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Leffingwell Draws a Big Crowd
Free Beer, Free Eats, and Free Music
Makes a Speech Go Down Real Easy
by Rebecca LaFlure
© The Austin Bulldog 2012
Posted Monday, February 27, 2012, 6:56pm
At a campaign event Saturday, Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell touted what he considers several of his greatest accomplishments over the past two and a half years: helping create jobs amid a shaky economy, building collaborative agreements with Austin ISD, and garnering support for a $90 million transportation bond voters approved in November 2010.
But there’s still work to be done, Leffingwell said, and he hopes Austin residents will elect him to a second mayoral term May 12.
“I think we’ve made a lot of progress over the last two and a half years on a lot of different things, but the job is not finished,” Leffingwell said. “My goal has always been and remains today to leave Austin a better place than we found it.”
Cannon Misfires on Traffic Offenses
Council Candidate Drew Five
Arrest Warrants in Five Years
by Rebecca LaFlure
© The Austin Bulldog 2012
Less than a week after entrepreneur Tina Cannon officially launched her campaign for City Council, The Austin Bulldog found that Cannon was issued five arrest warrants over the past five years for unpaid traffic tickets and failure to show proof of vehicle insurance.
Also, a company she co-founded was sued for trademark infringement last year. The lawsuit has since been dropped, and Cannon has paid all fines related to the traffic tickets.
Cannon is running against incumbent Bill Spelman, a public affairs professor at the University of Texas, and Dominic Chavez, an Army veteran and senior director for external relations at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, for the Place 5 spot.
“I am not a perfect human being and not a perfect driver, but I try hard at both,” Cannon said. I have “no excuses on missing the initial payment and proof-of-coverage deadlines, all of which I have taken care of a good while ago.”
Background Investigation: Mike Martinez
Here’s What the Public Records Say About
the Council Member Running for Re-election
by Rebecca LaFlure
© The Austin Bulldog 2012
Posted Saturday, February 25, 2012 2:36pm
When Mike Martinez announced he would seek a third term on the Austin City Council, The Austin Bulldog went to work researching Martinez’s personal and political background.
As with prior investigations of Mayor Lee Leffingwell and Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole, we used an organized plan to find, copy, and publish every public record we could find in an effort to educate citizens about their elected officials in the months leading to the May 2012 election.
We also read and compiled past news articles from The Austin Bulldog and other publications, and fact-checked statements elected officials made about their backgrounds.
Our research into Martinez painted a picture of an outspoken politician financially backed by well-connected donors who has gained a loyal following over the past six years and a vocal group of critics.
Tina Cannon Challenges Bill Spelman
Austin Entrepreneur Seeks to Bring a
Small Business Owner’s Voice to City Hall
by Rebecca LaFlure
© The Austin Bulldog 2012
Posted 5:56pm Monday, February 20, 2012
Tina Cannon emphasized her slogan, “fostering entrepreneurship in Austin,” last Friday, when she officially launched her campaign against incumbent Bill Spelman for the Place 5 Austin City Council seat.
Despite chilly winds and rainfall, about 30 supporters huddled under a covered patio outside Pour House Pub in North Austin as Cannon discussed her desire to bring a small business owner’s perspective to City Hall.
“I want us to put Austin back on the map as a leader in innovation and economic development and growth, and bring back transparency in city government that has been so absent at our City Hall,” said Cannon, noting that her friends and family have encouraged her to run for office over the years. “I’m really trying to lean on my background in business and entrepreneurship … and be a completely new voice.”
Here’s How the Mayor and Council Spent
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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First-ever opportunity to elect appraisal board members
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Project Connect scope drastically scaled back
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