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Four Council Members Err in Latest Financial Statements
© The Austin Bulldog 2012
Posted Wednesday, June 27, 2012 6:48pm
Strong financial solvency is a trait shared by the mayor and other members of the Austin City Council. But properly reporting their income and assets proved to be a problem for some of the council members.
Austin Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole failed to report her husband’s sources of income, clients, and board positions as required by City Code in her sworn financial statement filed March 12.
She also did not include in the document four out of the eight properties she owns.
The Austin Bulldog discovered these, and several other, flaws in its review of the mayor and council members’ financial statements covering the 2011 calendar year.
The reports help citizens monitor possible conflicts of interest in government decisions by outlining elected officials’ sources of occupational income, gifts from non-relatives, board positions, business and real estate interests, and other personal financial information.
The Austin Bulldog opted to publish Austin City Council members’ state and City Code financial statements in this article to provide greater transparency and allow increased scrutiny of these elected officials.
Citizens Group To Make Final Petition Push
Citizens Group To Make Final Petition Push
Austinites for Geographic Representation Claims to
Have 17,000 Signatures, and Shoots for 13,000 More
by Ken Martin
© The Austin Bulldog 2012
Posted Monday, June 4, 2012 11:01pm
It's been 15 months since Austinites for Geographic Representation held its first meeting in February 2011 at Huston-Tillotson University and the group has been steadily building a coalition of supporters and rounding up endorsements ever since.
The group's proposal to have 10 council members elected from geographic districts and only the mayor elected at large, and to have geographic districts drawn by an Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, has gotten a lot of traction—including endorsements from a range of groups including the League of Women Voters of the Austin Area, Austin Neighborhoods Council, the and the Travis County Republican Party. (To see the full list of organizations and individuals endorsing the plan, click here.)
Even the council-appointed 2012 Charter Revision Committee backed the 10-1 plan with an Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, though by a narrow 8-7 vote that triggered work by some on the losing end to continue lobbying for a hybrid plan that includes a couple of at-large council seats in addition to the mayor.
What the 10-1 plan has not gotten so far is broad public support from members of the Austin City Council. To date, only Council Member Mike Martinez has voiced unequivocal support for the plan.
Hence the grassroots effort by Austinites for Geographic Representation continues to gather the signatures of 20,000 registered city voters.
Anonymous Website Touts Short-term Rentals
Site Owner Responds to Request and Fixes
Problems with VisitorsBenefitAustin.com
by Ken Martin
© The Austin Bulldog 2012
Posted Wednesday, May 30, 2012 8:47pm
The long-running struggle to find balance between owners who want to rent their property for short periods and neighbors who object to the problems caused by some short-term rentals continues.
The Austin American-Statesman’s story Monday summed up the situation in which the Planning Commission’s efforts to find an acceptable middle-ground have been unsuccessful, and both sides vow to continue the battle.
Amid this ongoing controversy, on May 21 an Austin-based company established a website that provides a way for people who support short-term rentals to e-mail a form letter to City Council members en masse.
The site was initially anonymous but The Austin Bulldog’s check into the website, VisitorsBenefitAustin, determined that it is being paid for by HomeAway, an Austin-based company with worldwide reach promoting short-term rentals.
Review of Austin Energy’s Spending
Scrutinized Amid Ongoing Rate-Hike Debate
by Rebecca LaFlure
© The Austin Bulldog 2012
Posted Thursday, May 24, 2012 10:57am
A private movie screening at Alamo Drafthouse, an end-of-the-year celebration at Dave and Busters, and an outing at Main Event Entertainment to bowl and eat barbecue are among the publicly funded events held to recognize Austin Energy employees over the past two and a half years.
As City Council members grapple with a proposed electric rate increase for Austin Energy customers, The Austin Bulldog paid $281 to obtain hundreds of documents through open records requests submitted in March outlining how the city-owned electric utility company manages spending for employee parties, business dinners, and travel.
The records indicate that Austin Energy spent at least $123,065 related to holiday, retirement and employee appreciation events from October 1, 2009 to February 29, 2012.
Background Investigation: Dominic Chavez
Here's What the Public Records Say
About the City Council Candidate
by Rebecca LaFlure
© The Austin Bulldog 2012
Posted Wednesday, May 9, 2012 8:13pm
Throughout his campaign for Austin City Council, Dominic Chavez said some have characterized him as a conservative, developer-backed candidate vying for a seat on a Democrat-dominated council.
After all, Chavez is a former spokesperson for the Real Estate Council of Austin, voted in five Republican races—and one Democratic primary—and nearly half of his campaign contributions come from people indicating they work in real estate or development.
But in an interview with The Austin Bulldog Thursday, Chavez, who is challenging incumbent Bill Spelman for the Place 5 seat, said he is not the “caricature” some people and media outlets have painted him to be.
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