

Yet many candidates are relatively recent participants in local voting. For purposes of this article we define “recent” as having been voting in the City of Austin for five or fewer years (in 2010 or later). We chose that criteria because having been registered for five or more years was one of the qualifications to serve on the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, which drew the maps for the city council districts that are being used for the first time in this election.

The candidates who first voted in 2010 or later are:

• Mayoral candidate Randall Forrest Stephens (2010)

• District 2 Delia Aileen Garza (2010) (The correction posted August 30 indicates that Garza first voted in 2000.)

• District 3 Shaun Dylan Ireland (2011), Eric Javier Rangel (2010), and Ricardo Turullols-Bonilla (2010).

• District 4 Gregorio Eduardo “Greg” Casar (2012), Marcos Mancillas (2010), and Roberto Perez Jr. (2010).

• District 6 James Timothy “Jimmy” Flannigan (2012), Lloyd Gordon “Pete” Phillips Jr. (2012), and Jay Byron Wiley (2014).

• District 7 James Anthony “Jimmy” Paver (2014) and Melissa Ann Zone (2012).

• District 8 Ellen Gale Troxclair (2010).

• District 10 Matthew Lamar “Matt” Lamon (2011).

Not a registered voter?

Chris Riley Nailed for Back Taxes

Chris Riley Nailed for Back Taxes

Council member had a homestead exemption
on his entire house, including two rental units

Investigative Report by Ken Martin
© The Austin Bulldog
Posted Wednesday, August 20, 2014 4:03pm
Updated Thursday, August 21, 2014 10:25am to add additional document links

Chris RileyIn January 2002, Council Member Chris Riley bought a house at 1310 San Antonio Street in downtown Austin. For 11 years he enjoyed a homestead for the entire property—despite the fact that two upstairs units have been rented for most if not all those years.

An anonymous complaint filed with the Travis Central Appraisal District June 20 resulted in removal of the homestead exemption for the 46 percent of the property that is rented. Riley retains the right to claim 54 percent of the property for his homestead.

Yesterday Riley responded to an inquiry from The Austin Bulldog and provided a copy of an e-mail he sent to the Travis Central Appraisal District (TCAD) June 19, 2014, the day he found out about the complaint.

“I was made aware of this issue via a constituent letter received by my office on June 19, 2014,” Riley stated in his response to our inquiry. “I immediately called TCAD about it, and based on their instructions I sent the following e-mail that night.” (A copy of Riley’s e-mail received by the appraisal district is linked at the bottom of this story.)

The Travis County Tax Office billed Riley for $7,294.87 for back taxes for the tax years 2009 through 2013. Riley paid that amount August 15, said Susan Zavala, tax supervisor for property tax collections in the Travis County Tax Office.

Although Riley paid back taxes for the years 2009 through 2013, he was not billed for $1,208.21 that he would otherwise have owed for the tax years 2003 through 2008, because the law permits removal or reduction of a homestead exemption for only five years.

City Elections Are Nonpartisan, Right?

City Elections Are Nonpartisan, Right?

But that’s not stopping the Travis County
Democratic Party from helping candidates

by Ken Martin
© The Austin Bulldog 2014
Posted Wednesday August 13, 2014 3:01pm
Updated Tuesday August 19, 2014 8:45pm

David ButtsIn Deep Blue Austin the apprehension about having a Republican on the City Council was exploited by political consultant David Butts at a meeting of the Central Austin Democrats, back in 2012 when he was stumping for passage of the 8-2-1 plan. Peck Young was on the same program, pushing for passage of the 10-1 plan brought to the ballot through a petition drive conducted by Austinites for Geographic Representation.

Butts said, you know if we have 10 council districts we’re going to have a Republican on the City Council, surely a statement meant to strike fear into the hearts of the Democrats listening.

Sitting in the audience and hearing this, I thought to myself, well what’s wrong with a little political diversity, to go along with the geographic diversity that we’re going to have with council districts?

Turns out there’s a lot wrong with it, according to J.D. Gins, executive director of the Travis County Democratic Party.

J.D. GinsGins believes the Travis County Republican Party is recruiting candidates to run for Austin City Council and fears if elected they will be able to build a platform to later run for state representative. Then the Democratic Party will have to spend a lot of money fending them off.

“There’s no way the GOP can’t see this as the only way to build a base in Travis County,” Gins said in a July 22 interview.

Investigative Reports

For more than a decade the Bulldog has published hard-hitting, in-depth investigative reports that have shaped civic discourse and public policy, resulted in criminal prosecutions, and enlightened voters about candidates' records. Here are a few samples of our work:

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The Austin Bulldog is the premiere investigative journalism outfit in Central Texas. Established in 2009, the Bulldog has become a trusted independent voice for government accountability, known for its incisive, in-depth coverage of local elections and local governments.

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